News New Parade: Magic Happens

NateD1226

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It's honestly kind of fascinating how different the design philosophies between Soundsational and Magic Happens are. Soundsational emphasized fun and color and a children's book style while Magic Happens emphasizes a more contemporary, adult style.
Which is honestly better in my opinion. The floats in Magic Happens were so aesthetically pleasing and were really magical.
 

mickeyfan5534

Well-Known Member
Honestly, rewatching it back, I keep skipping over the opening half to watch the finale. I really think the parade shines in those final 4 floats in design and music. I think the theme fits the parade overall far better than the other song and the theme of "Magic leading to Happily Ever After" lends far more to the thesis of the parade than the first half. Were it me, I'd have really leaned into the ideas of the back half and made each of the floats representative of its movie's happily ever after via "magic" and it'd be cool to see something different done with the typical choices because of that "happily ever after" route as well. Something like Belle and the Beast as a human would have been a nice and different take for a usual suspect.
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
Bad music and poor design?
(Edit) Sorry—I gotta stop being such a grouch. There *are* a lot of positive elements here, from the inclusion of Sword in the Stone to the “trying something new” approach. I just hope next time all involved are given a bigger budget and a better understanding of what really works in a Disney parade.

I do enjoy the visuals more than I thought I wouldl. It seems like they really did try. The parade has real promise.

But I agree. The music is awful.
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
What drives me nuts is the huge gap in scope between this parade and Tokyo’s recent productions. It looks like Tokyo spent more money on the first two sections of Dreaming Up than the entire budget of Magic Happens. It’s like the Honey Hunt dark ride situation again: Tokyo gets a full steak dinner and the U.S parks get a Happy Meal.

I would gladly pay the recently increased admission price just to see something like “Dreaming Up” or “Happiness is Here” at DL. “Magic Happens” is better than no parade at all, but it’s not a must-see.
 
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Mickeyboof

Well-Known Member
From what I’ve seen online, I think I’d enjoy watching this pass by!

I don’t like that the daytime parade is trying to be both day and nighttime parade. That’s a low blow.

Regarding style, I actually found the look quite cohesive. I’m most happy the floats are very textured and layered, unlike the big plastic Festival of Fantasy floats over at WDW (also has to be the most scattered parade I’ve seen in terms of cohesive design).

I do with there was a float similar in epicness as Florida’s Tangled float- with the massive swinging axes (?). That float is quite amazing to see, and on level with Tokyo’s bombastic scale.

I think I’d really enjoy this parade with an original soundtrack that didn’t sound like KidzBop.

Meanwhile, over in Paris, my favorite daytime parade still runs twice daily! Stars on Parade (dumb title) has the best score, truly captures your day at the two parks and celebrates it boldly!
 

brb1006

Well-Known Member
From what I’ve seen online, I think I’d enjoy watching this pass by!

I don’t like that the daytime parade is trying to be both day and nighttime parade. That’s a low blow.

Regarding style, I actually found the look quite cohesive. I’m most happy the floats are very textured and layered, unlike the big plastic Festival of Fantasy floats over at WDW (also has to be the most scattered parade I’ve seen in terms of cohesive design).

I do with there was a float similar in epicness as Florida’s Tangled float- with the massive swinging axes (?). That float is quite amazing to see, and on level with Tokyo’s bombastic scale.

I think I’d really enjoy this parade with an original soundtrack that didn’t sound like KidzBop.

Meanwhile, over in Paris, my favorite daytime parade still runs twice daily! Stars on Parade (dumb title) has the best score, truly captures your day at the two parks and celebrates it boldly!
"Parade Of Dreams" used to run during the daytime and nighttime.
 

Brenthodge

Well-Known Member
Yeah but this......
View attachment 452800

is WAY better than this....

View attachment 452801
Matter of opinion. While the new unit is richly detailed, the previous fit an overarching style that unified the entire parade (and was way more exuberant- in fact I think that one thing that bugs me. This whole new parade takes itself too seriously, like it “trying” to be high art) anyway. Opinions vary, just clarifying that the girls rolled down the street on her own spectacle before.
 

Mickeyboof

Well-Known Member
Wow. I decided to play the parade in the background as I did some taxes on the computer.

This has to be the most aggravating parade music loop ever conceived. It is so awfully generic, spiritless, and tell-not-show. I had to shut it off. How can anyone sit through this whole parade? The music is tragic.
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
The parade is less than the sum of its parts. Some things are nice, but strung together it doesn't work that well.

Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland all have better afternoon parades than this.

Also why does the Frozen 2 float look so much worse than the one they just built for Paris? Why not have the same quality float?
 

FigmentForver96

Well-Known Member
I watched it again and there are pros and cons. I can appreciate a new style of parade, I will always give credit for trying something different. Certain floats are really cool like Coco, Princess and the Frog and Sleeping Beauty and it’s cool to see the Sword in the Stone obviously. The music just doesn’t make sense, why are there two songs? Parades need a flow and a rhythm and having two pop songs in the same parade doesn’t help. The outfits for the opening are so freaking ugly. It is cringe every time I see them. Who designed these, I just want to talk to them. Overall I guess a good 5/5 which is kinda side considering it’s a Disneyland parade. I am hoping to be there this fall to judge in person vs having to do so through video.
 

Mickeyboof

Well-Known Member
I don’t get the music complaints. The catchy opening song only lasts the first float, then each float is just the movies music... then a different finale song ( which is a new move for Disneyland )

Each float features the movies iconic songs... weaved with the same magic happens song from the first float. The whole time. Which makes logical sense for a parade. But the magic happens song makes my brain cells deflate at an alarming pace.
 

tirian

Well-Known Member
Matter of opinion. While the new unit is richly detailed, the previous fit an overarching style that unified the entire parade (and was way more exuberant- in fact I think that one thing that bugs me. This whole new parade takes itself too seriously, like it “trying” to be high art) anyway. Opinions vary, just clarifying that the girls rolled down the street on her own spectacle before.
Wow. I decided to play the parade in the background as I did some taxes on the computer.

This has to be the most aggravating parade music loop ever conceived. It is so awfully generic, spiritless, and tell-not-show. I had to shut it off. How can anyone sit through this whole parade? The music is tragic.
The parade is less than the sum of its parts. Some things are nice, but strung together it doesn't work that well.

Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland all have better afternoon parades than this.

Also why does the Frozen 2 float look so much worse than the one they just built for Paris? Why not have the same quality float?
I watched it again and there are pros and cons. I can appreciate a new style of parade, I will always give credit for trying something different. Certain floats are really cool like Coco, Princess and the Frog and Sleeping Beauty and it’s cool to see the Sword in the Stone obviously. The music just doesn’t make sense, why are there two songs? Parades need a flow and a rhythm and having two pop songs in the same parade doesn’t help. The outfits for the opening are so freaking ugly. It is cringe every time I see them. Who designed these, I just want to talk to them. Overall I guess a good 5/5 which is kinda side considering it’s a Disneyland parade. I am hoping to be there this fall to judge in person vs having to do so through video.

For decades, intellectual snobs accused Disney of pushing tacky, kitschy theme parks as art, but the snobs ignored how the theme parks were created by extremely talented artists who were purposely art directing things as experiences based in theatrical/movie-set design.

WDI addressed some criticism with Epcot Center, and Eisner further combatted it by hiring superstar architects to create resorts like the Y&B and GF, along with Team Disney buildings.

But parts of this parade look exactly as tacky and pseudo-sophisticated as critics have accused Disneyland of being. Anyone who’s had to endure gallery openings among self-righteous elites can recognize where things went wrong in this parade.

Again, IMHO. If someone likes it, more power to you.
 

Mickeyboof

Well-Known Member
For decades, intellectual snobs accused Disney of pushing tacky, kitschy theme parks as art, but the snobs ignored how the theme parks were created by extremely talented artists who were purposely art directing things as experiences based in theatrical/movie-set design.

WDI addressed some criticism with Epcot Center, and Eisner further combatted it by hiring superstar architects to create resorts like the Y&B and GF, along with Team Disney buildings.

But parts of this parade look exactly as tacky and pseudo-sophisticated as critics have accused Disneyland of being. Anyone who’s had to endure gallery openings among self-righteous elites can recognize where things went wrong in this parade.

Again, IMHO. If someone likes it, more power to you.

I love the visuals of this parade at night. I actually really love the sights.

It’s the sounds that are tragic for my tastes.
 

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