Fantasmic! 2.0 Rumors, Speculation, Announcments

Practical Pig

Practical Pig

Well-Known Member
Nland316 said:
One of the things I've always admired about Fantasmic(!), is the simplicity in it's delicate story that I find to be lacking in newer shows Disney has created. We have a heroine, Mickey Mouse, battle against the villains of characters from their own respected movies. You have Snow White: The Evil Queen, Ariel: Ursula, Peter Pan: Captain Hook, Pinocchio: Monstro, amongst others ... I hope they don't deteriorate those special storylines, transitions, and musical medleys that really harken to people's emotions.
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Agreed. Fantasmic! captured a shooting star that has eluded other park shows I've seen, albeit a limited sampling in person vs YouTube. I appreciate the technical spectacle of World of Color, but Fantasmic! grabbed you by the eyeballs and burrowed into your nostalgic emotional core. If F!! misses that target, it will be a disappointment.
 
SuddenStorm

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
Practical Pig said:
Agreed. Fantasmic! captured a shooting star that has eluded other park shows I've seen, albeit a limited sampling in person vs YouTube. I appreciate the technical spectacle of World of Color, but Fantasmic! grabbed you by the eyeballs and burrowed into your nostalgic emotional core. If F!! misses that target, it will be a disappointment.
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I think it has to not only meet that target, but exceed it. Isn't the point of the updates to improve and already near perfect show?

It has to hold up with repeat viewings, we can't be blown away at first but end up wanting the original back a few years from now. It has to be good enough where we will look back on the original Fantasmic! as a classic, but not miss it since Fantasmic!! is just that much better.
 
FerretAfros

FerretAfros

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
I read an article years ago that said Fantasmic! was originally supposed to just last three years, and then they'd maybe redo it or swap it out for a new night parade or something. It was designed to run from Fiscal year 1992 to Fiscal Year 1995. It was a bigger hit than they thought, so it stuck around for decades. Kind of like the Electrical Parade. It also helped Fantasmic!'s cause that by 1995 Eisner was mandating big budget cuts across the division, and Paul Pressler had arrived and was trying to outdo Eisner's budget cuts even more to make a name for himself, so there was no rush to change up the 1992 original show. That budget trend from the 1990's didn't end well for Disneyland or Paul Pressler, but that's another story.
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I don't know the specifics of Fantasmic!'s development, but most Disney major entertainment is budget as a 5-year production. In recent years, it seems that most productions have far outlived their initial amortization, essentially letting them operate the shows on a discount. Shows like Aladdin, Wishes, and Reflections of Earth all lasted so long in part because it was far cheaper than developing something new and unknown

The lack of a real viewing area also supports the show's temporary nature. During the show's 1992 run, guests sat on the grass along the riverbank; the terraced walkways weren't built until the following offseason. Those walkways have become a standard design feature for similar Disney shows around the globe in the years since, now that they expect these sorts of shows become permanent fixtures

I've also heard that F! was supposed to be updated frequently (and like it's vague-inspiration, Fantasia, those updates never really materialized). The original show famously featured Pinocchio and Beauty and the Beast because both had upcoming VHS releases. Presumably other films would be featured when their releases came up on the calendar
SuddenStorm said:
The article says that The Lion King is replacing Kaa- but that the show is still going to transition into the traditional monkey scene everyone loves?

Kaa and the monkeys are the same scene.
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The article also mentions that an Aladdin scene will be added. In WDW, the monkeys appear on their barges (along with various other animals on the island) during a Hakuna Matata segment, and later in the show (during the villains segment) Jafar appears on stage in snake form. Those are two of the weakest scenes from WDW's show, so I hope they're not coming to DL, though it would appear that they are. However, given the logistics of how performers move around/across DL's island and rivercraft, that setup may not work

FWIW, I've also heard that the monkeys will lose their neon coloring. It will be interesting to see if more natural colors are visible during a nighttime show
SuddenStorm said:
I'd bet money that the new princess is Rapunzel, with I See The Light thrown into the medley. This means that whole scene will have to be re recorded (and I'm hoping they don't just splice together the theatrical editions of Beauty and the Beast, Part of Your World, and I See the Light)
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My money is also on Rapunzel getting involved somehow. Rivers of Light at DAK was designed to include about 100 self-driving lanterns floating on the water. Although they got cut prior to the show's opening due to technical issues (there are rumors they may return at some point), they use the same guidance system as the show's other barges that have operated more-or-less without issue.

Similarly, I wouldn't be surprised if DL's monkey/princess barges also got the self-driving technology from ROL (though like ROL, they would probably need a tech on board with any performers). Why else would they already be out on the river for testing?

And before anybody gets any ideas, there's not enough clearance from the audience (150' minimum) for them to use drones on DL's Rivers of America
 
SuddenStorm

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
I'm interested to see how they utilize current technology in the new segments. Ideally, each of the new segments will do something that wasn't possible back in '92- whether it be with the projection mapping on the pirates, or through other special effects.

I think I'm setting my expectations way to high for this update though. It's looking like they're just swapping a few scenes and putting in a new soundtrack for the sake of being "new", and updating some of the technology to keep the show looking and sounding good..
 
Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Nland316 said:
One of the things I've always admired about Fantasmic(!), is the simplicity in it's delicate story that I find to be lacking in newer shows Disney has created. We have a heroine, Mickey Mouse, battle against the villains of characters from their own respected movies. You have Snow White: The Evil Queen, Ariel: Ursula, Peter Pan: Captain Hook, Pinocchio: Monstro, amongst others. I have read that Aurora was supposed to originally be part of the Princess Medley instead of Belle (further adding credibility to my argument since Maleficent, her main antagonist, is also a threat in the show) but was replaced due to BatB's upcoming theater release. I'm nervous that by adding too many different characters for the sake of technology and "newness" they are taking a big gamble in messing with what gives Fantasmic it's own charm. I'd take charm over newness and modernizing any day. I realize people working on this show have an equal love for it as well, but there is a huge risk factor in changing so much content. Not that I'm opposed, but I hope they don't deteriorate those special storylines, transitions, and musical medleys that really harken to people's emotions.
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I think the original Fantasmic was a lightning-in-a-bottle situation. The right show at the right time in the right place, showcasing effects no one had ever seen on that scale before. It's not a perfect show, but it somehow really, really works on an emotional level. Whether it was gut instinct or just circumstance, they crafted something amazing. No matter what they do in this update, it's gonna get criticized.

I'm one of those guys who couldn't care less about World of Color. The show does nothing for me. It's pretty. It's loud. Saw it, watched it again to see if I'd like it better the second time, and I was done. The complete lack of human performers, for me, makes it feel mechanical and soulless. Any local city fireworks show can make me misty-eyed, but World of Color is like watching a bigger, louder version of a Disney Store "Buy This Now on Blu-Ray" video loop.
 
brb1006

brb1006

Well-Known Member
Rich T said:
I think the original Fantasmic was a lightning-in-a-bottle situation. The right show at the right time in the right place, showcasing effects no one had ever seen on that scale before. It's not a perfect show, but it somehow really, really works on an emotional level. Whether it was gut instinct or just circumstance, they crafted something amazing. No matter what they do in this update, it's gonna get criticized.

I'm one of those guys who couldn't care less about World of Color. The show does nothing for me. It's pretty. It's loud. Saw it, watched it again to see if I'd like it better the second time, and I was done. The complete lack of human performers, for me, makes it feel mechanical and soulless. Any local city fireworks show can make me misty-eyed, but World of Color is like watching a bigger, louder version of a Disney Store "Buy This Now on Blu-Ray" video loop.
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The new WOC Christmas show is good to watch compared to regular WOC though.
 
Practical Pig

Practical Pig

Well-Known Member
FerretAfros said:
And before anybody gets any ideas, there's not enough clearance from the audience (150' minimum) for them to use drones on DL's Rivers of America
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I was afraid that would be the case. Too bad. The imagery of Rapunzel and Flynn boating the ROA in a swarm of lanterns would have been amazing.
 
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
Nland316 said:
One of the things I've always admired about Fantasmic(!), is the simplicity in it's delicate story that I find to be lacking in newer shows Disney has created. We have a heroine, Mickey Mouse, battle against the villains of characters from their own respected movies. You have Snow White: The Evil Queen, Ariel: Ursula, Peter Pan: Captain Hook, Pinocchio: Monstro, amongst others. I have read that Aurora was supposed to originally be part of the Princess Medley instead of Belle (further adding credibility to my argument since Maleficent, her main antagonist, is also a threat in the show) but was replaced due to BatB's upcoming theater release. I'm nervous that by adding too many different characters for the sake of technology and "newness" they are taking a big gamble in messing with what gives Fantasmic it's own charm. I'd take charm over newness and modernizing any day. I realize people working on this show have an equal love for it as well, but there is a huge risk factor in changing so much content. Not that I'm opposed, but I hope they don't deteriorate those special storylines, transitions, and musical medleys that really harken to people's emotions.
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That is pretty much what happened for WDW,s Fantasmic which was trying to cram in as many villains as possible.
 
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
Rich T said:
I'm one of those guys who couldn't care less about World of Color. The show does nothing for me. It's pretty. It's loud. Saw it, watched it again to see if I'd like it better the second time, and I was done. The complete lack of human performers, for me, makes it feel mechanical and soulless. Any local city fireworks show can make me misty-eyed, but World of Color is like watching a bigger, louder version of a Disney Store "Buy This Now on Blu-Ray" video loop.
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Well, the Weatherman did interfere in the creative process on WOC toward the end and it shows.
 
Nland316

Nland316

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
180º said:
I'm still not convinced WoC was ever going to be good. I have yet to see a Davison show even approach the level of a Dorsey show.
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Davison productions always feel extremely forced and too "generic" in my opinion. His reliance on "dreams", "wishes", "magic" really just don't hit home in the same way that Dorsey productions have. Of course Davison has come up with some great work, RDCT and PoD are among my favorite, but at the same time his productions all seem too similar with no real heart and substance.. They leave a very corporate feeling as a matter of fact. It's as if he relies on the same basic template but finds one or two different movies to include in each.
 
GiveMeTheMusic

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
Nland316 said:
Davison productions always feel extremely forced and too "generic" in my opinion. His reliance on "dreams", "wishes", "magic" really just don't hit home in the same way that Dorsey productions have. Of course Davison has come up with some great work, RDCT and PoD are among my favorite, but at the same time his productions all seem too similar with no real heart and substance.. They leave a very corporate feeling as a matter of fact. It's as if he relies on the same basic template but finds one or two different movies to include in each.
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Did you see Season of Light?
 

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