Fantasmic! 2.0 Rumors, Speculation, Announcments

[JoFu]

User dlrcm said this on micechat:

"Correct. Basically from chernabog on, the show is the same. The ENTIRE sound track sounds a bit different and yeah they brought A LOT of Tokyo into this version. They pretty much pulled stuff from WOC, Tokyo, and Disneyland Forever. So, I like to call it the Fantasmic World of Tokyo Forever!"

So, it seems like our suspicions that all Davison is capable of is recycling the same segments have been somewhat confirmed.

Now, all that matters is whether or not these segments work to make Fantasmic! better than it was before.

Well, to me, hoping for better seems like the wrong way to approach it. I'm excited to see differences and optimistic I will love it as much as I did the original and the minor updates they've made since. F!, Disneyland Forever and WoC all evoke the same kind of sentimental feeling for me making strong use of Disney's music and characters. I've loved each of them and so long as they don't butcher the transitions I'm sure I'll love the new F! ... If they pull off something half-way believable surrounding the new flying carpet scene and the tech works for the projection overlays on the rumored PotC scene I think it will be the magical cross section between Disney story telling and technological wonder that F! was originally.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Well, to me, hoping for better seems like the wrong way to approach it.

Personally, I think this is the only way to approach it. Whenever Disney changes something in the parks, it should be to make it better. YMMV.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

If they sold figurines of a weary, glow-stick waving Fantasmic crowd control CM, I'd buy one. Oooh--CM collectable figures! Sold in blind boxes. Jungle Cruise John Lasseter would be the rare find.

Personally, I would want the highly prized "CM having their foot run over by an ECV", "CM being spat on", "CM having drink poured in their face", or "catatonic CM with tears streaming down their face". And I personally know each of these, including two of the ECV instance.

 

[nevol]

I'm going to ask, have these 60% visits been only within the last 24 months? Specifically only within 2015/2016? Have any of those actually been within 2017 when crowding has not been much of an issue?

yes. don't go unless its a saturday and all but the top tier or two of annual passholders is blocked out.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Disneyland does a great job of crowd control and manages it quite aggressively. I think you are playing a bit of woe is me and chicken little. Disney isn't stuffing anyone in there -that's people doing it.

The issues of being forced to go in a certain direction isn't something to pop a vessel over

No, you're conflating several issues. The front-line CMs are trying to keep people safe with what they've been given. But the TDA elite pay lip service to safety and guest experience, but it's ALWAYS at the service of the bottom line. Disney management absolutely is stuffing people into inadequate spaces going all the way back to 1961. Adding Tiki Room necessitated the dogleg after entering Adventureland, which only got worse over time. The Pirates queue was barely adequate in 1967 and the extended queue along the river (pre-bridge) choked traffic in and out of NOS. Shoehorning Indy access in-between Jungle and Indy greatly exacerbated things along with adding CBJ/Pooh and Splash along the way. Fan! was the coup de grace for the West side, along with the fireworks spectaculars which went from being a pleasant end of night pyro display that could be enjoyed all over the park, to a hub- and MSUSA-packing monstrosity. The MSUSA bypasses help, but it's still a dicey experience under peak conditions.

 

[flynnibus]

No, you're conflating several issues. The front-line CMs are trying to keep people safe with what they've been given. But the TDA elite pay lip service to safety and guest experience, but it's ALWAYS at the service of the bottom line. Disney management absolutely is stuffing people into inadequate spaces going all the way back to 1961. Adding Tiki Room necessitated the dogleg after entering Adventureland, which only got worse over time. The Pirates queue was barely adequate in 1967 and the extended queue along the river (pre-bridge) choked traffic in and out of NOS. Shoehorning Indy access in-between Jungle and Indy greatly exacerbated things along with adding CBJ/Pooh and Splash along the way. Fan! was the coup de grace for the West side, along with the fireworks spectaculars which went from being a pleasant end of night pyro display that could be enjoyed all over the park, to a hub- and MSUSA-packing monstrosity. The MSUSA bypasses help, but it's still a dicey experience under peak conditions.

Has anything changed lately to make this great new concern arise verse the hub and frontier land/nos in the last year?

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Do you by chance work for Fox News?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? That sounded like the antithesis of Faux Propaganda Channel.

 

[Disney Irish]

yes. don't go unless its a saturday and all but the top tier or two of annual passholders is blocked out.

Even going on a Friday when all the passes are open in 2017 has not been the can of sardines as it was during 2015.

Like I said we'll see what happens when F! comes back. But again I'm guessing it won't be as bad as 2015.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Has anything changed lately to make this great new concern arise verse the hub and frontier land/nos in the last year?

You mean like when the Hub was gridlocked in front of Frontierland/Adventureland when they rolled out dining and FastPass for Fan! causing the radio call to go out that the Hub was Code 101 (the radio code for an attraction being out of service)? This is a big freaking deal. The problems on the West side go back decades and they have gotten worse, not better. They did make some incremental improvements in procedure and the MSUSA bypasses help. But the return of Fan! with two nightly MSEPs and a popular Pyro will only exacerbate things. SWL opening is a complete wild card.

 

[JoFu]

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? That sounded like the antithesis of Faux Propaganda Channel.

Momentary insanity, I thought @Professortango1 was being dramatic and essentially making stuff up, which I associate with Fox. It was a bad joke, and a poor choice of way to call out my opinion. I apologize to @Professortango1 and everyone else for bringing politics in to this thread and the passive aggressive way I did it.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Even going on a Friday when all the passes are open in 2017 has not been the can of sardines as it was during 2015.

Like I said we'll see what happens when F! comes back. But again I'm guessing it won't be as bad as 2015.

It could only be not as bad because of the absence of most APs. (Because of volume, not personalities).

 

[Disney Irish]

It could only be not as bad because of the absence of most APs. (Because of volume, not personalities).

Only time will tell. With MSEP ending when the two lower APs are still blocked I don't think we'll see it as bad as 2015 in the hub. As far as personalities, that goes across all spectrum of guests, not limited to just APs.

 

[VJ]

I had a feeling they were infusing more of Tokyo's show into Disneyland's Fantasmic!. Steve Davison hasn't been known for his originality in at least the last 10 years; constant re-using of parade music and individual unit themes, and different arrangements from different shows used in other ones (the main theme from Winter Dreams was used first in one of the Tokyo DisneySea shows).

I do wonder how much of that reusing is dictated by him and how much of it is dictated by budget/executives.

 

[brb1006]

I had a feeling they were infusing more of Tokyo's show into Disneyland's Fantasmic!. Steve Davison hasn't been known for his originality in at least the last 10 years; constant re-using of parade music and individual unit themes, and different arrangements from different shows used in other ones (the main theme from Winter Dreams was used first in one of the Tokyo DisneySea shows).

I do wonder how much of that reusing is dictated by him and how much of it is dictated by budget/executives.

The most notable for me was when Dream Along With Mickey's theme song and most of the music was borrowed from Tokyo Disneyland previous anniversary show sometime in the 2000's.

 

[Figments Friend]

Just please don't become yet another contemporary marketing 'video clip show', F!!.
Enough already.

We have WOC for watching video clips in the dark on sprays of water .......F!! needs to retain its epicness factor in elements other then video imagery.
Less focus on that, and more focus on physical sets, live performers, and other enhancements will be welcome.
That is what set F! apart from the shallow 'clip show' trend.

You can do it,..I know you can.


So much potential, don't blow it!

-

 

[Disney Irish]

I had a feeling they were infusing more of Tokyo's show into Disneyland's Fantasmic!. Steve Davison hasn't been known for his originality in at least the last 10 years; constant re-using of parade music and individual unit themes, and different arrangements from different shows used in other ones (the main theme from Winter Dreams was used first in one of the Tokyo DisneySea shows).

I do wonder how much of that reusing is dictated by him and how much of it is dictated by budget/executives.

Is this really any different than how Broadway is done? Shows get introduced and then worked and reworked over and over again in other markets before they ever make it to Broadway. And even then Broadway shows still get worked and reworked and then toured all over.

So think of Tokyo/HKDL as the Off-Broadway or Workshop process and DLR/WDW as the Broadway of Disney Parks.

 

[jrhwdw]

Sometimes, T

Is this really any different than how Broadway is done? Shows get introduced and then worked and reworked over and over again in other markets before they ever make it to Broadway. And even then Broadway shows still get worked and reworked and then toured all over.

So think of Tokyo/HKDL as the Off-Broadway or Workshop process and DLR/WDW as the Broadway of Disney Parks.

Sometimes, TDR is more Broadway than the US parks. Like with OMD and BBB

 

[Disney Irish]

Sometimes, T

Sometimes, TDR is more Broadway than the US parks. Like with OMD and BBB

Sure and just like San Francisco theater is sometimes better than Broadway. The point being was that shows tour and get reworked all the time. Elements from some shows even make it into others as directors and producers learn from one show to the next.

Wicked was a hit smash on Broadway, but it really made its debut at the Curran in SF. Then it got reworked and made its Broadway debut later. Or Rent, or any other in a long line of shows. Now these shows all tour around, but they had to start somewhere before they got popular. Review shows have also become a thing where you take song selections from a bunch of different shows to form a new show.

My point is that this is no different than how the entertainment industry has worked for a long time.

 

[jrhwdw]

Anyone know if they changed the pyro finale? It would be nice if it was the 1992 finale or close to it.

 

[JoFu]

Anyone know if they changed the pyro finale? It would be nice if it was the 1992 finale or close to it.

From earlier in the thread there are rumors suggesting it is the same end.

User dlrcm said this on micechat:

"Correct. Basically from chernabog on, the show is the same. The ENTIRE sound track sounds a bit different and yeah they brought A LOT of Tokyo into this version. They pretty much pulled stuff from WOC, Tokyo, and Disneyland Forever. So, I like to call it the Fantasmic World of Tokyo Forever!"

So, it seems like our suspicions that all Davison is capable of is recycling the same segments have been somewhat confirmed.

Now, all that matters is whether or not these segments work to make Fantasmic! better than it was before.