SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
You're right. If anything, they didn't go far enough by taking out Pan. Mickey's even older- why is he still in the show?
Should have made the new version about Wreck It Ralph's imagination.
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It's time for Fantasmic!... to end.
- Thread starter TROR
- Start date
You're right. If anything, they didn't go far enough by taking out Pan. Mickey's even older- why is he still in the show?
Should have made the new version about Wreck It Ralph's imagination.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
In the original show, the entire first half until pan is a series of increasingly tense scenes culminating in Pan- followed by a brief princess medley that resets the show, allowing the villain segment to build in intensity as Mickey loses control of the dream. Yes, the villains plot against Mickey- but it's not nearly as on the nose as this new version is with Mickey bartering with the mirror etc.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
This is how dreams go though, your brain does not go straight from point a to point b when you dream. It goes all over the place, unless you can control your dreams (which some people can, I can a bit). What I got from the show was ideally your dreams start at point a, goes all over the place, and then ends at point b with a happy ending.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
Well, yeah. I don't disagree at all- and I worry I may have misread or misunderstood your comment.
This is basically what I was trying to say when countering oornb's point that the new show has an actual story, which is somehow a benefit, or that the abstractness of the original show was somehow a negative.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
I guess to me, while not technically the correct term, it was always a linear story because there was a beginning, a middle, and an end. But in reality its a non-linear story, which has its place in storytelling too.
SteamboatJoe
Well-Known Member
I'm not ready to say goodbye to Fanasmic! yet but the female's voice in the Pirates sequence is absolutely intolerable.
I mean, I just finished a 4,000 word essay on the differences between the two, and why I love the story and visuals in the new show. If you'd like.
(I'd been meaning to type it up since the new show premiered and got a lot of pushback, and this finally got me to finish it XD )
shortstop
Well-Known Member
We’re waiting
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
We’re waiting
A lot of what I’m about to say does come from the conceit that, in a theme park, having a story is better than not having a story. This is not to say that experiential shows are at their core lesser than story shows. But more often than not, audiences want something they can follow, at least emotionally. There is value in bringing a viewer through a structure, with beginnings, middles, and ends, with climaxes and catharsis. Audiences chose Pinocchio over Fantasia. Again, this is not to say that experiential shows are inherently inferior just because they are not as popular. But Disney has a lot at stake when making a show, and one thing they need to do is appeal to what is popular with the masses. Like it or not, the number one goal of a theme park is to make money, not to make an artistic statement. That being said, if you can make an artistic statement while making money, then all the better.
Onto Fantasmic!... I’m going to attempt to address the questions that come with the new show’s story. I studied film in college and have a lot of experience translating visuals to story, and this is an essay I’ve been meaning to write since last year. Now I finally have the time and energy to put it all into words, so… buckle up, I guess?
(For reference, I’ll be using “F!17” to refer to the newest version of the show, Fantasmic! 2017, and “F!92" to refer to the original show, Fantasmic! 1992).
Pillars of Light
We’re going to start before Mickey is even on the stage. F!92 rolls the intro speech, and the narrator conveys the excitement and dangers of exploring your imagination. She ends the intro with a rhetorical question, asking, “are the powers of Mickey’s incredible imagination strong enough and bright enough to withstand the evil forces that invade Mickey’s dream?” In this version of the show, evil invades Mickey’s happy dream, and it’s up to him to push them back. The intro ends with a darkened stage and swelling music, which culminates in endless pillars of light shooting from the stage and the stage light towers emerging from the island. The pillars eventually just disappear and are replaced with Mickey, who opens the show.
The new version of the show changes the start of the show in small but very important ways. First, the opening speech has dropped the line about evil invading Mickey’s dream. This is critical to the upcoming story, because the evil forces are no longer an invading group; rather, in the new version of the show, Mickey invites them in, and he must learn his mistake and fix it. The time between the end of the intro and the start of the show also now contains a crucial detail to the fabric of the show. One of the things that sets Fantasmic! at Disneyland apart from its’ Florida sibling is that it takes place not on a stage, but in the middle of a landmark of Disneyland. In Florida, you enter an auditorium and expect to see a show. In California, the show simply appears out of thin air; the attractions and places you saw earlier in the day take on a totally different hue at night. The show plays with this as the “sparks” that float around the stage and set the scene actually seem to originate from the lanterns that hang on Lafitte’s Tavern. This very subtle detail plays up the idea that Fantasmic! is not a show to be performed in front of you, but an experience about to happen around you.
The Hero Appears
F!92 drops the audience into an ‘in media res’ story, or one that’s already in motion. As the show opens, Mickey appears at the fanfare and immediately runs to the center of the stage, eager to show off. And show off he does, as he summons a giant water spout from the center of the river. He gestures to the sides and summons more water fountains, which (were supposed to) dance and change colors. As he moves to the upper level of the stage, sparks fly from his gloves. The mood of the sequence is one of play and demonstration. In this narrative, Mickey already has a firm grasp of his imagination’s powers and what he can accomplish with them. The audience is there to watch Mickey “create magical imagery for all to enjoy” as the intro goes.
F!17 takes a different approach. In the updated show, we are watching Mickey discover what his imagination is capable of, in real time, on stage. He appears at the same time as the pillars of light, trapped inside of them. He tests the lights and gently pushes them away, setting up the ongoing theme throughout the show of escaping and rising beyond limitations. The pushing away of the light pillars also suggests to Mickey that he has control over the lights in this realm, something he discovers through the rest of the sequence. He finds that he can control the lights from the on-stage light towers and uses them to summon the fountains all around the stage, while also discovering that he can create pyrotechnics as well. His control over these show elements will prove crucial to the overall narrative, but at the top of the show act more as a showcase than anything. Mickey’s choreography in F!17 is much more timid than it was in the original show, showcasing how unsure he is of what is happening around him. But he seems willing to play and explore what his imagination is capable of, lightly introducing a key story element that will return later.
A brief note about something that was added to the new version, which is the more direct nods to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. In the opening sequence, Mickey uses the fountains to create a likeness of the moon and star sorcerer hat from that Fantasia sequence. This is a recurring image in the new version of the show, with many call backs to Mickey’s hubris and overconfidence coming back to haunt him. True to form, Mickey summoning the brooms to play with the fountains he’s created quickly spirals out of control and results in a fair amount of chaos across the mist screen and island projections, as fountains spray outward in every direction. This suggests that Mickey’s imagination is not entirely as under control as he may think it is, and that he needs to tread carefully. But this is a subtle touch, which hints at the much more direct references to come.
A Flower in the Jungle
At this point both shows delve into tropical, jungle-esque imagery. F!92 keeps things very simple, with Kaa entering the stage and showing off his piercing LED eyes timed to an appropriate musical sting. The three show barges drift past, all containing brightly-colored monkeys who dance to the beat. This falls squarely into the “fantastic imagery” category of the show, and doesn’t really do much to advance the narrative aside from providing some kinetic energy in the form of the monkeys and barges.
F!17 does use this segment, now with The Lion King imagery added, to provide a small narrative link; namely, Mickey walking into the sunrise. He’s very eager to see what’s in store in this new twist his imagination has provided. He’s got more discovering to do within his imagination, and coming off of his exploratory first scene, this imagery continues the theme.
Phantasmagoria
Hold onto your butts, cause this is a long one.
Fantasmic! takes its name, in part, from the word “phantasmagoria”, which a quick plug into Google means, “a sequence of real or imaginary images like those seen in a dream”. Things start to get real dream-like when the Pink Elephants go on parade in both shows. But whereas F!92 only used the elephants for the surrealistic imagery, F!17 uses them as narrative and critical foreshadowing. Indeed, Pink Elephants on Parade serves as the narrative linchpin for the first half of the show.
Pink Elephants on Parade has always meant to be an unsettling, discordant moment. Whether they appear in Dumbo, F!92, or F!17, their presence is meant to be off-putting. When it comes to Fantasmic!, the idea is the showcase that imagination can create anything, including frightening imagery of something that, on its surface, probably isn’t that scary (namely, brightly colored elephants).
In F!92, Pink Elephants was led in by the drum beats of the Jungle Book sequence, and the surreal imagery highlights that this really is Mickey’s dreamscape and anything can appear. Technology-wise, the scene was mostly projected onto the mist screens with elephant puppets appearing in the background for depth. This is to be expected, as the big new technology in 1992 was the mist screen projection. The new mist screens, combined with elephants appearing and disappearing magically behind them, gave the scene a “wow” factor. But that was all the scene had going for it; once again, there’s no real narrative addition to the overall show from this scene. There were a few thematic additions that are important to note, however, and those will come up shortly.
F!17 really ups the “visions fantastic” in this scene, and to great effect. No more elephant puppets, and instead all of the action occurs on the mist screens or projected onto the backdrop. There are plenty of technical additions to the scene, however, in the form of spotlights on the water’s surface and lasers above the viewer’s head.
One of the key elements of Pink Elephants on Parade, in both versions of the show, is the music that accompanies it. The original segment threw a lot of Disney show conventions to the wind and included an electric guitar in the mix. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that Disneyland included an electric guitar in a Disney show soundtrack (Videopolis notwithstanding), and especially in a soundtrack for a show that families would enjoy together. An electric guitar blasting out over the Rivers of America is a rather off-putting notion, especially for the Disneyland purists. The new version updates the electric guitar to a soundtrack taken straight from EDM clubs. Once again, the sound is meant to jar and sound out of place, much like the original soundtrack did in 1992. In a scene designed to unsettle you, the music plays right into the theme.
But the real brilliance of the Pink Elephants in F!17 is that they serve the story. In F!92, the elephants more or less amount to unsettling eye-candy. In F!17, they serve as a warning to Mickey for the troubles that lie ahead, should he continue down his happy-go-lucky hedonistic path. This sounds a bit heavy for a Disney theme park show, I’m aware, but all of the pieces fit.
The falling action of the Hakuna Matata segment is signaled by trumpets blasting out the familiar "Ha-ku-na Ma-ta-ta" notes, and the image of Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba walking across the log appears on the Island. Who plays the trumpets that bring that image to life? A quartet of pink elephants, of course. With the early invocation of the Elephants, it's almost as if we're meant to believe that the Pink Elephants "create" the Hakuna Matata scene in Mickey's dream. We’re not shown why that is, though, until the scene plays out. Marching right behind the trio is Mickey, totally sold on the Hakuna Matata lifestyle. And marching right behind him? Pink Elephants, literally chasing him down. The Elephants are telling him a cautionary tale that he must heed. He fails the test, as he marches right along with the Elephants, and falls right into the trap.
As the sequence begins, the Elephants literally overtake the mist screen projection and begin to march onto the stage. At one point, they occupy all levels of Laffite’s Tavern, marching to and fro to the music. Once Mickey finally reappears in the scene, he’s scared. The Pink Elephants frighten him, the only imagery that frightens Mickey in the first half of the show. And for good reason. Mickey has been shown a glimpse into the true power of imagination; anything can be created, and that can lead to dangerous consequences. Their appearance amounts to a fable in the truest sense of the word, and Mickey must remember his lesson learned here should a similar offer be made in the future.
A Magical Addition
F!17 has an extra scene placed after Pink Elephants, where Genie from Aladdin swoops in and “saves” Mickey from the unsettling imagery that came before. Genie blows Mickey away with fun and exciting things, giving both him and the audience a break from the story for some more traditional visions fantastic. Unlike the Elephants, Mickey enjoys being taken along for this ride, and ends the scene dancing along with Genie. And to help serve the transition to Monstro, which leads to the middle of the show, Genie ends his bit by transporting Mickey underwater for his next adventure.
Intermission
In both shows, the middle of the show serves more as a showcase of the selected intellectual property rather than as an advancement to the story. Whether it’s Peter Pan and Captain Hook dueling on the high ropes or Captain Jack Sparrow looking for his compass, neither can be read as adding more to the show other than spectacle. The merits of which spectacle is better is outside the scope of this essay, but both scenes have their positives and negatives.
The Intermission also includes a “Princess Segment” in both shows. Again, there is no overarching thematic purpose being pushed here, but rather softer dream-like fantasies. Here the show takes a pause, allowing the audience to cleanse their palate for what lies ahead.
A Deal With the Devil
The differences in narrative between the two shows comes to a head here, at the start of the second act. In F!92, the Evil Queen beckons forth the Magic Mirror, summoning it on the mist screen in front of her. The Mirror says that, while her beauty is “famed”, there are three lovelier maids, and that in Mickey’s imagination, “beauty and love will always survive”. It’s a bit of a weird twist on the original film, but it keeps the Evil Queen’s jealousy of Snow White’s beauty intact. Instead of directing her anger at Snow, however, the Queen decides to take it out on Mickey. For reasons unclear, she performs a spell to turn herself into an ugly hag, and then uses the Mirror to summon “all the forces of evil” in a bid to “control his mind”. The scene seems to be taking place inside of Mickey’s mind, as the Mirror states, but the villains are already arriving in an attempt to usurp the power. The motives of the villains in F!92 are never really explained. The villains all seem to be behind the overall goal of controlling Mickey’s imagination and see this as an opportunity to sneak in and do just that. It presupposes that the audience will understand that the villains are bad and want to do bad things to our “friend and host”, hoping we will root against them.
F!17 takes a much different turn of events. While exploring his dreamscape, Mickey discovers a Magic Mirror. A very small touch to the Mirror, a small “hidden Mickey” in the gems at the bottom, reinforces that we are still within Mickey’s imagination. An “easter egg”, yes, but also something meant to indicate that this story will take place entirely within Mickey’s mind, and that his greatest enemy will be himself. The mirror immediately begins playing to Mickey’s strengths, bolstering his confidence with claims of “great fame may be yours” and reminding him that he is but a “young sorcerer”. The Mirror claims to see another realm where more power, “far greater than yours” may awaken. The Mirror taunts our hero, defying him to “have the courage” necessary to see into this supposed realm of greater power.
Fantasmic! has now turned into a Faustian tale of Mickey’s hubris, pitting his own imagination against him. As Mickey weighs the consequences of his actions, goaded on by the Mirror (who has no intention of following up on the other end of the bargain), the audience is placed into a position of panic over Mickey’s character. We’ve seen him fail at this before, earlier in the show. First the brooms ran amok, then he let the hedonistic side of his imagination go unchecked and was subjected to the Pink Elephants. Now Mickey sits atop the tavern, unsure of what to do, while the audience sees ghostly hands appear beneath him. It makes Mickey’s ultimate decision that much more heartbreaking to the viewer as Mickey gives in to his desire for more power and instantly pays the price. He is grabbed and trapped inside of the mirror, now at the mercy of the darker side of his imagination.
F!17 has an ongoing storyline about respecting yourself and your capabilities, and that theme comes to a head here. Mickey starts the show unsure of himself, but slowly experiments and finds what he is capable of. His imagination can create wonderful and beautiful things, which are shown aplenty in the early goings. It’s when he doesn’t respect that power, however, that the wheels start to come off. Mickey jumps into this deal with the Devil with a “what could go wrong?” attitude, only to find that there is a lot that can go wrong.
All the Forces of Evil
In both shows, the Evil Queen calls upon other villains to do the dirty work and begin to control Mickey’s imagination. Ursula appears, which makes sense for F!92 given that she was the villain-du-jour in 1992, having just had her Disney Renaissance-launching movie release in 1989. Ursula’s appearance in F!17 practically mirrors her showing in F!92, save for a better-timed cymbal roll. One small change does show, though: the visuals of the ghostly hands now are shown toying with a green ghostly image of Mickey’s head. We’re visually reminded of the price Mickey is paying in this scene, as Ursula plays with him while pondering her ongoing takeover. One thing to especially note about the new visual is that Mickey, as in all the scenes of him since he made it with the fountains, is wearing the pointed Sorcerer’s hat.
Both versions then transition into a scene featuring Chernabog from Night on Bald Mountain. One key difference between them is, again, showing the viewers that Mickey is now trapped in his visions. Unlike F!92, where the villains simply appeared, F!17 further presses the idea that there is a story at play here, and a narrative that we are journeying along with Mickey. By watching Mickey endure these trials, our emotional investment in the story, and his character, increases ten-fold. And the Chernabog sequence begins with Mickey literally trapped, as a silhouette of him runs back and forth in Chernabog’s glowing eyes.
A visual detail of these sequences that is new to the F!17 version is showing the villain’s taking over what Mickey has already mastered. The Ursula sequence begins with the fountains one at a time slowly turning to Ursula’s tentacle shade of purple and growing larger. As each one grows, it disappears, only to reappear in a wild wavy pattern, not unlike an octopus’ tentacles. Mickey had already had control over the fountains but has lost that in this deal. Similarly, when Chernabog appears, he takes control over the pyrotechnics, commanding them from atop Bald Mountain. The pyrotechnics aren’t the only thing Chernabog exerts control over, either. The stage tower lights, quiet and dim during this segment thusfar, are awakened only once. Chernabog appears on the screen and throws his arms to the sides in a flourish. The lights on the towers, now a deep red, echo his movement. Each of the items that Mickey was able to control in the opening has now been overtaken by the villains. He’s lost control of his imagination.
Mistress of All Evil
Both shows follow a very similar pattern from here on out. In F!92 Mickey appears back on stage with Maleficent, who proclaims that now Mickey must face her. In F!17, in a desperate attempt to set things right, Mickey jumps through the Mirror, shattering it. He finds himself back on the stage, but it’s too late, and Maleficent makes the same proclamation. As she grows taller and more insurmountable, she begins her transformation into something even more ferocious: a giant fire-breathing dragon. In F!92, the transformation occurs on a mist screen, and the mist screen then gives way to the fully-formed dragon behind it. It’s a nice bit of theatrics making good use of the (then new) mist screens. In F!17, the dragon is shown emerging from her pit, making her entrance a bit more dramatic and building the tension. Both reveals have their charms and drawbacks, but both end in the same state: Mickey must now fight a fire-breathing dragon.
There is a key difference between these dragons, though. In F!92, the dragon is more literal, and is the embodiment of the forces of evil that have invaded his mind. Indeed, the line from the intro has come true; evil forces are here, and Mickey must face them. Wearing his Brave Little Tailor outfit, Mickey draws a sword and cuts into the beast, slaying the dragon and sending her back.
“This is MY dream!”
In F!17, the dragon takes on a bit of a different embodiment. Here, the dragon is more a representation of the powers of Mickey’s imagination, and how they can run astray. In this version of the show, Mickey isn’t fighting demons that invaded his mind. He’s fighting the demons within his own mind. This is a definite darker twist to the show than was previously seen but provides the audience with a greater sense of catharsis. Mickey is fighting his inner evil and is having to overcome things like his own hubris and impulsiveness. When he overcomes the dragon, he does so by regaining control of himself and his mind. And he does so visually by re-harnessing those powers that were taken from him. He swings the lights from the tower down to the water to activate the fountains, which sweep across the River dousing the flames before building back up in color and strength. As the music crescendos, the fountains erupt upward, the lights shine up and down the dragon brightening the night, and pyrotechnics erupt from Mickey’s hands. His defiant statement of, “this is MY dream!” takes on a much more powerful meaning in F!17, as we see Mickey recapture what is good and pure about his imagination and use it to push back the darkness. His victory is all the sweeter as we see his character arc come to a close.
Some Imagination
The finales for both shows are identical in structure, albeit with some differences in technology. F!92 sees a return of flames on the river, and a few more characters on the Mark Twain, while F!17 forgoes both for colorful fountains and projections. Both shows end with Mickey atop Laffite’s Tavern, victorious in his battle against evil, setting off fireworks along the River’s edge. F!17 has a bit of an emotional edge though as we close the narrative of the show. When Mickey appears atop the Tavern, it’s not the first time we’ve seen him up there. The last time we saw him was when things went awry and he made the decision that got him into all that trouble in the first place. Now, the audience can see him atop the Tavern again, this time victorious. This bit of closure is important for the story that F!17 set up, and provides a nice and tidy thematic end to the beginning and middle.
To sum up, or reiterate, or whatever I was trying to do. Experiential stories, where visuals reign and the viewer is left to their own devices, have their place in the medium. Heck, as a film student I attended a film school founded by one of the foremost experimental filmmakers of all time. And experiential stories have their place in a theme park. Two of the most experiential stories ever created for a theme park, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, sit and face this show every night. But just because a show has moved from experiential to more traditional storytelling doesn’t necessarily make it bad. It definitely makes it more accessible, and from a theme park operations’ perspective, accessibility is better; accessibility means more people interested in what you are doing, and therefore hopefully spending money. Both have their place, but more linear storytelling shouldn’t be derided just because it took the place of a more experiential story.
Onto Fantasmic!... I’m going to attempt to address the questions that come with the new show’s story. I studied film in college and have a lot of experience translating visuals to story, and this is an essay I’ve been meaning to write since last year. Now I finally have the time and energy to put it all into words, so… buckle up, I guess?
(For reference, I’ll be using “F!17” to refer to the newest version of the show, Fantasmic! 2017, and “F!92" to refer to the original show, Fantasmic! 1992).
Pillars of Light
We’re going to start before Mickey is even on the stage. F!92 rolls the intro speech, and the narrator conveys the excitement and dangers of exploring your imagination. She ends the intro with a rhetorical question, asking, “are the powers of Mickey’s incredible imagination strong enough and bright enough to withstand the evil forces that invade Mickey’s dream?” In this version of the show, evil invades Mickey’s happy dream, and it’s up to him to push them back. The intro ends with a darkened stage and swelling music, which culminates in endless pillars of light shooting from the stage and the stage light towers emerging from the island. The pillars eventually just disappear and are replaced with Mickey, who opens the show.
The new version of the show changes the start of the show in small but very important ways. First, the opening speech has dropped the line about evil invading Mickey’s dream. This is critical to the upcoming story, because the evil forces are no longer an invading group; rather, in the new version of the show, Mickey invites them in, and he must learn his mistake and fix it. The time between the end of the intro and the start of the show also now contains a crucial detail to the fabric of the show. One of the things that sets Fantasmic! at Disneyland apart from its’ Florida sibling is that it takes place not on a stage, but in the middle of a landmark of Disneyland. In Florida, you enter an auditorium and expect to see a show. In California, the show simply appears out of thin air; the attractions and places you saw earlier in the day take on a totally different hue at night. The show plays with this as the “sparks” that float around the stage and set the scene actually seem to originate from the lanterns that hang on Lafitte’s Tavern. This very subtle detail plays up the idea that Fantasmic! is not a show to be performed in front of you, but an experience about to happen around you.
The Hero Appears
F!92 drops the audience into an ‘in media res’ story, or one that’s already in motion. As the show opens, Mickey appears at the fanfare and immediately runs to the center of the stage, eager to show off. And show off he does, as he summons a giant water spout from the center of the river. He gestures to the sides and summons more water fountains, which (were supposed to) dance and change colors. As he moves to the upper level of the stage, sparks fly from his gloves. The mood of the sequence is one of play and demonstration. In this narrative, Mickey already has a firm grasp of his imagination’s powers and what he can accomplish with them. The audience is there to watch Mickey “create magical imagery for all to enjoy” as the intro goes.
F!17 takes a different approach. In the updated show, we are watching Mickey discover what his imagination is capable of, in real time, on stage. He appears at the same time as the pillars of light, trapped inside of them. He tests the lights and gently pushes them away, setting up the ongoing theme throughout the show of escaping and rising beyond limitations. The pushing away of the light pillars also suggests to Mickey that he has control over the lights in this realm, something he discovers through the rest of the sequence. He finds that he can control the lights from the on-stage light towers and uses them to summon the fountains all around the stage, while also discovering that he can create pyrotechnics as well. His control over these show elements will prove crucial to the overall narrative, but at the top of the show act more as a showcase than anything. Mickey’s choreography in F!17 is much more timid than it was in the original show, showcasing how unsure he is of what is happening around him. But he seems willing to play and explore what his imagination is capable of, lightly introducing a key story element that will return later.
A brief note about something that was added to the new version, which is the more direct nods to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. In the opening sequence, Mickey uses the fountains to create a likeness of the moon and star sorcerer hat from that Fantasia sequence. This is a recurring image in the new version of the show, with many call backs to Mickey’s hubris and overconfidence coming back to haunt him. True to form, Mickey summoning the brooms to play with the fountains he’s created quickly spirals out of control and results in a fair amount of chaos across the mist screen and island projections, as fountains spray outward in every direction. This suggests that Mickey’s imagination is not entirely as under control as he may think it is, and that he needs to tread carefully. But this is a subtle touch, which hints at the much more direct references to come.
A Flower in the Jungle
At this point both shows delve into tropical, jungle-esque imagery. F!92 keeps things very simple, with Kaa entering the stage and showing off his piercing LED eyes timed to an appropriate musical sting. The three show barges drift past, all containing brightly-colored monkeys who dance to the beat. This falls squarely into the “fantastic imagery” category of the show, and doesn’t really do much to advance the narrative aside from providing some kinetic energy in the form of the monkeys and barges.
F!17 does use this segment, now with The Lion King imagery added, to provide a small narrative link; namely, Mickey walking into the sunrise. He’s very eager to see what’s in store in this new twist his imagination has provided. He’s got more discovering to do within his imagination, and coming off of his exploratory first scene, this imagery continues the theme.
Phantasmagoria
Hold onto your butts, cause this is a long one.
Fantasmic! takes its name, in part, from the word “phantasmagoria”, which a quick plug into Google means, “a sequence of real or imaginary images like those seen in a dream”. Things start to get real dream-like when the Pink Elephants go on parade in both shows. But whereas F!92 only used the elephants for the surrealistic imagery, F!17 uses them as narrative and critical foreshadowing. Indeed, Pink Elephants on Parade serves as the narrative linchpin for the first half of the show.
Pink Elephants on Parade has always meant to be an unsettling, discordant moment. Whether they appear in Dumbo, F!92, or F!17, their presence is meant to be off-putting. When it comes to Fantasmic!, the idea is the showcase that imagination can create anything, including frightening imagery of something that, on its surface, probably isn’t that scary (namely, brightly colored elephants).
In F!92, Pink Elephants was led in by the drum beats of the Jungle Book sequence, and the surreal imagery highlights that this really is Mickey’s dreamscape and anything can appear. Technology-wise, the scene was mostly projected onto the mist screens with elephant puppets appearing in the background for depth. This is to be expected, as the big new technology in 1992 was the mist screen projection. The new mist screens, combined with elephants appearing and disappearing magically behind them, gave the scene a “wow” factor. But that was all the scene had going for it; once again, there’s no real narrative addition to the overall show from this scene. There were a few thematic additions that are important to note, however, and those will come up shortly.
F!17 really ups the “visions fantastic” in this scene, and to great effect. No more elephant puppets, and instead all of the action occurs on the mist screens or projected onto the backdrop. There are plenty of technical additions to the scene, however, in the form of spotlights on the water’s surface and lasers above the viewer’s head.
One of the key elements of Pink Elephants on Parade, in both versions of the show, is the music that accompanies it. The original segment threw a lot of Disney show conventions to the wind and included an electric guitar in the mix. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that Disneyland included an electric guitar in a Disney show soundtrack (Videopolis notwithstanding), and especially in a soundtrack for a show that families would enjoy together. An electric guitar blasting out over the Rivers of America is a rather off-putting notion, especially for the Disneyland purists. The new version updates the electric guitar to a soundtrack taken straight from EDM clubs. Once again, the sound is meant to jar and sound out of place, much like the original soundtrack did in 1992. In a scene designed to unsettle you, the music plays right into the theme.
But the real brilliance of the Pink Elephants in F!17 is that they serve the story. In F!92, the elephants more or less amount to unsettling eye-candy. In F!17, they serve as a warning to Mickey for the troubles that lie ahead, should he continue down his happy-go-lucky hedonistic path. This sounds a bit heavy for a Disney theme park show, I’m aware, but all of the pieces fit.
The falling action of the Hakuna Matata segment is signaled by trumpets blasting out the familiar "Ha-ku-na Ma-ta-ta" notes, and the image of Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba walking across the log appears on the Island. Who plays the trumpets that bring that image to life? A quartet of pink elephants, of course. With the early invocation of the Elephants, it's almost as if we're meant to believe that the Pink Elephants "create" the Hakuna Matata scene in Mickey's dream. We’re not shown why that is, though, until the scene plays out. Marching right behind the trio is Mickey, totally sold on the Hakuna Matata lifestyle. And marching right behind him? Pink Elephants, literally chasing him down. The Elephants are telling him a cautionary tale that he must heed. He fails the test, as he marches right along with the Elephants, and falls right into the trap.
As the sequence begins, the Elephants literally overtake the mist screen projection and begin to march onto the stage. At one point, they occupy all levels of Laffite’s Tavern, marching to and fro to the music. Once Mickey finally reappears in the scene, he’s scared. The Pink Elephants frighten him, the only imagery that frightens Mickey in the first half of the show. And for good reason. Mickey has been shown a glimpse into the true power of imagination; anything can be created, and that can lead to dangerous consequences. Their appearance amounts to a fable in the truest sense of the word, and Mickey must remember his lesson learned here should a similar offer be made in the future.
A Magical Addition
F!17 has an extra scene placed after Pink Elephants, where Genie from Aladdin swoops in and “saves” Mickey from the unsettling imagery that came before. Genie blows Mickey away with fun and exciting things, giving both him and the audience a break from the story for some more traditional visions fantastic. Unlike the Elephants, Mickey enjoys being taken along for this ride, and ends the scene dancing along with Genie. And to help serve the transition to Monstro, which leads to the middle of the show, Genie ends his bit by transporting Mickey underwater for his next adventure.
Intermission
In both shows, the middle of the show serves more as a showcase of the selected intellectual property rather than as an advancement to the story. Whether it’s Peter Pan and Captain Hook dueling on the high ropes or Captain Jack Sparrow looking for his compass, neither can be read as adding more to the show other than spectacle. The merits of which spectacle is better is outside the scope of this essay, but both scenes have their positives and negatives.
The Intermission also includes a “Princess Segment” in both shows. Again, there is no overarching thematic purpose being pushed here, but rather softer dream-like fantasies. Here the show takes a pause, allowing the audience to cleanse their palate for what lies ahead.
A Deal With the Devil
The differences in narrative between the two shows comes to a head here, at the start of the second act. In F!92, the Evil Queen beckons forth the Magic Mirror, summoning it on the mist screen in front of her. The Mirror says that, while her beauty is “famed”, there are three lovelier maids, and that in Mickey’s imagination, “beauty and love will always survive”. It’s a bit of a weird twist on the original film, but it keeps the Evil Queen’s jealousy of Snow White’s beauty intact. Instead of directing her anger at Snow, however, the Queen decides to take it out on Mickey. For reasons unclear, she performs a spell to turn herself into an ugly hag, and then uses the Mirror to summon “all the forces of evil” in a bid to “control his mind”. The scene seems to be taking place inside of Mickey’s mind, as the Mirror states, but the villains are already arriving in an attempt to usurp the power. The motives of the villains in F!92 are never really explained. The villains all seem to be behind the overall goal of controlling Mickey’s imagination and see this as an opportunity to sneak in and do just that. It presupposes that the audience will understand that the villains are bad and want to do bad things to our “friend and host”, hoping we will root against them.
F!17 takes a much different turn of events. While exploring his dreamscape, Mickey discovers a Magic Mirror. A very small touch to the Mirror, a small “hidden Mickey” in the gems at the bottom, reinforces that we are still within Mickey’s imagination. An “easter egg”, yes, but also something meant to indicate that this story will take place entirely within Mickey’s mind, and that his greatest enemy will be himself. The mirror immediately begins playing to Mickey’s strengths, bolstering his confidence with claims of “great fame may be yours” and reminding him that he is but a “young sorcerer”. The Mirror claims to see another realm where more power, “far greater than yours” may awaken. The Mirror taunts our hero, defying him to “have the courage” necessary to see into this supposed realm of greater power.
Fantasmic! has now turned into a Faustian tale of Mickey’s hubris, pitting his own imagination against him. As Mickey weighs the consequences of his actions, goaded on by the Mirror (who has no intention of following up on the other end of the bargain), the audience is placed into a position of panic over Mickey’s character. We’ve seen him fail at this before, earlier in the show. First the brooms ran amok, then he let the hedonistic side of his imagination go unchecked and was subjected to the Pink Elephants. Now Mickey sits atop the tavern, unsure of what to do, while the audience sees ghostly hands appear beneath him. It makes Mickey’s ultimate decision that much more heartbreaking to the viewer as Mickey gives in to his desire for more power and instantly pays the price. He is grabbed and trapped inside of the mirror, now at the mercy of the darker side of his imagination.
F!17 has an ongoing storyline about respecting yourself and your capabilities, and that theme comes to a head here. Mickey starts the show unsure of himself, but slowly experiments and finds what he is capable of. His imagination can create wonderful and beautiful things, which are shown aplenty in the early goings. It’s when he doesn’t respect that power, however, that the wheels start to come off. Mickey jumps into this deal with the Devil with a “what could go wrong?” attitude, only to find that there is a lot that can go wrong.
All the Forces of Evil
In both shows, the Evil Queen calls upon other villains to do the dirty work and begin to control Mickey’s imagination. Ursula appears, which makes sense for F!92 given that she was the villain-du-jour in 1992, having just had her Disney Renaissance-launching movie release in 1989. Ursula’s appearance in F!17 practically mirrors her showing in F!92, save for a better-timed cymbal roll. One small change does show, though: the visuals of the ghostly hands now are shown toying with a green ghostly image of Mickey’s head. We’re visually reminded of the price Mickey is paying in this scene, as Ursula plays with him while pondering her ongoing takeover. One thing to especially note about the new visual is that Mickey, as in all the scenes of him since he made it with the fountains, is wearing the pointed Sorcerer’s hat.
Both versions then transition into a scene featuring Chernabog from Night on Bald Mountain. One key difference between them is, again, showing the viewers that Mickey is now trapped in his visions. Unlike F!92, where the villains simply appeared, F!17 further presses the idea that there is a story at play here, and a narrative that we are journeying along with Mickey. By watching Mickey endure these trials, our emotional investment in the story, and his character, increases ten-fold. And the Chernabog sequence begins with Mickey literally trapped, as a silhouette of him runs back and forth in Chernabog’s glowing eyes.
A visual detail of these sequences that is new to the F!17 version is showing the villain’s taking over what Mickey has already mastered. The Ursula sequence begins with the fountains one at a time slowly turning to Ursula’s tentacle shade of purple and growing larger. As each one grows, it disappears, only to reappear in a wild wavy pattern, not unlike an octopus’ tentacles. Mickey had already had control over the fountains but has lost that in this deal. Similarly, when Chernabog appears, he takes control over the pyrotechnics, commanding them from atop Bald Mountain. The pyrotechnics aren’t the only thing Chernabog exerts control over, either. The stage tower lights, quiet and dim during this segment thusfar, are awakened only once. Chernabog appears on the screen and throws his arms to the sides in a flourish. The lights on the towers, now a deep red, echo his movement. Each of the items that Mickey was able to control in the opening has now been overtaken by the villains. He’s lost control of his imagination.
Mistress of All Evil
Both shows follow a very similar pattern from here on out. In F!92 Mickey appears back on stage with Maleficent, who proclaims that now Mickey must face her. In F!17, in a desperate attempt to set things right, Mickey jumps through the Mirror, shattering it. He finds himself back on the stage, but it’s too late, and Maleficent makes the same proclamation. As she grows taller and more insurmountable, she begins her transformation into something even more ferocious: a giant fire-breathing dragon. In F!92, the transformation occurs on a mist screen, and the mist screen then gives way to the fully-formed dragon behind it. It’s a nice bit of theatrics making good use of the (then new) mist screens. In F!17, the dragon is shown emerging from her pit, making her entrance a bit more dramatic and building the tension. Both reveals have their charms and drawbacks, but both end in the same state: Mickey must now fight a fire-breathing dragon.
There is a key difference between these dragons, though. In F!92, the dragon is more literal, and is the embodiment of the forces of evil that have invaded his mind. Indeed, the line from the intro has come true; evil forces are here, and Mickey must face them. Wearing his Brave Little Tailor outfit, Mickey draws a sword and cuts into the beast, slaying the dragon and sending her back.
“This is MY dream!”
In F!17, the dragon takes on a bit of a different embodiment. Here, the dragon is more a representation of the powers of Mickey’s imagination, and how they can run astray. In this version of the show, Mickey isn’t fighting demons that invaded his mind. He’s fighting the demons within his own mind. This is a definite darker twist to the show than was previously seen but provides the audience with a greater sense of catharsis. Mickey is fighting his inner evil and is having to overcome things like his own hubris and impulsiveness. When he overcomes the dragon, he does so by regaining control of himself and his mind. And he does so visually by re-harnessing those powers that were taken from him. He swings the lights from the tower down to the water to activate the fountains, which sweep across the River dousing the flames before building back up in color and strength. As the music crescendos, the fountains erupt upward, the lights shine up and down the dragon brightening the night, and pyrotechnics erupt from Mickey’s hands. His defiant statement of, “this is MY dream!” takes on a much more powerful meaning in F!17, as we see Mickey recapture what is good and pure about his imagination and use it to push back the darkness. His victory is all the sweeter as we see his character arc come to a close.
Some Imagination
The finales for both shows are identical in structure, albeit with some differences in technology. F!92 sees a return of flames on the river, and a few more characters on the Mark Twain, while F!17 forgoes both for colorful fountains and projections. Both shows end with Mickey atop Laffite’s Tavern, victorious in his battle against evil, setting off fireworks along the River’s edge. F!17 has a bit of an emotional edge though as we close the narrative of the show. When Mickey appears atop the Tavern, it’s not the first time we’ve seen him up there. The last time we saw him was when things went awry and he made the decision that got him into all that trouble in the first place. Now, the audience can see him atop the Tavern again, this time victorious. This bit of closure is important for the story that F!17 set up, and provides a nice and tidy thematic end to the beginning and middle.
To sum up, or reiterate, or whatever I was trying to do. Experiential stories, where visuals reign and the viewer is left to their own devices, have their place in the medium. Heck, as a film student I attended a film school founded by one of the foremost experimental filmmakers of all time. And experiential stories have their place in a theme park. Two of the most experiential stories ever created for a theme park, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, sit and face this show every night. But just because a show has moved from experiential to more traditional storytelling doesn’t necessarily make it bad. It definitely makes it more accessible, and from a theme park operations’ perspective, accessibility is better; accessibility means more people interested in what you are doing, and therefore hopefully spending money. Both have their place, but more linear storytelling shouldn’t be derided just because it took the place of a more experiential story.
shortstop
Well-Known Member
Good and well-written article, but respectfully I disagree with the conclusion. It just makes Mickey sound like an arrogant loser. Furthermore, theme parks and movies are not the same. Movies rely on linear story telling while theme parks thrive off experiential storytelling.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
Yeah, the write up just highlighted a lot of reasons why I think the new version is inferior.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
I can only imagine what you think of World of Color...
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
World of Color is awful.
KimAnnFran
Well-Known Member
Fantasmic is really impressive when you first see it. Our 8th graders go every year for end of year trip and it stuns them each time. If you have seen it, I could see it becoming tired, but it's very impressive to most first-timers.
Being one of my long time favorite shows, I saw a change this past spring when I visited. Fewer lights made a big difference in the production. I felt they were trying to save money and cutting back where they could. I now agree that it needs a major updating but would not get rid of it entirely. Still draws the crowds though.
charisse scully
New Member
I agree, saw it first in 1999 and it was awesome! Last time in 2013, not so much. They need to breath a little fire into the show!
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
What are your thoughts on the 2017 version of the show? Complete technical overhaul featuring almost entirely new show scenes and a re recorded score.
