Fantasmic! 2.0 Rumors, Speculation, Announcments

SuddenStorm

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
Watched the live stream. Love the new effects, don't love some of the new audio, it really made me want to see the '92 iteration with the new effects.

As far as fantasmic goes though, it's better than what Tokyo and wdw got by far.
 
bluehoodiemike

bluehoodiemike

Member
From watching a livestream, I liked it! I'll be honest and say it legit made me feel giddy, straight from the opening fanfare. I think the general opinion will be positive!
 
Travel Junkie

Travel Junkie

Well-Known Member
Quick review. F! Was my favorite nighttime spectacular and it still is. Tech upgrades are great and overall still an excellent show. Minor qualms. Vocals are worse. Prefer Peter Pan to pirates sequence. The show is more upbeat and modern. Some who like classic Disney maybe disappointed in some of the choices.

Overall I like the new one better
 
Donaldfan1934

Donaldfan1934

Well-Known Member
After watching a video of it on YouTube, I can say that the refurbishment was a massive improvement on a technical level. But even though I do think the show has best effects any version of the show has ever had, I can't say it's an all around superior version. While I wouldn't say Disney ruined it, I would say major structural damage was caused in certain parts. They pretty much changed things just to change things. There are so many changes, I have to break it down scene by scene to describe how I feel about it.

The First major issue is that Mickey comes out way before his musical cue. It really diminishes the impact. Second major issue is that almost everything from the score to Mickey Mouse's dialogue has been unnecessarily rerecorded with a quality noticeably lower than the pitch perfect original. Because of this, the whole show never feels as right as it should. That isn't to say there weren't changes that I like. Combining the Lion King and Jungle Book scenes worked out well enough and the Genie replacement for the Pinocchio scene is probably the best and most proper feeling change in the whole show. But then there's the PotC scene on the Columbia which I knew I would like less than Peter Pan due to the latter being an inherently better IP for the show tonally speaking. After that is the Whole New World section which I feel is a little tacked on and would've been better if audio of Aladdin and Jasmine singing to each other was in place instead of a singer who sounds a bit over the top for what the scene should be. Another poor change is Rapunzel in place of Snow White in the Princess scene. I'm not against Rapunzel being in the show, but I feel the flow of the scene is broken. However, the absolute worst change in the show is the transition to the Villain section of the show. Instead of the Queen talking to the magic mirror and transforming into the witch, it's now Mickey for some strange reason. The witch still shows up after this, but the villainous buildup of that scene is completely destroyed. The show from here on out is pretty much the same aside from the unnecessarily rerecorded audio that I mentioned earlier.

All in all, I still think that Fantasmic! is a solid show and looks better than ever, but like a lot of things in Disney today, unnecessary modernizations hurt the final project. If it were up to me, I would've updated the effects in a similar fashion, but changed the actual content in very few ways. I do think there's a reason the original 1992 version of Fantasmic! is widely considered to be the best version around the world. Sadly, it appears Disney didn't learn why and turned it into something that suffers from a lot of the same issues as its clones but to a greater extent in some respects.
 
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SuddenStorm

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
Donaldfan1934 said:
After watching a video of it on YouTube, I can say that the refurbishment was a massive improvement on a technical level. But even though I do think the show has best effects any version of the show has ever had, I can't say it's an all around superior version. While I wouldn't say Disney ruined it, but I would say major structural damage was caused in certain parts. They pretty much changed things just to change things. There are so many changes, I have to break it down scene by scene to describe how I feel about it.

The First major issue is that Mickey comes out way before his musical cue. It really diminishes the impact. Second major issue is that almost everything from the score to Mickey Mouse's dialogue has been unnecessarily rerecorded with a quality noticeably lower than the pitch perfect original. Because of this, the whole show never feels as right as it should. That isn't to say there weren't changes that I like. Combining the Lion King and Jungle Book scenes worked out very well as did the Genie replacement for the Pinocchio scene. But then there's the PotC scene on the Columbia which I knew I would like less than Peter Pan due to the latter being an inherently better IP for the show tonally speaking. After that is the Whole New World section which I feel is a little tacked on and would've been better if audio of Aladdin and Jasmine singing to each other was in place instead of an singer who sounds a bit over the top for what the scene should be. Another poor change is Rapunzel in place of Snow White in the Princess scene. I'm not against Rapunzel being in the show, but I feel the flow of the scene is broken. However, the absolute worst change in the show is the transition to the Villain section of the show. Instead of the Queen talking to the magic mirror and transforming into the witch, it's now Mickey for some strange reason. The witch still shows up after this, but the villainous buildup of that scene is completely destroyed. The show from here on out is pretty much the same aside from the unnecessarily rerecorded dialogue that I mentioned earlier.

All in all, I still think that Fantasmic! is a solid show and looks better than ever, but like a lot of things in Disney today, unnecessary modernizations hurt the final project. If it were up to me, I would've updated the effects in a similar fashion, but changed the actual content in very few ways. I do think there's a reason the original 1992 version of Fantasmic! is widely considered to be the best version around the world. Sadly, it appears Disney didn't learn why and turned it into something that suffers from a lot of the same issues as its clones but to a greater extent in some respects.
Click to expand...

Great write up! I agree with everything said. The new technology certainly impresses, I was blown away watching it on a 15 inch laptop screen, but I don't think a lot of the segments are stronger than the original. I'll miss the original intro, Pan segment, and princess medley vocals- the other changes I think are decently executed, but I wish I could see the original show, with this new technology- it would likely bring me to tears.
 
D

DarkMetroid567

Well-Known Member
I honestly think we're just too familiar with the '92 version. On first listen I hated the new Tangled vocals, but after a few more listens and comparisons with the original, I'm liking the change. I don't miss much from the original vision that isn't in the new.
 
B

Brenthodge

Well-Known Member
Love and hate. It suffers from what a lot of new entertainment suffers from. The need to "overstimulate" I feel Disney feels 1) we spent the money on the technology so we're going to use it non stop, and 2) people MUST be assaulted at all times with as much visual stimulation as possible. There are so few "quiet" moments in the show to catch your breath that it all just literally "explodes" for a little while then is gone. Do NOT like the new intro. Again, it's all effects the we have almost from the first note. The old had this quiet, dark build to the "wow" musical explosion. You were literally standing in the dark waiting...wondering. The same for the transition at the end. Dragon is slain, smoke begins to clear, its dark except for a few strobes that build in qty and intensity as the music begins to build. The sparkling pyro on twain made sense as it was an extension of the strobes. Now it's color, light, moving lights, smoke and no "clearing the plate" before desert. It's like dumping a scoop of ice cream on top of the left over meat loaf that still sitting on your plate. The ice cream is great, but you needed a clean break to really enjoy it. I do like the new tech when it adds. Like genie (felt Pinocchio dragged in old) princess segment ending seems clunky now "see the light" seems a bit too long. Hate pirates segment. Totallly changes tone and visual style. Too much reliance on mist projection and almost too much "nightmare" that early in the show and that with the skeleton projection mapping not working. Overall seems like a LOT of money for some wonderful upgrades that are overused and in the process give no real net gain.
 
180º

180º

Well-Known Member
What everyone else has said, basically. Overall I'm impressed! This is coming from someone who hates WoC, HEA and DLF and thinks the original Fantasmic is untouchable. There were some nice, dazzling effects, and while I don't care for the new soloist, I love the new arrangement of the score. Brett has clearly been working on his Mickey voice, and sounds better than he has before. Also, it sounds like they cut down the opening announcement, but in a way that I think improves it.

Some criticisms I haven't seen noted yet:
- I could do without the projection mapping business before the opening chord.

- The flower section suffers from the new singing. It used to sound ethereal and like a lullaby, and now it just sounds like an excited amateur who got a gig singing the Star Spangled Banner at a high-profile sporting event.

- I like the new monkey mix, but the transition into it is awkward. I hate cheap uses of "Nants ingonyama (etc)."

- The princess section is okay, but drags. What happened to the Fantasmic theme strings floating above "Part of Your World"?!?

- I will miss Tony Jay's mirror most of all. The Corey Burton mirror just won't be the same.

- I'm so tired of seeing the Toy Story characters on the back of the Mark Twain.

- The original Fantasmic ended with the spotlights all "folding" in on themselves, like the whole show was sucked back into the stage and Disneyland returned to normal. It was such an awesome hard close to the show. Fast forward to 2009: Enter the GREEN NUKE. The light towers still "fold" in and go dark, but now there's a blast of pyro on the last note, contradicting the flow of the finale. The ending lost its impact for me. Now, Fantasmic!! Doesn't "fold" in on itself at all and the show now has a visually generic ending. That one hurts because it's my personal Fantasmic pet peeve.


One more positive thing: Did you guys see how the dragon now coughs up a fireball when Mickey slays her? That was awesome.
 
J

jrhwdw

Well-Known Member
180º said:
What everyone else has said, basically. Overall I'm impressed! This is coming from someone who hates WoC, HEA and DLF and thinks the original Fantasmic is untouchable. There were some nice, dazzling effects, and while I don't care for the new soloist, I love the new arrangement of the score. Brett has clearly been working on his Mickey voice, and sounds better than he has before. Also, it sounds like they cut down the opening announcement, but in a way that I think improves it.

Some criticisms I haven't seen noted yet:
- I could do without the projection mapping business before the opening chord.

- The flower section suffers from the new singing. It used to sound ethereal and like a lullaby, and now it just sounds like an excited amateur who got a gig singing the Star Spangled Banner at a high-profile sporting event.

- I like the new monkey mix, but the transition into it is awkward. I hate cheap uses of "Nants ingonyama (etc)."

- The princess section is okay, but drags. What happened to the Fantasmic theme strings floating above "Part of Your World"?!?

- I will miss Tony Jay's mirror most of all. The Corey Burton mirror just won't be the same.

- I'm so tired of seeing the Toy Story characters on the back of the Mark Twain.

- The original Fantasmic ended with the spotlights all "folding" in on themselves, like the whole show was sucked back into the stage and Disneyland returned to normal. It was such an awesome hard close to the show. Fast forward to 2009: Enter the GREEN NUKE. The light towers still "fold" in and go dark, but now there's a blast of pyro on the last note, contradicting the flow of the finale. The ending lost its impact for me. Now, Fantasmic!! Doesn't "fold" in on itself at all and the show now has a visually generic ending. That one hurts because it's my personal Fantasmic pet peeve.


One more positive thing: Did you guys see how the dragon now coughs up a fireball when Mickey slays her? That was awesome.
Click to expand...
^Yup ! A little TDS in the show! Probably good that it's a little. Love that they used TDS F! Theme as the exit song.
1 little pet peeve from me is no fire or pyro in the finale before the Mark Twain disappears. Was that just a bug from last night or is that the new version?
Also will Ariel stay a mermaid?
 
nevol

nevol

Well-Known Member
I liked the "fireflies" projection mapping before the opening. Sufficiently weird and fitting of the location, but could do without the big splashes when things really get going. The few fireflies/embers were enough. Or even after mickey's reveal would be good, to supplement the sharpies spinning around. I like the new intro but the busy-ness makes it feel shorter which is a minus (but that same business-leading-to-shortness issue was helpful for me during the mark twain scene). Even with the marching broomsticks, it feels less Fantasia than it did before; it lacks simplicity and the colorful stars and 3d animations and saturation kind of give it a disney channel vibe rather than a pure Fantasia vibe. I for one always thought it would be incredible to see a white spotlight silhouette of the conductor and the orchestra sitting down getting ready to play achieved with a projection on the tavern as the show is about to begin; either in "welcome to fantasmic" or when it goes dark. Add some audio of light chatter and chairs shuffling and then when they sit down, the projection silhouette fades and the show begins to insinuate that it is a LIVE performance and also because its reminiscent of Fantasia.

The kaa reveal was far less climatic, same with the lotus flower. Just completely falls flat with that score.

the percussion is so weak on the jungle/lion king scenes. They aren't as bad as I was anticipating, but when the original track was so strong, why change it?

Thanking the high heavens that the elephants stayed and that the track is still there and sufficiently weird, but again, over-produced, wavy, sucked the percussion right out of it and tried to put a bass synth in there. When everything is EDM it isn't transformative. Nonetheless, relieved that the elephants and the melody stayed. Plus, there's just a general lack of continuity with the music. The horns sound off, and that fanfare horn blasting that used to be in several scenes, from the original score to the elephants, is not as clearly connected. They've made the whole thing more studio-produced and then plopped in overly-live vocals in the princess scene to reel it back in almost toward a live pageant, but all the audio changes long-story-short seemed incredibly unnecessary. The visuals I am really impressed with but wherever the music was messed with it was pretty much unsuccessful.

Ariel and Nemo were not necessary but glad that pinocchio made an appearance and we still have the dramatic drowning/whale/jimminy cricket scene.

The dragon slaying scene is incredible. Looks like the photoshop composite image they'd been using for marketing for 25 years. I love that on his old pyro cue he just sort of summons magic from / on the water and since the show is new nobody was expecting the pyro to come next. It looked really good.

The finale was cleaner. The fireworks behind mickey and that shoot up around from the water are less smokey and more dazzly, with warm white and sparkling reds mixed together. Reminds me of some of the new shells in happily ever after. The stage area stays visible as the fireworks don't smoke until they've popped up above it. I agree with the other comment about how the stage used to shrink back in on itself and disappear and how cool that was, creating continuity with the beginning of the show. Very much like the magic box in mystic manor. That is no longer the case but i'll take the unsaturated/white sparklers over the green nukes any day. They are reminiscent of old fantasmic to me; desaturated. Now, as you mentioned there are hardly any moments of darkness or of strictly white light/sparklers/white pyro. Everything is colorful. I frankly don't mind it during the mark twain scene. I think they could maybe delay those colored spotlights by 20 seconds/until the mark twain itself has theatrical lighting on it, but otherwise it works because that scene always dragged on for me. I loved the reveal of the riverboat in the past but i'm not a character fanatic so after that I'd lose interest, eagerly awaiting the finale which is about 1 minute. now the spectacle feels longer and less like "blink and you'll miss it." One thing I noticed were the lighting towers do this spiraling whip on stage with white light during the finale that has no diegetic justification, but it was clearly done "for the 'gram." So when people zoom in on mickey and get a cropped shot, there will guaranteed be a lot of kinetic energy captured in that shot that captures the moment better than any one still frame would have in the past. Kind of like live compositing. Elsewhere in the show, like in the beginning, the opposite was true.. where the stage lights become part of mickey's powers now. So in the finale they just sort of do their thing, but in the intro, whereas before they were just spotlights on stage and we never questioned them, now mickey's choreography summons them. he waves each tower over to him and the lights shine on him before he brings each fountain stage left and right to life with the wave of his hand. Really clever.

Overall, they kept things pretty well in tact. The audio mix is odd to say the least, and some of the old 2d animations that they've made 3d were better when they were 2d, like the transition into the lotus flower, while in other places the mixing of 2d with laser and 3d and multiple layers of projections is strong. The new vocalist has a deeper voice and it feels like they slowed down the princess sequence. I felt that whole section from Aladdin to See The Light would have worked a lot better if they'd stuck to the original scores, the only benefit of their medley vocalists over-singing everything and the songs keys and tempos being screwed up is that it makes the show feel more "live" like some cheap 80's cheerleader competition or a concert at a county fair.

Watched it a few times last night and this morning and excited to see it in person. The show needed a technical upgrade to look as big as it felt. Firework shows always feel and look better in real life than in photographs or videos; fantasmic kind of was the opposite. The marketing material and cropped and composite shots were more iconic looking than the actual experience. Some of us cherish the show and it is more emotive with us who grew up on it than it is with new audiences. The projections on mist outside the scope of the older water projections etc will definitely help make the show more all encompassing and immersive for new audiences. The other changes, as mentioned, range from poor to neutral to improvement. Nonetheless really fun to see how teams reinterpret things and "improve" them and how different people interpret things in show design. Objectively speaking, however we will be stuck with this show for 25 years so it isn't as casual and inconsequential as that.
 
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