News Beauty and the Beast sing-along coming to Epcot's France Pavilion

[gustaftp]

YouTuber that runs a channel focused on Disney park history and minutia, often going into deep cut subjects that's also so accepting of change, he doesn't really care what gets ripped out.

He comes across as so smug, it drives me up the wall. Part of why I really enjoyed EPCOT as a child is because it appealed to the very curious side of me that wanted to know how things work, and who wanted to interact with the world around me. I always enjoyed field trips to historic sites, science museum, the local water works, etc. While I enjoyed the Magic Kingdom, to me EPCOT was where it was at! The attendance numbers of the 1980s and 1990s confirm that they were doing something right.

Yet Rob Plays himself said that EPCOT doesn't need to inspire. It just needs to be popular. Completely forgetting the fact that EPCOT 1.0 and EPCOT '94 were popular.

The idea that because we have YouTube now we don't need Impressions of France is upsetting, to be honest. My introverted self also wants to scream because nearly everything seems to be catered towards extraversion as it is. Rob reminds me of the kids that used to mock those of us who as children preferred to read a book rather than play football.

This whole situation with the France pavilion just rubs me the wrong way, far more than many of the other EPCOT changes. It seems so lazy. It feels like it is talking down to people, poopooing the idea that anyone should be inspired at a theme park.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

This whole situation with the France pavilion just rubs me the wrong way, far more than many of the other EPCOT changes. It seems so lazy. It feels like it is talking down to people, poopooing the idea that anyone should be inspired at a theme park.

Agree with you on this, especially the laziness of this new show. It's a sing-a-long, so guests are basically entertaining themselves; it uses 1/5 of the theater's screens, which is pretty dumb; and there are no actors or live characters in the show which just reeks of cost cutting. Plus, BatB already has a large presence in the parks. Did we really need this mediocre (and that's being kind) sing-a-long added to the mix?

I think @wdwmagic's review said it best:

Unfortunately the new show does not feature any live actors or characters, and falls far short of Walt Disney World's other sing-along based on Frozen at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The show uses only a fraction of the Palais du Cinémais screen, and comes off as something you might expect to see on a DVD bonus feature, not at a Disney theme park attraction.

There's little reason to support this new show. It's objectively not a good attraction.

 

[gustaftp]

I'm enjoying how the Unofficial Guide sums this up:

This is the third current Disney World attraction to tell the Beauty and the Beast story, along with the Magic Kingdom's Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction and Hollywood Studios’ Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage. It’s also the least good version, lacking the intimate charm of Enchanted Tales with Belle and the production values of Live on Stage.

Why, then, does this attraction exist? What Disney won’t tell you is that it desperately wants to use Epcot as a marketing and promotional tool for its movie and television franchises. In this case, Beauty was set in France and Epcot has a France pavilion. “Voilà”, Disney thought, probably translating that to “Synergy!” in their heads.

Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along | EPCOT

This is the third current Disney World attraction to tell the Beauty and the Beast story, along with the Magic

touringplans.com

 

[ChrisFL]

I like RobPlays, but yeah, he is definitely a "change is always good" mentality it seems.

Though him and the guy who runs Defunctland have had, I think 3 youtube discussions about replacing attractions vs. keeping them and they've been fun to listen to since they're on opposite sides of the issues typically.

 

[HauntedPirate]

That said, as someone who grew up loving the early Renaissance films, I can’t understand why there’s any interest in this project. We’ve got New Fantasyland; we’ve got the ‘vintage’ DHS stage show; we’ve got Disney+ and free access to the film’s highlights on YouTube. Who wanted this?

Rumor has it someone up high wanted it. So as to not reveal his identity, I'll call him, "Bob".

 

[trainplane3]

There's a reason why I write off most Disney Youtubers. They're either genuinely nice or they turn into "I'm open to your opinion but I'm more right and don't care about your thoughts because I know best and look how big my...subscriber count is. Also, check out this travel agency/candle maker!".

There's literally 3 I like and even then two of them aren't even primarily Disney (nor can you call them a "Youtuber"). They either make nice content without a overbearing opinion or just film with their mouth shut.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk. You can find my 100% non-opinionated book at the exit. Be sure to sign up for this lootbox and get a free Disney trip quote from Super Awesome not a scam Travel Agency!

 

[lazyboy97o]

When do we get the Beauty and the Beast: Special Edition Blu-Ray release incorporating the new animation that finally realizes Howard Ashman’s dream that could not be accomplished because it makes nonsense of the story?

 

[No Name]

I'm sure they'll have success with this, but I have to wonder at what point turning the parks into a place for fans of Disney films starts to limit their appeal.

You’d think they‘d realize they’ve captured that market already. Fans of the films are already coming to WDW, and if Disney doesn’t extend and market appeal beyond that, they won’t get Pandora-like attendance boosts. But regardless of whatever facts and logic he’s presented, Bob Iger will stick to his personal agenda and make sure no nondescript coasters themed to India or whatever get built.

Even though said coaster was arguably more successful than Galaxy’s Edge.

 

[Fox&Hound]

Maybe this sing-along is coming because the stage show at DHS is finally getting replaced. One can dream, right? =)

 

[MisterPenguin]

Mayme this sing-along is coming because the stage show at DHS is finally getting replaced. One can dream, right? =)

For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute.
We need a little Christmas now!

Love Mame!

 

[marni1971]

Isn’t there legit plans to do a full update of IDF?

Yes.

Did the kiddy bloggers not post photos of the IDF crowds that were also there?

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Yes.

Did the kiddy bloggers not post photos of the IDF crowds that were also there?

Pics or it didn't happen!

 

[Coaster Lover]

So...this doesn't bode well for IDF I don't think

Maybe people are expecting something along the lines of the Frozen Singalong (which I personally LOVE... and this is nothing remotely similar to)? I have to agree that the lines could very much just be due to the "newness" of it all and the need for more to do (attraction wise) in that corner of the park. It will be interesting to see if it is pulling similar crowds in a few months.

 

[marni1971]

Pics or it didn't happen!

I’ve got the pics. But they’re not mine to post. One especially where the next show to load was full with guests still outside.

 

[Parker in NYC]

Finally saw the whole show. Thank god Howard Ashman’s dead because this would have killed him.

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

Oh my...

This is pretty awful.

Ignoring the obvious issues with plot holes and poor animation, why on earth would they use only such a small portion of the screens for the film that will be primarily playing in the theatre during the day?

 

[wdwmagic]

Ignoring the obvious issues with plot holes and poor animation, why on earth would they use only such a small portion of the screens for the film that will be primarily playing in the theatre during the day?

I think this contributes to making it feel very much like a bonus feature on a DVD. It doesn't seem remotely integrated into the theater. You could take that source material and play it anywhere, including my house. Most Disney attractions are not like that.

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

I think this contributes to making it feel very much like a bonus feature on a DVD. It doesn't seem remotely integrated into the theater. You could take that source material and play it anywhere, including my house. Most Disney attractions are not like that.

They really should have at least animated scenery to project onto the other screens and integrate the rest of the animation into so that guests' peripheral is filled as intended. The attraction would still be terrible, but at least it wouldn't constantly look like bad show. Surely guests are left wondering why there are other screens that are blank.

Perhaps this truly is an interim show to drive attendance while they work on the new IdF update? That would at least somewhat explain the awful quality.

 

[JenniferS]

I was looking forward to conning Hubby into seeing this in the fall - thinking it would be more along the lines of the Frozen Sing Along in DHS.

I shan’t bother now. We’ll just wait until the evening and watch IdF.

I will sorely miss that comfortable, air conditioned break in the afternoon though.

 

[Magic Feather]

Be wary of reports showing a queue outside the attraction, claiming it to be for the next show. IdF’s lobby capacity is smaller than that of the theater. SOP for Palais du Cinema is to close of the lobby once it’s full, then allow a line to gather outside. Once the first wave is allowed in, the rest are allowed in until the theater is filled (which is rare, although I’ve heard about it happening once).