Floats in Fantasmic

[JTinCT]

I have a question about the floats in fantasmic... now i used to work at fantasmic ever now and then, and i'm sure that they're not on tracks... but how do they move so quickly without ever hitting eachother??:veryconfu

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by JTinCT
I have a question about the floats in fantasmic... now i used to work at fantasmic ever now and then, and i'm sure that they're not on tracks... but how do they move so quickly without ever hitting eachother??:veryconfu

which ones?

the princess/jungle floats? they are on tracks, as is the riverboat. The indian canoes aren't on tracks, and they are in fact REAL canoes, being REALLY operated

 

[wdwcrazy]

I knew that the steamboat was on a track, but I thought that the jungle and princess floats were on their own. Oh well I guess you learn somthing everyday.

 

[freaklarm]

I used to work Fantasmic once or twice a week and I remember that there was a show in where two of the water float where about to crash into each other and they had to stop and then they continued, so I think they are not on tracks, I think they work pretty much like the float at MK, with the driver hidden inside, the only difference is that this floats are on water.

 

[uavoice]

Look, I have worked Fantasmic many a night, and I can guarentee you that the princess floats are NOT on a track. We have seen them not only collide with each other during the show, but into the perimeter wall as well. The only thing that is on a track is the steamboat. Thanks all.

 

[garysargent]

I can confirm - I was there two weeks ago and I have video footage of one of the floats colliding with the perimeter wall. Just previously two of the floats hit each other.

Initially one of the floats seemed to be going too fast which I think caused the sequence to mess up.

 

[kwt10]

We also saw floats come VERY close to hitting each other and then the wall. We were just under the assumption that the drivers were just that good, but the more I read it must have been luck that they did not hit.

 

[bearboysnc]

I too worked on fantasmic!, but at DL. The crew from FL came and observed us several times. In the WDW Fantasmic, they made changes to improve and ease maintenance issues. They told us "their" barges were on wheels. There are drivers inside each one like a parade float. They appear to float, but are actually riding on the cement bottom. They can be driven out of the water for maintenance.

 

[Katherine]

Originally posted by bearboysnc
I too worked on fantasmic!, but at DL. The crew from FL came and observed us several times. In the WDW Fantasmic, they made changes to improve and ease maintenance issues. They told us "their" barges were on wheels. There are drivers inside each one like a parade float. They appear to float, but are actually riding on the cement bottom. They can be driven out of the water for maintenance.

That's a really good idea! They have really shown how smart they are this time!

 

[wdwcrazy]

That's what I thought! :hammer:

 

[bearboysnc]

The WDW Fantasmic! crew have many advances over the DL show. They actually have a stage and a theater.

They built the stage on Tom Sawyers Island. But they didn't build any facilities for the cast or crew. Every night we had to erect tents to dress in, and line the paths with lights. And every night we had to tear everything down, so there was no trace of us.

 

[mkt]

ack.. i misunderstood it..

the boats aren't on an actual track, and while they can hit each other, they can't go far enough to do damage, and I see that as a track..

I've seen many times which the riverboat has to have been pushed by techs on a troller...

my mistake.. lol

and, I'm in the show too.. I don't know which end of it everyone here is

 

[wdwcrazy]

Another question, how can you possibly see on stage? Especially for the pocohontas scene where all of the man appear on stage. How do you see where you're going, it looks pitch black up there.

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by wdwcrazy
Another question, how can you possibly see on stage?

very carefully...

lol. you get used to it, and also, theatre rules... what you see is different from what we see. From far away, it may look pitch black, but up close, it isn't too bad

 

[RobFL]

It's an actor thing.. if you work on a stage long enough, you can wander around on it in the dark with your eyes closed and never fall off.

-Rob

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Having seen the show on numerous occasions during my last two visits I would have said (prior to reading the previous replies) that the floats, canoes and steamboat were all guided by tracks. Its amazing what you can learn on the web !!