Has Magic Kingdom nighttime atmosphere ever been the same since Spectromagic Left?

TTA94

TTA94

Well-Known Member
wdwmagic said:
Spectro should be rebuilt with current lighting systems and relaunched at WDW. Relatively low cost project that would be insanely popular with those who saw the original and those new to it.
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I fear what current Disney especially WDW will come up with for a new nighttime parade if and when they finally cave and end the nighttime parade drought. Ideally it needs to look more like Dreamlights and less PTN.

I miss the nights sitting along the parade route, marching bands going by before the parade. The atmosphere was so awesome. I hope we all can experience these nights again at MK in the not so far future.
 
Pepper's Ghost

Pepper's Ghost

Well-Known Member
This is coming from a 40-something year-old dude with no kids... even I became enthralled with that parade, and I am NOT a parade person. I can't think of another place I've actually watched a parade post-adolescence. On my trips of yore, we'd visit MK three times. First day of the trip, last day of the trip, and one somewhere between. We'd always catch Spectro at least once, and most times twice during the trip, with the other time(s) spent walking on to rides.... that was a long time ago.
 
FettFan

FettFan

Well-Known Member
Lands of Wonder said:
This video is 2006 and I know this has been discussed but just take notice of the surroundings and everything that’s going on before the parade. Forget the parade just think of everything around it. Just the event of a parade about to come around the corner at night made things different. It broke up lines and gave down time. This is what a night at the Magic Kingdom was like between, Jimminy Crickets voice making the announcements, cast member interaction and just the whole coarse of the nightly routine at the Magic Kingdom. It was really something else.
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No. And this is one of the biggest symptoms of Disney's budget slashing. As soon as it was confirmed Spectromagic wasn't coming back, we were all hoping for a new night parade to be announced.

Alas, all we got was a brief revival of MSEP, then someone decided to shuffle that off to Cali.
 
Po'Rich

Po'Rich

Well-Known Member
Vacationeer said:
Back in 2019 I had really hoped they were working on a night time MK parade for the 50th.
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This is where I was, as well. I had hoped they would get one sooner, but I consoled myself by thinking that they'll have a nighttime parade for the 50th at the latest. Now, it doesn't seem that there's much interest in parades. Honestly, I don't know if they will bring back a nighttime parade to WDW.
 
K

KaliSplash

Well-Known Member
Lands of Wonder said:
This video is 2006 and I know this has been discussed but just take notice of the surroundings and everything that’s going on before the parade. Forget the parade just think of everything around it. Just the event of a parade about to come around the corner at night made things different. It broke up lines and gave down time. This is what a night at the Magic Kingdom was like between, Jimminy Crickets voice making the announcements, cast member interaction and just the whole coarse of the nightly routine at the Magic Kingdom. It was really something else.
Click to expand...

Yes, it was Better when MSEP returned.
 
TTA94

TTA94

Well-Known Member
Po'Rich said:
This is where I was, as well. I had hoped they would get one sooner, but I consoled myself by thinking that they'll have a nighttime parade for the 50th at the latest. Now, it doesn't seem that there's much interest in parades. Honestly, I don't know if they will bring back a nighttime parade to WDW.
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Realistically thinking with the current state and drama at WDW a nighttime parade is probably the last thing on their minds unfortunately. We can hope 2023 brings better things but the odds are not very good. Unless it’s forced on them or they feel the need is there, no nighttime parade will ever happen. You’d think they would be paying attention to MSEPs popularity at Disneyland and that they’d want to do something special at WDW to win back the fans.
 
aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
mnelson3 said:
Realistically thinking with the current state and drama at WDW a nighttime parade is probably the last thing on their minds unfortunately. We can hope 2023 brings better things but the odds are not very good. Unless it’s forced on them or they feel the need is there, no nighttime parade will ever happen. You’d think they would be paying attention to MSEPs popularity at Disneyland and that they’d want to do something special at WDW to win back the fans.
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they don't want fans at Disney World anymore to call them out, only the tourists who don't care about details or grand things, they will spend anyway so they arent going to bother with "show". Throw up some mediocre clip show fireworks in the sky and they are happy. harmonious is proof that views no longer matter. And everything has to be another magic kingdom now. Alcohol sales and DVC seem to be TDO'S priority. I hate saying that, but that's how I see it now and see the push of it in the parks. Attractions at the bottom, show quality dismal, but make sure the booze and food sales are generating, and outside lights are instagram ready pretty, and they come. Content, upkeep, themes, and attention to detail is being thrown out the door. just my own theory. feel free to give own opinion on it.
 
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THEMEPARKPIONEER

THEMEPARKPIONEER

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
mnelson3 said:
Realistically thinking with the current state and drama at WDW a nighttime parade is probably the last thing on their minds unfortunately. We can hope 2023 brings better things but the odds are not very good. Unless it’s forced on them or they feel the need is there, no nighttime parade will ever happen. You’d think they would be paying attention to MSEPs popularity at Disneyland and that they’d want to do something special at WDW to win back the fans.
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We’ll they finally got rid of me sadly. If anything I may go to Disneyland for a day to visit the old MSEP but that’s it. A visit to World Showcase and Biergarten is the only thing I desire to go back to. There’s not really much left but I may just pop in if they run a nighttime parade.
 
THEMEPARKPIONEER

THEMEPARKPIONEER

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Henry Mystic said:
To me, growing up with the nostalgia of WDW, it's stuff like this that makes me warm and fuzzy inside. Hopefully, someday we'll get another parade equal in its magnificence to SpectroMagic.

I felt like this for a long time, but I've grown to love SpectroMagic's musical ballad and tonal difference to MSEP, PTN, & Dreamlights. It felt more MK to me, but they're all awesome parades in their own right. Paint the Night at MK would be different, but it's so well done and like @Lands of Wonder said, it would be lovely to have the atmosphere back.
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That warm fuzzy Christmas season feeling when the Jimminy pre show announcements would come on. Nothing will compare to that, I just hope the next parade is comparable and not a pop show.
 
FettFan

FettFan

Well-Known Member
doctornick said:
MSEP > Spectro
but having a nighttime light parade >>>> no parade

I'd love to see Paint The Night at MK. It's a great parade.
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Correction: it *was* a great parade.
D302097E-42C9-45AC-8405-726C171014BA.jpeg
 
TTA94

TTA94

Well-Known Member
Paint the Night would be cool at MK but by no means perfect. MK needs a modern SpectroMagic or a Electrical Parade Dreamlights. I don’t think Tokyo will be giving up Dreamlights anytime soon though if ever. I could see WDW purchasing a Dreamlights float or two if Tokyo swaps out any floats for new ones.
 
yensidtlaw1969

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
mnelson3 said:
I fear what current Disney especially WDW will come up with for a new nighttime parade if and when they finally cave and end the nighttime parade drought. Ideally it needs to look more like Dreamlights and less PTN.
Click to expand...
I think this is really valid. Something in our biology seems to predispose us to love looking at lots of tiny, twinkling lights. Probably because they're so relatively unique in nature - Stars and Fireflies are about all that do it in the natural world. Something about them scratches a happy spot in our brains. Hence the hypnotic nature of Christmas Lights and Fiber Optics.

Present-day Disney seems to misunderstand that the primal joy of looking at individual tiny lights has far greater hold on the imagination than looking at more screens, which already overwhelm our world and don't really register as unique. A new Night Parade should look less like Times Square and more like a million Fireflies synchronized-swimming down Main Street.
 

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