6/25/13 - The Day Spectro Died... Sorry guys..

Soarin' Over Pgh

Well-Known Member
Here is a photo of the parade before the masks were removed (taken in January 2006). They didn't seem as odd to me in person as they do now (did these doll characters have a name?). I still listen to the music from the show pretty regularly and so I join with the rest who hope the music will be kept.
Sunday-0050 by johnledbetter, on Flickr

What does Disneyland have at night?

Beautiful picture.

Welcome to the board :)
 

Polydweller

Well-Known Member
I am getting sick and tired of losing original WDW park elements without receiving improved replacements.
How is Spectromagic an original WDW park element. It opened October 1991, exactly 20 years after WDW opened. Hardly original?

Put me in the group that are fans of Spectro. But I also know that it was far from being universally loved. There were lots of people who hated the lighted mask characters. Many kids were spooked by them and even adults disliked them. The change to lighted hair just made them more repulsive to me and apparently others.

I won't miss it because change is what is supposed to happen in Disney Parks, they were conceived to be that way. Without change life gets pretty boring and so would MK and WDW as a whole. There have been many parades at MK over its 41 almost 42 years and I've like most but when they go I look forward to the next one.

TDO is neither cheap nor disrespectful in this case. It costs a lot to create a new parade and they are in fact respecting the Disney mantra of the parks never being finished and to be always changing.
 

GrumpyFan

Well-Known Member
Wow!
Is there any hope that some of it was saved or archived?
Couldn't they have put some of it up for sale on ebay, or made it available for D23 members?
 

montyz81

Well-Known Member
If all that is true and I have no reason to not believe you it is pretty obvious that they never intended to ever have it see the light of day (or night, in this case) again. I think that the phrase for that is "planned obsolescence".
Planned obsolescence is when you design unusability into something. This has more to do with lack of carein storage rather then them intending for it to be one day unusable during it's original inception.
 

Victor Kelly

Well-Known Member
If it was kept in a non-protected area and left to rot then shame on TDO. It could be a little creepy, it was also darker than MSEP. The beginning and the ending of the parade were my favorites. The middle not so much. The Cinnebog(sp) float was by far the neatest since it wasn't just a float, it was a transformer.:cool:
 

muteki

Well-Known Member
If it was kept in a non-protected area and left to rot then shame on TDO. It could be a little creepy, it was also darker than MSEP. The beginning and the ending of the parade were my favorites. The middle not so much. The Cinnebog(sp) float was by far the neatest since it wasn't just a float, it was a transformer.:cool:

This is the part that sticks out at me so much, it literally blew my mind as a kid to see the volcano transform. I don't even think at the time I knew what it represented I just thought that it was awesome.
 

bubbles1812

Well-Known Member
How is Spectromagic an original WDW park element. It opened October 1991, exactly 20 years after WDW opened. Hardly original?

Put me in the group that are fans of Spectro. But I also know that it was far from being universally loved. There were lots of people who hated the lighted mask characters. Many kids were spooked by them and even adults disliked them. The change to lighted hair just made them more repulsive to me and apparently others.

I won't miss it because change is what is supposed to happen in Disney Parks, they were conceived to be that way. Without change life gets pretty boring and so would MK and WDW as a whole. There have been many parades at MK over its 41 almost 42 years and I've like most but when they go I look forward to the next one.

TDO is neither cheap nor disrespectful in this case. It costs a lot to create a new parade and they are in fact respecting the Disney mantra of the parks never being finished and to be always changing.
I wouldn't mind the changes if in fact a new night parade WAS actually being created... But it's not. Hardly keeping with the mantra of the parks being finished wouldnt you say? Mean they brought back an even older parade than Spectro as a replacement... So how does what you said make any sense in that context?
 
How is Spectromagic an original WDW park element. It opened October 1991, exactly 20 years after WDW opened. Hardly original?

Put me in the group that are fans of Spectro. But I also know that it was far from being universally loved. There were lots of people who hated the lighted mask characters. Many kids were spooked by them and even adults disliked them. The change to lighted hair just made them more repulsive to me and apparently others.

I won't miss it because change is what is supposed to happen in Disney Parks, they were conceived to be that way. Without change life gets pretty boring and so would MK and WDW as a whole. There have been many parades at MK over its 41 almost 42 years and I've like most but when they go I look forward to the next one.

TDO is neither cheap nor disrespectful in this case. It costs a lot to create a new parade and they are in fact respecting the Disney mantra of the parks never being finished and to be always changing.

By saying Spectro is an original park element I was referring to the fact that it was a parade designed only for WDW, an original offering only available at WDW. I am aware of when the parade began and was not claiming that it was an opening day offering. I am also well aware and support the parks continuing to change and evolve over time. I believe that this was the orignal intention of Walt Disney as well, from many quotes I have read. What does frustrate me is that in general, and in this case specifically, there is not a focus on growing and changing. Instead the focus is on elimating an offering without providing a new one. What we have is a 40 year old parade, that Disneyland no longer wanted, and no plans for a new nighttime offering on the horizon. To me that is not moving forward, it is resting on laurels and hoping people won't notice. To make matters worse, the public was led to believe a refurbished Spectro was on its way while the parade was left to rot under a canopy. I would love nothing more than to see them truly adopt their "mantra" of always growing and changing and being on the cutting edge once again. This is from someone that would be described as a "pixie duster" by most on these boards, but we all have our limits.
 

FlaMel

Active Member
It is always sad to say goodbye to a beloved object, but from time to time we must. As a child I loved all of the Sid & Marty Krofft shows on Saturday mornings. They're all gone now and no one owes me an apology, that is just how things go. I am also of the opinion that we each attach feelings to things based on our own experiences. For me, the quintessential Disney nighttime parade is MSEP. I have already accepted that it will one day be gone forever. With regard to Spectromagic it is true that it was eliminated without replacing it with a new parade. It is however important to note that the MK evening show schedule is currently a full slate. Two MSEP performances, two CTM performances and one performance of Wishes.

With regard to the uncerimonious way that spectro exited; Each of us agree or disagree with decisions that are made at Disney parks based on our own attachments and values. I have no way to add any clarity as to why the parade was stored the way it was, how it was allowed to deteriorate and why it was deemed too far gone to repair. I do know that; plans change, technologies become obsolete and the cost to repair something can sometimes exceed its value (at least on paper). What I am certain of is that nobody at TDO or any WDW manager goes to work with the purpose of saying " What can I destroy today". They surely have different priorities than us, based on the directives of their bosses (and they all have bosses). I am sure that as leaders in a publicly held company, none of them are directed to "Kill the golden goose".
 

Victor Kelly

Well-Known Member
It may not have even been rot. Do we know what the chassis and platforms were built out of? Aluminum and pressure treated wood would be my choice.

The real story could be that it was cost prohibitive to rehab the whole parade. Degredation of electrical components like lights, wiring and sound, and tertiary support structures. If not aluminum and treated lumber, then rust, water infiltration, pest infiltration, UV maybe, but they were kept in tents, but for how long is the question.

Spectro had to grow on me much like Epcot Center did. The music was fairly good after all. I grew up from 75 to 91 each year with MSEP, so of course I preferred it more.

Nobody is wrong in their feelings on this. Some liked it better, others did not. The question for TDO is will they build a new parade that surpasses Spectro and MSEP?


Oh and what is a CTM performance?
 

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Someone should post a tribute thread with photos. I have a few I could scrounge out and share.

Honestly, I really liked the tribute floats to Fantasia and really disliked the clowns, with or without masks. There was too much flora with the Sleeping Beauty fairy floats for my taste, but the rest of the parade was pretty good, and I did like the music . . . only not as much as MSEP. :)

The fact these floats ended up in dumpsters is disheartening. It is hard to imagine any Disney fans who ever watched their child watching the parade feeling differently.
 

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