The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[Animaniac93-98]

When I hear "Let it Go" it sounds just like any other pop song that's on the radio today.

As someone who has to listen to AT40 songs everywhere from shopping malls to the gym, I could not disagree more.

You continue to ignore the idea that 20 years from now Frozen may not sound any less dated. It's a pointless discussion that's biased entierly towards Lion King because Frozen was only released last November, while Lion King has 20 years of time on its side to judge its status as culturaly relevant.

The only Disney movie I can think of with truly dated music is Oliver and Company (but the whole movie is).

I wouldn't use modern Broadway as a measuring stick for not being pop.

Except the poster said "contempoary pop", which does not sound the same as Frozen. I agree that Stephen Schwartz and Rodgers and Hammerstein do not sound alike, but that's not what the criticism was about.

 

[Gomer]

As someone who has to listen to AT40 songs everywhere from shopping malls to the gym, I could not disagree more.



Except the poster said "contempoary pop", which does not sound the same as Frozen. I agree that Stephen Schwartz and Rodgers and Hammerstein do not sound alike, but that's not what the criticism was about.

My point was just that, "worked on broadway" does not have the pedigree it once did.

 

[Cesar R M]

That isn't an English Dinner they are eat'n!

that was just one scene!

 

[Cesar R M]

Elton John worte the music for Lion King. How are none of them not "pop" sounding in any way?

Frozen's songwriting team has multiple Broadway shows to their credit. The style of music has been the norm for the stage for the last 30 years, so I don't understand why it's being compared to current, overly electronic pop music.

Your posts continue to just prove my point.

Are you really implying that Elton John only writes pop?

 

[OSUgirl77]

that was just one scene!

Exactly, I'm pretty sure they have Italian restaurants in England.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Are you really implying that Elton John only writes pop?

No, just that maybe there is a pop influence in some of Lion King's songs.

Exactly, I'm pretty sure they have Italian restaurants in England.

They do, but (as already stated) Lady and the Tramp is not set in England so I don't know why it's even mentioned.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

No, just that maybe there is a pop influence in some of Lion King's songs.

If "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" isn't pop, I don't know what is.

 

[space42]

If "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" isn't pop, I don't know what is.

I guess I'm just beating a dead horse - or perhaps I'm just dense.. This does not sound like pop from 1994 to me.

 

[dupac]

Top 100 for 94

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/top-100-songs-of-the-year/?year=1994

I could see it having influences from 90s pop... totally sounds like Bump n Grind

 

[Disneyhead'71]

From a little earlier than '94, but definitely influenced The Lion King.

 

[Next Big Thing]

My only issue is that they're changing to frozen. Lord knows if it will still have any popularity coming to 2016.

But where was this righteous indignation when we announce the end of the world showcase players?

The Fantasyland expansion was based on two twenty year old movies and a movie over 70 years old. Harry Potter was about 15 years old by the time WWoHP opened. I'm sure they'll be fine with Frozen.

The notion that Frozen won't be popular in a few years is continuously laughable. If anything, it'll probably give people some time to calm down from the over saturation of it all.

 

[BernardandBianca]

The Fantasyland expansion was based on two twenty year old movies and a movie over 70 years old. Harry Potter was about 15 years old by the time WWoHP opened. I'm sure they'll be fine with Frozen.

The first Harry Potter movie came out in 2001, so WWoHP opened 9 years from the movie, not 15.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The first Harry Potter movie came out in 2001, so WWoHP opened 9 years from the movie, not 15.

First book was released in '97, which is what I think NBT meant.

 

[jakeman]

First book was released in '97, which is what I think NBT meant.

But man that was a glorious hair splitting wasn't it?

 

[Next Big Thing]

The first Harry Potter movie came out in 2001, so WWoHP opened 9 years from the movie, not 15.

The first book came out in 1997. Without the book, there is no movie. So I was wrong, not 15 years, 13. But I was guessing, so I don't really care.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

But man that was a glorious hair splitting wasn't it?

Downright magical.

(we should have a Harry Potter smiley)

 

[Gabe1]

that was just one scene!

Food to the World Showcase Pavilion is a critical element. Ya can't very well be serving Spaghetti and Meatballs at the Great Britain Pavilion.

 

[Gabe1]

Lion King was no classic when it was shoved into The Land pavilion in 1995, nor was it when it had three shows running at different parks in 1998 (Legend of the Lion King, Circle of Life and Festival of the Lion King).

As someone already mentioned, history is repeating itself with Frozen and the only difference with Lion King is nostalgia from an older, crankier fan base.

You'd be wise to avoid personal insults to shore up your point of view, the comment you posted "nostalgia from an older, crankier fan base" is insulting to a good chunk of our membership here.

Lion King nor Star Wars did not overtake a Pavilion in the World Showcase and rightfully so. Epcot is a "theme" park and the World Showcase was imagineered to the theme culture of each given country not "themed" to reflect the culture of a princess cartoon. Frozen would fit perfectly into Fantasyland as that theme park, that land lends itself ideally to Princesses. Do I believe FL needs more princesses, no. Frankly I believe Disney is pushing families with boys to other visit competing parks since Disney built an expansion in the MK that mainly girls identify with and now is removing a Viking theme from a Pavilion and making it freak'n fairtale culture of princesses. That is not what Norway is about. If you look at it, it is right there, Disney's target demographic has been girls unlike the days of Star Wars and Lion King when it was more gender neutral. Princess Overload.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I guess I'm just beating a dead horse - or perhaps I'm just dense.. This does not sound like pop from 1994 to me.

I can't say whether it not it's 1994 pop, but it's definitely Elton John pop. The arranger/orchestrator has worked hard to make it sound lusher and more theatre-y for the movie, but it's still very much an Elton John pop song.

Let It Go doesn't resemble 2013 pop music. I don't see the point of this discussion - there's not a single chart topper in 2013 that sounds anything like Let It Go. Let It Go sounds like the current style of belty musical theatre. If Let It Go was so poppy, Disney wouldn't have felt the need to record a pop VERSION "sung" by Demi Lovato; they would have just released the film recording with Idina as a single.

A talented arranger/orchestrator can make almost any song sound like almost any genre. Do you think Circle of Life, as heard in the film, is exactly what it sounded like when Elton wrote it? Nope. You can hear his version on the soundtrack, and it's pop. It's Elton John pop. Then the arranger/orchestrator steps in and gives it an African flavor, makes it grander, employs a vocalist to match the new style.

Musical theatre nerds will remember that 9 to 5 was a short lived musical on Broadway a few years back. Dolly Parton wrote the music and lyrics, including expanding on the title song from the film (which she also wrote). I was handed a copy of Dolly's demos, recorded on her own, of each of the show's main songs. It's amazing - in Dolly's hands, each song sounds country. The instrumentation, the rhythms - all country. In the show, Stephen Oremus did the arrangements and the sound of those songs is TOTALLY different from Dolly's original. Same melody, same lyrics - only now they sounded Broadway.

Lion King has some great music, but to pretend that it's not at least partially pop influenced is silly. Elton John is a pop composer, always has been. The Lopezes wrote a very Broadway score for Frozen - that's their background, their wheelhouse.

Now whether you think 20th century pop has overly influenced the current style of Broadway scores, that's another discussion.

 

[ttalovebug]

Lion King was no classic when it was shoved into The Land pavilion in 1995, nor was it when it had three shows running at different parks in 1998 (Legend of the Lion King, Circle of Life and Festival of the Lion King).

As someone already mentioned, history is repeating itself with Frozen and the only difference with Lion King is nostalgia from an older, crankier fan base.

1. I agree that arguments that Frozen is not a classic are totally irrelevant. Placing a "classic" property in World Showcase as they are doing with Norway would be just as problematic. Snow White's kingdom taking over Germany would be a thematic atrocity. It doesn't belong.

2. I completely disagree that there is no difference between the rushed multiple Lion King attractions and the Frozen takeover. While Lion King was "shoved" into The Land, it is non-intrusive. It's in a freaking corner. It in no way changes the pavilion's identity. It works with the pavilion's message of conservation. It didn't replace a favorite attraction.

3. Anna and Elsa taking over the post-ride film would be history repeating itself. This is on another level.

4. Not only is taking a shot at the "older, crankier fan base" insulting to many esteemed posters here, it's also short-sighted and untrue. I seriously doubt all the bloggers on Tumblr losing their **** over this are "old folks" who frequented Epcot in the good ole' days. In fact, most of them are CPs. Fans of all ages are upset about this because it's a poor decision. It's as simple as that.