EPCOT Entertainment cuts

JWG

JWG

Well-Known Member
So, essentially, all of the cuts are being replaced. Maybe not by something you/I/we/they like or like as much - but replaced. My guess is 10-15 years ago, these acts replaced someone/something that upset people as well (the internet just wasn't as prevalent to talk about it). I liked Off Kilter, almost sat down to watch them last week, guess I should have. But at the end of the day... keep moving forward. These new acts will certainly appeal to some the others didn't and vice versa. I'm just glad they're changing things up.
 
WDWFigment

WDWFigment

Well-Known Member
Given my earlier comments, I'm surprised that there are replacements at all. With that said, a few things...

With regard to the motivations for this... I don't judge any attractions/entertainment based on what it costs. There are awful big-budget attractions, and brilliant low-budget ones. At the end of the day, all I care about is whether what is entertaining me at the park is "good" or "bad." If there are dubious financial motives for making these changes (and I wouldn't be shocked if there are) that's unfortunate, but I'm not going to say, "this act is bad because it costs less."

With regard to the substance... The only thing I will miss is Fife & Drum. Off Kilter and Mo'Rockin certainly have their fans, and I can understand why those people are upset. I can't say I'm personally a fan of either act, so I'm not upset. I'm of the mind that World Showcase is too loud and unruly (GET OFF MY LAWN!), and while these acts certainly aren't the sole or even main cause of that, we all know Disney isn't going to address it via beverage sales. Beyond that, I can't really speak to the substance of the new acts as I have yet to see them. They sound intriguing to me, but will clearly have big shoes to fill in the eyes of many fans.
 
DisUniversal

DisUniversal

Well-Known Member
71jason said:
They represented both the traditional roots of Canadian music, in the "rocked up" Celtic songs they would play, as well as celebrating popular modern Canadian songs, subtly exploring how one influenced the other. I realize that's a little more on the esoteric side than say, "Norway has snow--just like Frozen!", but EPCOT Center used to be for smart people. Not 6-year-old speshul snowflakes.
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...and now it's a "a lumberjack-based thrill show". How much more can they dumb it down?

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...-epcot-acts-off-kilter-20140828,0,263112.post
 
wannabeBelle

wannabeBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
71jason said:
Have you never actually seen these acts? Because neither Mo'Rockin nor Off Kilter are dime a dozen rock bands, both were very unique attempts to put a modern spin on an old genre.

Singling out the good doctor here, but seriously taken aback by the number of people who POST ON A DISNEY FORUM but have never taken the time to see the atmospheric acts that make WDW more than a collection of rides.
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<3 this post and oh so true!!!! I was just talking about this last week with another fan I know. She hasn't ever seen any of these acts WHAT?????? And she is related to me!!!!!!!!! Marie
 
Mike S

Mike S

Well-Known Member
Polyman said:
Speaking of budget cuts, don't be surprised to see only one Friendship boat operating in the lagoon, more often than two. This is leading to having no boats in the lagoon at all in the near future - all due to budget cuts.
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WDF

WDF

Well-Known Member
71jason said:
Have you never actually seen these acts? Because neither Mo'Rockin nor Off Kilter are dime a dozen rock bands, both were very unique attempts to put a modern spin on an old genre.

Singling out the good doctor here, but seriously taken aback by the number of people who POST ON A DISNEY FORUM but have never taken the time to see the atmospheric acts that make WDW more than a collection of rides.
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Some people see them and don't like them. It happens.
 
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Just in from work. Been getting messages all day.

That must be the most hurried Disney PR release in a long time. Talk about a public relations nightmare.

They again wrongly try and fix what's not broken and ignore the things that they know are crying out for help.

Bets on the new contracts being signiificantly cheaper? This is afterall due to a direct park entertainment budget cut.
 
71jason

71jason

Well-Known Member
wannabeBelle said:
Jason was the only one with any Canadian ties but the representation is truly in the diversity of the band as that is one of the things that make Canada what it is. There is also a strong influence to Scotland there as well ( Nova Scotia area) which I know Jaime has. Mark of course is Celtic. Marie
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Even when the British Invasion pretended to be British, they were just Americans putting on (poor) fake accents. British Revolution did away with the conceit entirely, admit to being local Orlando musicians.

Anyone who visited Adventurers Club or Comedy Warehouse already knows the World Showcase Players were not British or Italian (ditto the Ziti Sisters).

I forget the book where I read it, but initial attempts to hire Germans for the band in Germany failed, because few in the Old Country play those instruments anymore. They ended up hiring a bunch of guys from upstate NY who were into celebrating their German heritage.

I don't personally know anyone in Mo'Rockkin or the mariachi band--but they've all been there a lot longer than most visas would allow, so I suspect they are all U.S. born as well.
 
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
71jason said:
Have you never actually seen these acts? Because neither Mo'Rockin nor Off Kilter are dime a dozen rock bands, both were very unique attempts to put a modern spin on an old genre.

Singling out the good doctor here, but seriously taken aback by the number of people who POST ON A DISNEY FORUM but have never taken the time to see the atmospheric acts that make WDW more than a collection of rides.
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I'd definitely seen Mo'Rockin' (didn't care for them much) but I don't think I've seen Off Kilter. I've seen one of the British bands, though I don't know which one. I've seen the drum and fife group in the past and loved it; IMHO, that's the biggest loss here.

Though I don't really appreciate the tone that suggest I or others have ignored the entertainment. The reality is that I don't live in Florida and I don't go to WDW anywhere near as frequently as many on these pages. I typically go once every year or every other year for a week or less. So, I'm probably spending maybe an average of about 5-8 hours a year in the World Showcase. With my young children, I've been doing the Kidcot stations and Agent P a number of times plus eating and shopping, so it's not like all this time is devoted to just watching street performers.

I rarely make a point to schedule watching a particular act, but if one is going on when I am there, I will stop and watch. My recent trip, we watched the juggler in Italy, the balancing guy in France (we were waiting for our table at Chefs) and the mariachi band in Mexico for a bit. The last time I was there we watched the acrobats in China and Mo' Rockin'. We also tried to catch a bit of the Candlelight Processional from outside the theater since it was around the holidays and went to some of the "holidays around the world" stuff.

But, no, I haven't seen a ton of the acts. I couldn't unless I went a lot more frequently or sacrificed a lot of other things that I like doing at WDW. If you want to suggest that it makes me unqualified to comment on this, then so be it. To me, the Berber group sounds like an upgrade for Moracco, the flag thing actually sounds interesting and different (but could easily suck) and the Celtic group seems like a perfect fit. Despite my defending it, the lumberjack thing seems stupid to me, but if it's there when I'm around in Canada, I'll give it a few minutes to watch and determine if I like it. If I don't, I'll move on.
 
J

jmb2676

Active Member
wannabeBelle said:
Agreed. If Disney wanted to stop the overindulgence, trust me they would have. This brings in people and revenue. I cannot count the number of times I see people grabbing a beer or a drink and heading over to see Off Kilter, British Revolution or any one of the other acts. It is part of what a lot of people like about EPCOT, that there is a more grown up aspect to it as well as catering to the kids. Marie
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This is one of our favorite parts of our trip. ALWAYS grab a pint in Rose and Crown before seeing one or both of these shows. We tend to do this at least 2-3 nights of our trip. Hope these replacements are decent enough to keep us in the park. Maybe it's time to take the rental car off property instead to find a nice place to grab a drink.
 

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