Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage?

[AshaNeOmah]

Has it always been there? I don't remember any 'castle shows' before Cinderellabration for Walt's 100th and started doing a little research. I know there were additions once the shows began in 2001 but don't really know much before that. I also know that the castle forefront is usually (always?) closed now and that definitly has not always been the case, if my memory serves me correctly.

So if I am right (hopefully), has there been any outcry over the stage and how it messes with the central hub? I know from experience that it can be tough to navigate if a show is being presented and not being able to travel directly through the caste at certain times is not fun.

The wand is gone from SSE. Maybe we'll get rid of that hat soon. Does the stage fit in with that category or am I making up imaginary enemies?:hammer:

EDIT: Cinderella's Surprise Celebration was 2001, not Cinderellabration. My mistake.

EDIT2: Research does me good. Was Cinderella's Surprise Celebration even related to 100 Years of Magic?

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Has it always been there? I don't remember any 'castle shows' before Cinderellabration for Walt's 100th and started doing a little research. I know there were additions once the shows began in 2001 but don't really know much before that. I also know that the castle forefront is usually (always?) closed now and that definitly has not always been the case, if my memory serves me correctly.

So if I am right (hopefully), has there been any outcry over the stage and how it messes with the central hub? I know from experience that it can be tough to navigate if a show is being presented and not being able to travel directly through the caste at certain times is not fun.

The wand is gone from SSE. Maybe we'll get rid of that hat soon. Does the stage fit in with that category or am I making up imaginary enemies?:hammer:

EDIT: Cinderella's Surprise Celebration was 2001, not Cinderellabration. My mistake.

EDIT2: Research does me good. Was Cinderella's Surprise Celebration even related to 100 Years of Magic?

I've been meaning to post a thread like this for an age.:lol:

Yes, the castle stage has been there for a very long time. Since the 70's or 80's. But back then, it was muuuuch smaller and for smaller shows. I think the main one was the 1976 America 200th Show. It was also less obtrusive and without the hideous and tacky looking gold arches on the larger expanded stage that was added in 2005, you are right for Cinderellabration. The gold looked good with the castle overlay, THEN, but now is superfluous.

While I would like the stage gone, and the staircases and the Breezeway and their mosaics made more accessible ,that's prolly not going to happen. What is possible, however is that they COULD upgrade it to match Tokyo Disneyland's which would be easy; we have the same castle (cloning pays off!). The stage in TDL is less obtrusive, and is very techy. It has a mist screen ala F! and various Pyro launching spots....I want.

*whew*
I've been wanting to talk about this for a while!
Hope this helped.:lol::wave:

 

[krankenstein]

I've been meaning to post a thread like this for an age.:lol:

Yes, the castle stage has been there for a very long time. Since the 70's or 80's. But back then, it was muuuuch smaller and for smaller shows. I think the main one was the 1976 America 200th Show. It was also less obtrusive and without the hideous and tacky looking gold arches on the larger expanded stage that was added in 2005, you are right for Cinderellabration. The gold looked good with the castle overlay, THEN, but now is superfluous.

While I would like the stage gone, and the staircases and the Breezeway and their mosaics made more accessible ,that's prolly not going to happen. What is possible, however is that they COULD upgrade it to match Tokyo Disneyland's which would be easy; we have the same castle (cloning pays off!). The stage in TDL is less obtrusive, and is very techy. It has a mist screen ala F! and various Pyro launching spots....I want.

*whew*
I've been wanting to talk about this for a while!
Hope this helped.:lol::wave:

The only problem with that is Tokyo's Hub is double the size of ours. I don't think the scale of the stage there would work well here.

 

[Disneyson 1]

Oooh... me want as well... and I forget: what kind of blow-up popped out of the present for surprise celebration (a great fit for this new promotion, if you ask me)?

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

The only problem with that is Tokyo's Hub is double the size of ours. I don't think the scale of the stage there would work well here.

I don't think that matters. It fit between the stairs. Like ours.

Oooh... me want as well... and I forget: what kind of blow-up popped out of the present for surprise celebration (a great fit for this new promotion, if you ask me)?

That reminds me in 1993, a SitS-esque Sorcerer Mickey was blown up out of Tokyo's Stage. And shot sparks.

 

[krankenstein]

I don't think that matters. It fit between the stairs. Like ours.

I didn't mean that, I meant could our Hub handle a show on the scale of the ones put on in Tokyo? The castle shows are much more elaborate and immensely more popular when compared to Florida's.

Sorry for the confusion my friend! :wave:

 

[krankenstein]

That reminds me in 1993, a SitS-esque Sorcerer Mickey was blown up out of Tokyo's Stage. And shot sparks.

This reminds me, does anyone else think it would be great to have the characters involved in Wishes? Like have the Genie come out on the balcony or the Blue Fairy. It just seems like it would add that little something to me. :shrug:

 

[AREM]

I really hate that stage. It makes pictures look terrible, and it just looks tacky and cheap.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I didn't mean that, I meant could our Hub handle a show on the scale of the ones put on in Tokyo? The castle shows are much more elaborate and immensely more popular when compared to Florida's.

Sorry for the confusion my friend! :wave:

Hmmm...Maybe they can add blechers? 0_o :shrug::lol: Who knows? They might already have the room to cover the current shows, why not the new ones?

This reminds me, does anyone else think it would be great to have the characters involved in Wishes? Like have the Genie come out on the balcony or the Blue Fairy. It just seems like it would add that little something to me. :shrug:

Hmm..It would be nice. They do that in Starlight Magic over in TDL.

 

[AshaNeOmah]

I really hate that stage. It makes pictures look terrible, and it just looks tacky and cheap.

Hear, hear!

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

I don't know. I agree the stage in its current form is a bit of an eyesore. Im sure something could be done to make it look nicer (like get rid of those gold arches, or at least have them retract when there isn't a show). The stage has been there for as long as I can remember (that's from 1998), so I don't think ot should go away, but something could be done to make it look better, yes.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Weren't the performers called The Kids To The Kingdom or the Kids of the Kingdom, something like that??

 

[vonpluto]

Incomplete list of Castle Forecourt shows:


1986 - 87 15 Years of Magic (Kids of the Kingdom)(CastleConnection)
1987 - 89 America the Musical (Kids of the Kingdom)
12/91 A Sparkling Christmas
12/92 - 12/98 A Sparkling Christmas Spectacular
12/99 - Tis the Season
10/01 - 1/05 Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration
3/05 - 9/06 Cinderellabration
10/06 - Dream Along With Mickey

Off and on
1985 - 89 Best of Disney (Kids of the Kingdom)
1990 - 1998? Disney Mania (Kids of the Kingdom)
1995 -01 Everydays A Holiday (Kids of the Kingdom)

 

[Rob562]

This reminds me, does anyone else think it would be great to have the characters involved in Wishes? Like have the Genie come out on the balcony or the Blue Fairy. It just seems like it would add that little something to me. :shrug:

From what I've heard, that was actually one of the original ideas when they were creating the show. But it was dropped at some point during development. (Even though Genie's line still says "You hoo, people! Up here!" as if he were visible, though the cover that with a large blue shell burst at that moment)
In a mix of what I've heard and some personal presumptions, my guess is that the characters were removed during planning for three reasons:

1) Cost was probably the major one. They would be character CMs that would be getting paid for 20 seconds worth of work. And I believe most union contracts state that there's a minimum number of hours that the performer is to be paid for each performance, regardless of how long they actually perform in the show. Tink was kept because nothing says "Magic Kingdom Fireworks" than Tink flying from the Castle.

2) Scale. Any character appearing anywhere higher than the first level of the castle would be out of scale to the rest of the Castle and would ruin the forced perspective. There's a reason why Tink doesn't light up until she's well away from the Castle... It would ruin the scale at the top of the Castle to see just how big Tink is compared to the top of the turret.

3) Visibility/Crowd issues. These characters would only be visible to Guests in front of the Castle. Farther down Main Street or in other areas of the park you wouldn't see them at all. This would kind of go against Disney's claim that you can see the show "from many locations in the park".


My thought would be to perhaps create properly-scaled mini animatronic characters that could appear out of various doors on the Castle. Like a Genie that pops out of the doorway halfway up the main turret, or the Blue Fairy who pops out at the top of the turret (maybe even on a disguised pole so that she sticks out in the air).

-Rob

 

[boo52]

This reminds me, does anyone else think it would be great to have the characters involved in Wishes?

NO!! :hurl:

 

[krankenstein]

NO!! :hurl:

Umm...they already are. I just meant a physical presence in addition to a vocal. :lookaroun

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Weren't the performers called The Kids To The Kingdom or the Kids of the Kingdom, something like that??

I thought they were in the TL Stage?

From what I've heard, that was actually one of the original ideas when they were creating the show. But it was dropped at some point during development. (Even though Genie's line still says "You hoo, people! Up here!" as if he were visible, though the cover that with a large blue shell burst at that moment)
In a mix of what I've heard and some personal presumptions, my guess is that the characters were removed during planning for three reasons:

1) Cost was probably the major one. They would be character CMs that would be getting paid for 20 seconds worth of work. And I believe most union contracts state that there's a minimum number of hours that the performer is to be paid for each performance, regardless of how long they actually perform in the show. Tink was kept because nothing says "Magic Kingdom Fireworks" than Tink flying from the Castle.

2) Scale. Any character appearing anywhere higher than the first level of the castle would be out of scale to the rest of the Castle and would ruin the forced perspective. There's a reason why Tink doesn't light up until she's well away from the Castle... It would ruin the scale at the top of the Castle to see just how big Tink is compared to the top of the turret.

3) Visibility/Crowd issues. These characters would only be visible to Guests in front of the Castle. Farther down Main Street or in other areas of the park you wouldn't see them at all. This would kind of go against Disney's claim that you can see the show "from many locations in the park".


My thought would be to perhaps create properly-scaled mini animatronic characters that could appear out of various doors on the Castle. Like a Genie that pops out of the doorway halfway up the main turret, or the Blue Fairy who pops out at the top of the turret (maybe even on a disguised pole so that she sticks out in the air).

-Rob

Very interesting! Never knew about that and Gene's line. Characters would have been interesting.

It's funny because, DL's new show for the summer, Magical, will feature both Tink and Dumbo...I guess they have begun to add more? And seeing that it's only for the summer, maybe it's just a test?

As for the whole addition of characters that would take away from the "all kingdom view" for Wishes, I'm thinking that the main effects of the Castle are still visible from around the park. At least they are in Tokyo Disneyland...Most of the vids that I have seen of Starlight Dreams (their Fireworks show WITH characters) has been from World Bazaar (MSUSA) and focuses on the pyro and lights on the castle. Not the characters. They seem to be a added bonus for those in the hub. The mist screen that they have projected from the stage is easily seen though....

 

[Captain Chaos]

Incomplete list of Castle Forecourt shows:


1986 - 87 15 Years of Magic (Kids of the Kingdom)(CastleConnection)
1987 - 89 America the Musical (Kids of the Kingdom)
12/91 A Sparkling Christmas
12/92 - 12/98 A Sparkling Christmas Spectacular
12/99 - Tis the Season
10/01 - 1/05 Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration
3/05 - 9/06 Cinderellabration
10/06 - Dream Along With Mickey

Off and on
1985 - 89 Best of Disney (Kids of the Kingdom)
1990 - 1998? Disney Mania (Kids of the Kingdom)
1995 -01 Everydays A Holiday (Kids of the Kingdom)

Thanks for this.. I knew it... I knew they were called Kids of the Kingdom..

I thought they were in the TL Stage?

According to Frank, I was right...

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Thanks for this.. I knew it... I knew they were called Kids of the Kingdom..



According to Frank, I was right...

MArtin has a vid of them in the TL Stage though...Maybe they were moved?:shrug:

 

[MKCP 1985]

The Kids of the Kingdom had to have been there before 86. I could swear I remember them in 85 and there was definitely a stage show out there in 83.

Honestly, I can't ever remember a time when there wasn't a show on a stage in front of the castle and I've been going from time to time ever since the 70s.