Frozen at Disney's Hollywood Studios for the summer?

[asianway]

Disney on Ice level. Not bad. Couple tricks, some artistry.

Thanks just wanted to cut through the hyperbole by one of the many shill accounts. Professional would be a fair assessment I guess. You throw out Olympic, that's a higher bar for me.

I agree it's a cutesy little event that we should expect all the time without the division president shoving it down golden boys throat

 

[PhotoDave219]

Thanks just wanted to cut through the hyperbole by one of the many shill accounts. Professional would be a fair assessment I guess. You throw out Olympic, that's a higher bar for me.

I agree it's a cutesy little event that we should expect all the time without the division president shoving it down golden boys throat

No, its not Olympic level. One or two jumps, nothing more than a double axle.

I call it as it is. Its very nice for what it is. Its a couple shows and a play area and some fireworks.

 

[Biff215]

So for those who went, would you say the package is necessary for avoiding ridiculous waits at the show? I'm not nearly as concerned about parade/fireworks viewing and desserts, but waiting on the Streets of America for hours does not appeal to me at all. I don't want to pay extra, but sometimes convenience trumps value, especially with two kids. Any insight would be appreciated from those who have attended. Thanks!

 

[Travel Junkie]

For the level of what it is : A sing along show, a processional and ice skating rink..... I sure can. Thats what I expected. Its a B/C ticket - if that.

Its better than "Show your Summer Side".....

Flip side: 10 years of neglect at the studios and anything looks good by comparison.

I’m hearing a lot of at least it’s something, at least it’s better than the other campaign, it’s only for the summer, it’s only for kids and they are ok with it. TDO will continue to abuse their customers until this acceptance of subpar work is no longer tolerated.

 

[brifraz]

Just returned from the evening events and here are some pics.

The sing-along is a pretty basic stage set-up, with two large screens on either side and a movie screen behind the stage. Minimal scenery on the sides. The show mainly stars the 'Arrendelle historians' who look pretty similar to a couple of folks who hosted a Welcome Home Wednesday a couple years ago. They basically do plot exposition with a few puns to lead to the next song which is just shown from the movie - characters are not singing live until a Let It Go reprise at the end, but even that appeared to be totally lip-synched. It's fun - the kids love it, most of the parents were singing pretty loud as well.







From what we were told by the Premium door CM, all the shows today were totally full (can't really say sold out since they are free). The door CM at the dessert party said that the Premium tickets are selling VERY fast and that many dates are already sold out. Not sure of the accuracy of that...

The dessert party was set-up in Playhouse Disney due to the rain and I would encourage you to go on an evening when there is rain around, because this was MUCH better than being outside. Tables, multiple food and drink stations, Frozen dance music, and air conditioning.







At 9:30, the guests who were still at the dessert party were taken by CM to the fireworks area. The fireworks show starts with Anna, then some fireworks, then Kristoff joins, then some fireworks, then Elsa, and some more fireworks. Obviously, the weather tonight did not cooperate at all, with a low ceiling, little wind, and high humidity. But, through the smoke, it looked to be a decent show.

 

[brifraz]

So for those who went, would you say the package is necessary for avoiding ridiculous waits at the show? I'm not nearly as concerned about parade/fireworks viewing and desserts, but waiting on the Streets of America for hours does not appeal to me at all. I don't want to pay extra, but sometimes convenience trumps value, especially with two kids. Any insight would be appreciated from those who have attended. Thanks!

It was worth it for us.

That being said, it isn't a 'great' value. We are a family of 3 (one 10yr old daughter). Undoubtedly, we would have watched the procession, done the sing-along, and seen the fireworks. We likely saved a decent hour or so of sitting and waiting time, maybe 2 hours at most. My wife and I enjoy an adult drink or two when available and our daughter enjoys some sweets, so the dessert party and refreshments during the procession were about a $100 value for the three of us (8 total adult drinks, 8 'family' drinks, 1 large cupcake, 4 ice creams, and assorted other desserts). It was terribly convenient and the seats for the Sing-Along were top notch (second row). The firework viewing area isn't the best, but to have only gotten to it about 10 minutes before the show was quite nice. The parade viewing area is great for the kids, but you still need to get there at least 20 minutes before the procession in order for the kids to get a decent spot up front.

If you aren't going to enjoy the alcohol, the cost gets a little less appealing. The convenience and guaranteed seats are nice, though.

 

[brifraz]

I’m hearing a lot of at least it’s something, at least it’s better than the other campaign, it’s only for the summer, it’s only for kids and they are ok with it. TDO will continue to abuse their customers until this acceptance of subpar work is no longer tolerated.

I would actually argue that this is quite the opposite of 'abusing' the customers with 'subpar' work. Is it a fully developed 'land' with multiple attractions, no? For a summer set of bonus attractions (which are not an additional ticket - unless you want the premium like we did) for a film that was released just half a year ago, it is quite above 'subpar.' Premium attractions require at least a couple years of planning, development, and building (see FLE or Hogsmeade/Hogwarts Express). This is a set of temporary summer attractions to tie-in with the latest major movie release. I would, in fact, love to see more of this. In the 90s, this was the norm - a new film came out and new temporary attractions came with it - either in the soundstages or animation tour or with parades, we would get a promo attraction.

To get a procession (aka, small parade), an activity area (not a lot, but more timely to the kids than Honey, I Shrunk...), a small show (can't do a big show and steal the thunder of the coming Broadway show), and a special fireworks show all for one film is quite a bit.

Rather than protest, I say "Thanks for all these nice summer additions, can't wait to see what can get put together with time and planning in the coming years!" Now, if this sticks around for a a couple years without improvement or announcement of permanent replacement, then I would cry 'subpar' and 'abuse' just as loud as anyone.

 

[syrscuba]

What time does the registration start for the Premium Package? The reservation on MDE shows a 10:00am start, while the Disney blog for this event references 10:30am? As always, there are FP+ reservations which hinge on the timing Thanks for your help.

 

[SJN1279]

The sing a long looks to be a real crowd pleaser. I would be surprised if it doesn't stick around past the summer.

 

[berlioz70]

Can someone who was there confirm that the cast was actually singing at the singalong or was it all recorded like the singalong version of the movie?

They actually sing/talk; they are equity.

 

[SpaceMtn101]

From what we were told last night, all this was planned for magic kingdom. It was not ment got Hollywood. They could not make it work at magic kingdom and made a last minute decision to change plans. They found out 10 days ago. ( This is from cast members we talked to)

On a positive note : I finally found Olaf!!!! My kids are happy to sleep with Olaf now.

I liked the fireworks. I didn't like how the skating rink and store is one line. To me they should be two separate lines. I haven't gotten to do anything else.

 

[BrianV]

Can you see the fireworks from all over the studios? I've never seen fireworks there so I don't have a good feeling of where you can and cannot see them from. I'm always looking for lower-crowd spots that might have a good view as opposed to the higher-crowd best-view spots. I don't care much about the parade or the singalong.

 

[brifraz]

What time does the registration start for the Premium Package? The reservation on MDE shows a 10:00am start, while the Disney blog for this event references 10:30am? As always, there are FP+ reservations which hinge on the timing Thanks for your help.

We got there right around 10am and they started checking people in a little before 10:30am.

They actually sing/talk; they are equity.

The actors' speaking is heard by the audience; however, all the songs except the Let It Go reprise are sung along with the movie, the actors are off-stage or to the side of the stage. For the Let It Go reprise, the music accompaniment sounded like it had crowd singing (much like KidzBop, but not actually KidzBop - thankfully) and if the individual actors were through the PA, they were totally inaudible. So, either the sound folks have some tweaking to do or their singing is not amplified.

 

[asianway]

They actually sing/talk; they are equity.

That's curious, every picture I saw had them in the background. Interesting

 

[doctornick]

Can you see the fireworks from all over the studios? I've never seen fireworks there so I don't have a good feeling of where you can and cannot see them from. I'm always looking for lower-crowd spots that might have a good view as opposed to the higher-crowd best-view spots. I don't care much about the parade or the singalong.

I would appreciate this info as well. I've never seen any fireworks at the Studios and will be there later in the summer and look forward to this. I'd like to make sure that my family has a decent view so any advice would be appreciated.

 

[drew81]

They actually sing/talk; they are equity.

When you say "they" do you also mean Kristoff?

 

[marni1971]

I would appreciate this info as well. I've never seen any fireworks at the Studios and will be there later in the summer and look forward to this. I'd like to make sure that my family has a decent view so any advice would be appreciated.

Studio fireworks are best viewed from around the area in front of the Idol video screen with Echo Lake behind you.

Second best is between park entrance and Sunset. You'll miss some of the symmetry here but won't have the stage or hat in the way. IMHO.

 

[berlioz70]

That's curious, every picture I saw had them in the background. Interesting

When you say "they" do you also mean Kristoff?

Yep; Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff at the Studios are all Equity Performers. Their voices aren't leading the way in the sing-a-long, but they are indeed mic'd and singing along.

 

[flyerjab]

Does anyone have any info regarding who pushed this idea in WDW management? I recall reading somewhere in these threads that Staggs was the one responsible for making this happen. Am I recalling that correctly or should I change out the water in my bong (just a little humor there)?

 

[wdwmagic]

I would appreciate this info as well. I've never seen any fireworks at the Studios and will be there later in the summer and look forward to this. I'd like to make sure that my family has a decent view so any advice would be appreciated.

You need to be on Hollywood Blvd ideally.