By Natalie Auxier, Walt Disney Archives
“Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in this history of mankind.
Mankind—that word should have new meaning for all of us today.
We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests.
Perhaps it’s fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution—but from annihilation.
We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist.
And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice:
We will not go quietly into the night!
We will not vanish without a fight!
We’re going to live on!
We’re going to survive!
Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!”
Starring as President Thomas J. Whitmore, Bill Pullman gave this heroic and rousing speech in the 20th Century Fox blockbuster hit, Independence Day (1996). The film begins with an alien invasion of Earth and takes the audience on a thrilling journey with the heroes who try to stop the interstellar threat from wiping out mankind. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film also stars Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, and Mary McDonnell.
The Walt Disney Archives celebrates the 4th of July by showcasing some of the cosmic concept art, storyboards, set drawings, and posters from the film’s extensive art collection! Fun fact: when Independence Day Resurgence (2016) began pre-production, filmmakers reached out to the Archives to research and draw inspiration from the original film for the sequel. This is but one way that the Archives assists the creative process when it comes to the production of sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes in their journey to create seamless continuity between films, or fun little nods to previous works.
