New nighttime show 'Rivers of Light' confirmed to be coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

[MagicHappens1971]

Are hours going to be extended more for these nighttime offerings? June hours went from 5 PM to 8 PM, but that's still a half hour before sunset.

They'll probably have to be extended since the interim Rivers of Light show would probably need to be after sunset too.

 

[ag3_tre]

I DON'T CARE IF THE FLOATS MOVE I WANT WHAT I SAW IN THAT VIDEO OMG. Remember when they redid Fantasmic @DL with the moving fountains and they didn't work correctly so they just made them static? Why can't they do the same thing here, just include everything once it starts working? I know that a lot of the show relies on the movement of the floats, but seriously, that preview looked beautiful. Pardon my ignorance.

 

[wdwmagic]

Are hours going to be extended more for these nighttime offerings? June hours went from 5 PM to 8 PM, but that's still a half hour before sunset.

Yes they will be extended.

 

[ChristianG]

I DON'T CARE IF THE FLOATS MOVE I WANT WHAT I SAW IN THAT VIDEO OMG. Remember when they redid Fantasmic @DL with the moving fountains and they didn't work correctly so they just made them static? Why can't they do the same thing here, just include everything once it starts working? I know that a lot of the show relies on the movement of the floats, but seriously, that preview looked beautiful. Pardon my ignorance.

You can't tell random ensemble members last minute to not move and expect everyone else to dance around them without accident. ROL has/had set choreography and to leave the floats static could call for disaster. Not only could accidents happen but the overall design of the show could look messy.

 

[Cesar R M]

It would based on where they are trying to use it due to a phenomenon known as GDOP or geometic dilution of precision, It's most pronounced in areas with high multipath (reflected signals) most people have been driving in the city when their GPS gets 'confused' well in most cases that's GDOP at work. But too often designers use GPS as the magic nav system in the sky without being aware of it's very real limitations like GDOP and other things which limit GPS repeatabililty.

GPS was a poor choice here as there was no need to be able to find position anywhere on the globe, What was needed was a simple inertial guidance system because whats needed is precise station keeping ability and navigating to a series of fixed points from a unchanging start position.

I actually wondered why they didn't set up guidance transmitters in every area of the show zone.
I mean, they already have poles everywhere.
Not need to use GPS. Just a local guidance system.

Magnetic guideways are used for industrial robots that would have worked well too unless they have some kind of 'canal cleaner' which scrubs the bottom of the canal to keep it clean which would have the potential to dislocate the guide magnets.

like a railing system (aka a guide of metal with the magnets lined up?)
so they do not need to add concrete to the lake.

 

[Cesar R M]

Because they are not scrapping it, people are just prematurely freaking out.

I actually wonder.. in case of technical failure of ROL.
Would they "deploy" the Jungle book version as a 'fallback" ?

 

[Cesar R M]

The Shamans and apprentices were present too, but without their boats, they didn't really have much to do beyond briefly kicking off the preview

Even with the delays.. You cant deny that the costumes are gorgeous.

 

[Cesar R M]

It was brilliant putting the fountains on floats instead of under the water. I bet they wish they had thought of that before World of Color. Where they went wrong was with the GPS tech. The Electrical Water Pageant has been running since forever without GPS.

yeah, but they only go straight right? I dont think they have to make such drastic turns or complete stops and movement in 360 degrees in a limited space.
The lake is huge in EWP's case.

 

[Amused to Death]

Magnetic guideways are used for industrial robots that would have worked well too unless they have some kind of 'canal cleaner' which scrubs the bottom of the canal to keep it clean which would have the potential to dislocate the guide magnets.

But if you were to construct some sort of magnetic guideway, a more robust version of magnetic tape on a factory floor, wouldn't it end up being much like an underwater rail? I would think it would be difficult to displace something that large.

Magnetic tape would still work as magnetic fields are unaffected by water

like a railing system (aka a guide of metal with the magnets lined up?) so they do not need to add concrete to the lake.

Right. That's what I meant about an underwater rail. Not a track, like what is being used in Rivers of America, but a continuous piece of metal or PVC that runs the length of the show floor and has magnets either on it or in it. It could be a single rail or even a grid of squares/triangles. An underwater guidance system that, due to its size, would not be able to be displaced by a 'canal cleaner' or anything else.

 

[Marlins1]

AK hours for Memorial Day Weekend now show 11PM - nighttime show details are not on their yet and late FP+ times are not yet available.

 

[TTA94]

Interesting the 11pm hour ends July 2nd.. That adds fuel to the July 4th opening of RoL, which may need a 12 or 1am close?

 

[Cesar R M]

No, they are committed to RoL. There has been to much invested already to abort.

so a "do or die" kind of pressure?

 

[Cletus]

J-lo just posted that AK hours have been extended to 11pm May 27th thru July 2nd.

 

[note2001]

J-lo just posted that AK hours have been extended to 11pm May 27th thru July 2nd.

Confirmed via Disney's park hours page.
(I'm simply happy to see that AK will be open late every night.)

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Its really amazing how easily people confuse announcements from Disney, a new show is announced in place of Rivers of Light until its operational and everyone sees it as Rivers of Light has been canceled and the Jungle Book is its replacement.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Something that really shows how bad things have gotten is that I put on Facebook that AKs hours have been extended and someone asked if this was an additional cost

 

[Sped2424]

J-lo just posted that AK hours have been extended to 11pm May 27th thru July 2nd.

look at that

 

[futurecastmembr]

They did think of it, Illuminations has had fountains on barges since long before World of Color.

Yeah but I mean come on, those fountains are a joke compared to WoC lol, they're more of an accent than a main show element. They did a great job of achieving the big dramatic look of WoC's fountains without having to drain and dig up the whole lake.

yeah, but they only go straight right? I dont think they have to make such drastic turns or complete stops and movement in 360 degrees in a limited space.
The lake is huge in EWP's case.

Obviously it wouldn't be exactly the same as the current version but I don't think you have to reinvent the wheel for these kinds of things. People just want an exciting show. You can do that without having a complicated (probably expensive, maybe unreliable) whole new system, especially when the effect isn't so different from other nighttime shows they've done. Like the DisneySea lagoon, they've done really incredible stuff there so they can do it. I just think sometimes they spend a lot of money and the money doesn't end up on the stage. A float that doesn't need a driver is neat but it's subtle and you could probably achieve a similar affect with one, and you probably wouldn't have to delay the show. Similarly, having a wrist band instead of a ticket is neat (I guess) but I would rather have a new ride, that's something I can actually see and experience.

I'll be happy to be proven wrong though, maybe those flowers will move and dance like we've never seen before.

 

[Mike S]

Something that really shows how bad things have gotten is that I put on Facebook that AKs hours have been extended and someone asked if this was an additional cost

What can you do. It's completely and totally expected from them these days.

 

[danlb_2000]

Yeah but I mean come on, those fountains are a joke compared to WoC lol, they're more of an accent than a main show element. They did a great job of achieving the big dramatic look of WoC's fountains without having to drain and dig up the whole lake.

But World of Color has A LOT more fountains, and they are essentially on a barge, just a really big one that can't move anywhere.