A look at the completed refurbishment of the Partners statue at Magic Kingdom

Aug 06, 2021 in "Magic Kingdom"

Completed Partners statue refurbishment
Posted: Friday August 6, 2021 8:40am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The Partners statue at the Magic Kingdom has been fully refurbished over the past few weeks, readying Walt and Mickey for the start of the 50th anniversary on October 1.


During the refurbishment, the team stripped the statue to bare metal, cleaned it, applied a new patina, and topped it off with a protective coating.



In the statue sculpted by Imagineering legend Blaine Gibson and installed in 1995, Walt is depicted as the visionary, pointing toward the future and leading the way for Mickey Mouse, Walt's creation.


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Mark48Aug 14, 2021

Me no Lika Da Chapek !!!

BrianAug 14, 2021

If you think even for a moment that WDW would exist had Walt not had any intention/plans to create it, you clearly haven't the slightest clue about how Disney was run. The executives at the time of Walt's passing didn't even want to do it because Walt was gone, but were rallied by Roy, who himself delayed his retirement to see it through, and who was effectively responsible for coming up with the money for Walt and others' ideas. That's not to diminish his critical role in the organization (like Walt, likely none of present-day Disney would exist), but he was no creative. By your logic, the United States was only built by those who survived the revolutionary war, because only those who survived were able to do the work of creating a system of government.

Vinnie MacAug 14, 2021

I find it hilarious how 40% of your argument is just "you're wrong and I'm right because I said I'm right"

Mark48Aug 14, 2021

PS......Me no Lika Da Chapek !!!

Mark48Aug 14, 2021

The tribute in the park that will be a laughable joke is the "Walt overlooking Epcot " statue coming to Epcot. Oh sure, we all know Walts dream was a THEME PARK with a stream running thru the middle ( Coming attraction ) and a Roller Coaster.

Father RobinsonAug 14, 2021

But he never hammered one nail or set foot in the finished park so he doesn't deserve a statue...🤦‍♂️ "Some men you just can't reach." - Cool Hand Luke 1967

GoofyernmostAug 14, 2021

MK was always in the plan. That what was going to provide the income to do the EPCOT project. That is where most of the residents of EPCOT were envisioned to work. He made the decision to buy all that land so they could easily fit in what he wanted and keep it isolated, if necessary, from the rest of the world. Just because he wasn't able to actually see any of it through, does not negate the fact that none of the areas of Kissimmee or Orlando would be what it is today without one single person that had made a bigger impact on modern day life. Walt wasn't there to see it become the most popular vacation destination in the world, but he did build the foundation that it was built on and he did that while being dead for the last 55 years. What influence have we been directly responsible for in spite of being alive. The name of the place is Walt Disney World! Not Roy Disney World or Nine Old Men World. I give Roy credit for going ahead with the plans for Magic Kingdom and being wise enough to know that the original Walt Disney idea for EPCOT was not going to fly and would have been such a drain on resources that it would likely break the back of the Walt Disney Co. I will agree that Roy does deserve a bit more recognition for that, but remember it was just about a month after MK opened that Roy, himself, passed away. Neither one of the brothers had a hand in what todays WDW has to offer.

ImperfectPixieAug 14, 2021

Disney World was Walt's idea. He formed fake companies and acquired the land - he used his plane to scout out the area. If he hadn't had the idea and done the preliminary work to acquire the massive amounts of land in Florida, Walt Disney World would not exist.

Vinnie MacAug 14, 2021

With the fireworks for tomorrow night, is there any chance that it's that new Halloween firework show that debuted in 2019?

VJAug 10, 2021

something something iger something something

EricsBiscuitAug 09, 2021

I hate it! Leave it to Bob Chapek to ruin this statue! What’s next? A Partner’s Cupcake upsell opportunity? Leave it to the bloated and incompetent WDI to screw this up. Looks like yet another cost cut!!1!

JustInTimeAug 09, 2021

Ahh gotcha. That makes sense.

owlsandcoffeeAug 09, 2021

It's not meant to look any different! The goal was to maintain it, so that it does not deteriorate.

JustInTimeAug 09, 2021

I don’t think the statue looks that different? But I’m glad it got a cleaning!