Fantasmic...Overated

[Whimsy]

I also think that Fantasmic is overrated! All I can remember is a large time spent projecting movie clips on water - which gets boring real quick. It wasn't worth it for all the waiting and the whole kit and kaboodle to get to it.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

DUDE! THEY SELL TOY SWORDS AT FANTASMIC? *rushes to Disney World*
As a man who is very easily pleased and can just simply enjoy looking at lots of cool things infront of me, I really like Fantasmic. It doesn't seem like something you're supposed to overthink. That said, as for the Pochantas battle scene, I would've personally prefered Disneyland's Peter Pan scene myself, but the look from my little sister *Who loves loves LOVES Pochantas* when Poc. appeared at the end of that was well worth the change to me
Also, I love that they added the extra villians. It makes Mickey's fight for his imagination all the more challenging. Though I did think it was a stretch to include Cruella Devil, Scar, and Frollo

 

[normdisney]

Best show at Disney but you knew that but it sure got people to respond!:ROFLOL:

 

[mikeymouse]

This is my favorite out of all the night-time shows

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Judging from the responses, I guess we can all see now why there are so many genres for movies, what one person may love and find exciting might bore another person. I guess it's good that each of the shows tries to give something different. This show in particular seems to be a take it or leave it type of thing. I wonder if it would be different if it was the sort of thing that could be walked up to a viewed.

I do think they should add bleachers or something, it is obvious that the theatre is not big enough, maybe they could add more seats the side...I don't know.

Oh one more thing to add....Hades? Such a wierd character...but I do love that it's voiced by James Woods, it adds to the strangeness.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

DUDE! THEY SELL TOY SWORDS AT FANTASMIC? *rushes to Disney World*

Not just any Toy sword, they extend like a light saber from a handle that has mickey ears on it....pretty cheap too I think 5 bucks!

 

[Dragonrider1227]

Iwantiwantiwantiwantiwantiwant

 

[surfsupdon]

Fantasmic has always been over rated. Mistakenly saw it once, have not been back ever since.

The gimmick of projecting scenes onto a water screen is heavily over used. A night time spectacular should have much more fire works.

 

[cococola44]

I love fantasmic.

Period

I am 24 and happy to see it anytime...every time.

:wave:

 

[agent86]

For whatever it's worth, thousands of WDWMagicers voted in a poll on this site for favorite night-time show in the parks. Results were:

Fantasmic 37%
Illuminations: 30%
Spectromagic: 11%
Wishes 23%

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=56191

If you click on "view poll results" and add up the total number of people who participated in the poll, it comes to 2,259. So technically, it's correct to say that "thousands" (if only slightly more than TWO thousand) participated. But to say that "thousands of WDWMagicers voted" would seem to imply a lot more. Also, it may be worth noting that this poll was done about 3 years ago, so it's hard to say how the results would come out if it were done now. Lastly, the poll is unscientific in that there is no way of knowing how many of the people who voted have actually seen all of the shows that the poll allows them to choose from.

Having said all that, I would agree with the OP (and many others) that Fantasmic is highly overrated. Part of the problem, IMHO, is that the original Fantasmic started at DL where it truly is an impressive show. When they built it at MGM (DHS), they built an entire arena for it, but didn't bother to build a show that was nearly as impressive as the DL version. So anyone attending this show who has either seen, or heard about, the DL version is very likely to come away disappointed.

 

[lilredfoxie]

And the whole place is set up in a most uncomfortable way...as someone else on the forum recently said, you are herded in like cattle. Then when the show is over there is only one way out!

I hear ya, Its very poorly thought out, MGM would have been better off with a show that you can do from the main street there, I forget what its called.

Instead they set up a theater that requires a long walk to get to, then you sit in uncomfortable bleachers, and getting out even doing what I did by leaving the theater about 15 min before the show ends, the boat launch to the Yacht Club was still very busy.

Overall that's something Disney needs to improve is the big rush after the nighttime shows, they need more buses and boats handy for the rush, especially for the overcrowded Epcot Resorts route.

 

[tirian]

I can see how this show might appeal to kids who get to see movie clips they know and love, but of all the parks big shows, I was really disappointed in this myself. A lot of guidebooks called it a must see but I thought it was boring with a plot that made no sense(what is the point of the John Smith battle scene?)

And the whole place is set up in a most uncomfortable way...as someone else on the forum recently said, you are herded in like cattle. Then when the show is over there is only one way out!

And does Disney really think it is wise to sell 3 foot long light up swords to kids waiting for a show in a super crowded area? You have to worry about two things, a sword blocking your vison the whole show, or being banged in the head with one.

I would probably never do this show again...did I miss something?

And excuse my typo....on "overrated"

I loved both versions of the show—WDW's and DL's—the first times I saw them. Then I saw them again, and I think WDW's needs an overhaul. Hardly anyone watches "Pocahontas" anymore. I've heard many children ask, "Who's that?" during the segment. It's a clunky, overwrought movie that reeks of 1990s political correctness, and very few people have fond memories of the film. Plus, it doesn't fit into the show, and seems to come out of nowhere.

Replace the Pocahontas segment with Peter Pan and it'll be a great show.

I don't find it overrated, just poorly planned.

 

[Ilovewishes]

I absolutely adore Fantasmic and insist we see it at least twice, if not 3 times in a 2 week stay. If we don't, I feel like we've missed out! And yes, it is impractical, it is uncomfortable ut IMO, totally worth it! And those of you saying it's not a lump in the throat show...I leave with tears in my eyes everytime! It's that last part where Mickey disappears off the top of the mountain and reappears at the bottome that gets me - pure Disney for me, especially if you're near a little kid who completely 100% believes it was done by magic!!

But then everyone has their favourite and least favourite. Personally, I don't rate Illuminations. I think the version before this one was better and if I don't see it when I'm at WDW, it doesn't bother me. I'd much rather catch a 4th viewing of Fantasmic or Wishes...

 

[Susan Savia]

Fantasmic is not on the top of our 'To Do' list.

______________________

Next Trip - January 2009

 

[Spyne]

You're not alone on thinking Fantasmic! is overrated. I mean, it's not that it's really bad, it's just it's really OK. If you haven't seen it, then yes, it is worth at least one watch. But if you've seen it before, I don't think you need to run to it again. Again, just my opinions. Don't kill me. :lol:

 

[SAV]

Like many others, I found it to be OK. It's not on my list of things I have to do at DHS...once was enough. Especially considering the time investment involved with getting there early and taking forever to get out of the park.

 

[SWatsi]

I'm a Fantasmic fan.
Saying that I do think it coud do with a few replacements, such as making the Pocahontas scene more relevant, or replacing it with something more classical or modern. At the minute that film is sort of too new to be current and not old enough (or lets be honest - popular enough) to be classic.
What scenes would work? (other than bringing in the Peter Pan scene from Disneyland)

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I love Fantasmic. However, in all fairness, it's never been as good as it was the first time I saw it. The first time I saw it in 2005 was awesome. I can't quite explain what has happened to make it of lesser quality, but it's just not the same.

 

[t3techcom18]

I loved Fantasmic when I was little when it first premiered and the first few years after that, but I found myself being there bout a year or 2 ago, and caught myself being bored by it.

Is it a good show? Definitely. I don't think it's the fact that it's overrated, but I think the show got old FAST. Back then, water projection screens were huge and ultra new. Now...you go to Vegas or Paris or NYC, and, poof, it's there. Many of the stuff there has gotten old very fast, even the score. This show was definitely one they were thinking bout real fast and missed one thing most attractions/shows had: a timeless quality.

That, and Wishes and Illuminations, as others have stated, deifnitely have a much bigger impact, through one reason or another. Both have underlying meanings and themes and brilliant scores, but this one suffers from just being what it was designed to be: a jaw-dropping, eye-popping special effects show that could only be done at a movie inspired theme park.

 

[lilclerk]

I don't think I'll ever bother to see it again unless one of my friends comes with me again.

I definitely agree that Fantasmic! has some great effects... but they still didn't entertain me. The water screen effect was cool for the first 2 minutes, but then it got downright boring. Part of it may be that I don't really enjoy WDW for the movies/character aspect. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney movies (who doesn't?), but they're not the reason I go to the parks. I love the parks for the parks. I'm also not a big Mickey fan (please don't hate me.)

IllumiNations and Wishes on the other hand, I watch videos/listen to the music constantly and have to see them as many times as possible during the trip. I know Wishes is character based too, but the whole "wish upon a star" thing always makes me choke up. Though DL's Dreams Come True just blows me away, and I've only ever seen videos of it.. probably because it's more attraction based.

But I also understand that it's a lot of peoples' favorite. My best friend's favorite, in fact, which is why I'll probably only see it again if he goes.