IllumiNations New Pyro Changes

[Tavernacle12]

Hearing the disdain some people have for Illuminations is hitting me as if someone told me they hate oxygen and kittens... I'd be perfectly fine if the show was still around ten years from now. My only issue with it is how hard to see the images on the Earth globe can be, but I'm not sure how they'd be able to fix that without changing much of the show or making a bigger globe in the center of the lagoon that doesn't move.

I will say I noticed the show seemed less bombastic than I remembered last week when I saw it, but I was pretty exhausted and didn't think much of it.

 

[Biff215]

While that sounds wonderful for ROE and Epcot(and they deserve every bit of it!) Does that also tell us that guests don't want ROE to leave? I know there's has been rumors on here about ROE's replacement but none lately.

I LOVE ROE but it can't stay around forever, can it?

Forever, no. But with Rivers of Light getting all of the attention for the foreseeable future, paired with recent updates to RoE, it would seem Disney wants to get more life out of this show. Not to mention HS getting a "new" show. With new MK fireworks a definite possibility for the 50th, it will be interesting to see if Disney finds time and money for Epcot.

RoE will always hold a special place for me as it's one of the first things I experienced during my CP in spring 2000 during the Millennium Celebration. Watching Tapestry and then this for the first time is something that I'll never forget. For me it's not mainly about pyro but also about the story and music. I can't think of another show that uses this combination as well. This doesn't mean it should stay forever, but it does help explain its staying power nearly 17 years later.

Despite some of the comments here, the average guest seems to still enjoy RoE. I truly enjoy listening to those around me who are enjoying it for the first time and react to each unexpected turn the show takes. It still does one of its primary roles quite well, and that's pulling guests into WS in the evening and providing IMO the perfect ending to an Epcot night.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I was aware of that. I guess what I was saying is that this isn't just a one-time thing where one week they had one set of pyro, the supplier went OOB and the next week it changed. The pyro they use in the show is constantly changing all time. I've seen it so many times I notice it but i've found it really common for changes in the shell types and colors all the time in the show.

Yeah..... For about the first 5 years things seemed pretty good but supply issues became really evident in 06/07 it seems.

 

[cslafferty]

What's not to get? How are people so "out of it" that they can't see its a celebration of humanity. The opening is a re-creation of the "big bang", the middle segment showcases the birth of human achievement, and the finale is a call for all of us to "build on all that we have done" and continue towards the future. People like you, who require meaning to be spoon fed to them, are why Disney feels like they can't get away with creating shows like this anymore. Don't want to be inspired? Go watch the sappy Wishes.

It's nothing personal - just personal preference. There is nothing "wrong" with those of us who don't particularly care for Illuminations, just like there's nothing "wrong" with you for thinking Wishes is sappy! Different things move different people in different ways for different reasons. That's all.

 

[180º]

Also of interest for you, perhaps, @marni1971's own one hour tribute to the show! Get to studying

Trust me, I was wayyyy ahead of you on that one.

 

[natatomic]

It definitely got a huge cut a few years ago (4 years maybe?) The show lost a lot of its appeal to me after that, and it had always been my favorite. So how much more could they possibly cut and it still please the crowds?
I once got to watch RoE on the Mexico Dock about 2 years ago and then got to have a brief Q&A session with one of the fireworks technicians afterwards. Someone asked what the number of fireworks was, and he said it was 1,100.
The Friendship boat captains, when they spiel, say that the show has "over 3,000." I have a feeling that was the number from 4+ years ago, and 1,100 is what it was whittled down to when they switched firework companies. If they cut it to fewer than that, that seems fairly pathetic.

 

[mouse_luv]

I truly CANNOT take anyone seriously who believes IllumiNations is crap show, so pathetic that people even think that honestly. It IS the greatest show that has EVER been invented and I am happy if it NEVER leaves. I refuse to even entertain a reasoning for why someone thinks its dull. To me it shows they're incapable of appreciating true art or unwilling to actually have to think for themselves and interpret the show as they see fit. It is the only thing at Disney that keep my glasses rose colored. The new lasers added in 2014 make it even more amazing than it was before. Now if we could get some new high powered searchlights and new fountains, the show would just be flawless!!

Anyway, OP, I noticed these changes a last Friday evening! I did get a premature excitement also thinking the screamers were back in, too bad they're still a thing of the past.

Thank you, and you said it a lot nicer than I was planning on lol!

I saw it back in the 90's and I really didn't get it. This weekend my wife made a couple of FP for it because she had never seen it and it was exactly how I remembered it. Ehhh.... I still don't get it and neither did she. I am at EPCOT at least once a month so it's not like I just went back 20 years later.

It's not that hard to figure out.

Yep. It's just meh.

No one's forcing you to go see it. I can't stand Fantasmic! and gasp..so what do I do? I don't go see it and do something else at WDW that I enjoy instead.

 

[HMF]

Even though it is outdated the show still draws a large crowd. I like the music more than anything but I would be fine if they change it.

How is it outdated?

 

[HMF]

It's not hard to get, it's just kinda boring. In my opinion its just as sappy as Wishes.

The decline of Epcot can be attributed to this attitude.

 

[HMF]

While I completely understand the whole story they are telling here, most people don't know or care. The phrase often heard around the lagoon during this portion is 'boring'. I don't want it to be replaced but I'd be okay with a refresh for that segment that picks up the pace a little.

Unfortunately not everyone appreciates art.

 

[HMF]

. And I want Share a Dream Come True parade back at MK.

Really, after it ran for a decade?

 

[HMF]

I won't cry once a new show is announced.

I would do worse than just cry.

 

[HMF]

I LOVE ROE but it can't stay around forever, can it?

All they need to do is occasional technology. Re-record We Go On to get rid of the "Thousand Circles round the sun" line as long as they don't Pop-ify it too much. Yes, The story it tells will never be out of date unless the world ends.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

It definitely got a huge cut a few years ago (4 years maybe?) The show lost a lot of its appeal to me after that, and it had always been my favorite. So how much more could they possibly cut and it still please the crowds?
I once got to watch RoE on the Mexico Dock about 2 years ago and then got to have a brief Q&A session with one of the fireworks technicians afterwards. Someone asked what the number of fireworks was, and he said it was 1,100.
The Friendship boat captains, when they spiel, say that the show has "over 3,000." I have a feeling that was the number from 4+ years ago, and 1,100 is what it was whittled down to when they switched firework companies. If they cut it to fewer than that, that seems fairly pathetic.

I know the press releases for the show said 2,800 shells or something (compared to I think 1,100 now), but honestly I've never noticed the difference between then and now. Apart from different suppliers leading to subtle differences in appearance, the show looks the same.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I've seen ROE so many times in my life (and photographed it) that I've learned every shell and every cue. Its a tremendous show.

Now I'm ready for a new show that takes us even further. Don't get me wrong, I love ROE.... but i tend to critique it every time I see it and its not what it was when I first saw it.

 

[brb1006]

I've seen ROE so many times in my life (and photographed it) that I've learned every shell and every cue. Its a tremendous show.

Now I'm ready for a new show that takes us even further. Don't get me wrong, I love ROE.... but i tend to critique it every time I see it and its not what it was when I first saw it.

I remember seeing ROE for the first time back in 2006 and it looked fantastic. As seen in this video from 2008 for example (Especially the 3:58 mark back when they had the screaming fireworks)

But when I seen it again in 2015 it was more "Meh" and not as memorable to me.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

I remember seeing ROE for the first time back in 2006 and it looked like this much to my amazement. As seen in this video from 2008 for example (Especially the 3:58 mark back when they had the screaming fireworks)

But when I seen it again in 2015 it was more "Meh" and not as memorable to me.

REALLY missing those scattering bee fireworks in Chaos, and of course the screamers in Celebration were far superior to the sound charges they have now. Also miss those white waterfalls during Home.

interestingly, that 08 clip is missing the lava floaters during that brief lull in Chaos, an effect that was restored in more recent years. It's also missing the perimeter launches but that was probably weather related. Plus, while I preferred the orginal orange/purple/green/blue colors in Adventure in the 08 clip, the actual shells themselves are less impressive looking compared to the ones used today.

 

[theRIOT]

The Pyro/laser effects could use a major overhaul.
I love them, but they're getting long in the tooth.
However, the music is still as great today as it was when it debuted as ROE.

I hope that never changes.

It would take something truly remarkable to replace it.

 

[articos]

Unfortunately, today's Disney is unwilling to allow the creation of a show that pushes the boundaries. I would not be surprised if the show is replaced with some IP wh0re-fest in the near future. I have low expectations for a replacement show, well perhaps realistic is a better word. I hope they prove me wrong, I doubt they will.

I would say Disneyland Forever's show is a show that pushes boundaries, incorporating projection mapping of Main St. in a way that encompasses the crowds in the story, alongside new lighting effects and pyro. DCA's fountain show was innovative to an extent. Disney is willing if they have the time and the budget to do it. The next evolution of Illuminations/RoE is something I'm looking forward to.

 

[marni1971]

Also of interest for you, perhaps, @marni1971's own one hour tribute to the show!]

Eeek that's an embarrassing old one! One or two errors in it too. For the record there was no laser in any bell tower...