More news about Fantasmic!

[EPCOT Explorer]

I was at the 5:00 PM American Idol show today. Light crowds in the park meant a half full theater. This is a situation where I'm asking for entertainment cuts. They need to cut out at least one show on days like today. There's not enough demand for 7 shows + a finale.

Can they just cut the whole show?

 

[_Scar]

To be honest with you it is not as bad as you would think...exiting MK after Spectro and Wishes is a nightmare compared to exiting Fantasmic at DL.

It may be, but there is a big difference.

Guests usually leave from the sidewalks down to Main Street to exit. If you aren't exiting it usually doesn't affect you. But in DL it's right between 2 very popular lands and people in that area are going to be affected by the crowds. This doesn't even take into consideration DL's fireworks shows.

 

[_Scar]

Don't take this the wrong way...but your telling me like I haven't experienced both. In my experience it was not as bad as exiting MK after Spectro & Wishes.

Ok, but there is also the fact that Spectro and Wishes usually affect just exiting. While F! affects the whole left side of DL and exiting.

 

[krankenstein]

Can they just cut the whole show?

The show is actually quite good. Don't dog it until you've seen it.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

The show is actually quite good. Don't dog it until you've seen it.

Speaking as someone who hates American Idol, and Karaoke, I really don't expect my opinion to change. :lookaroun

 

[DisneyParksFan1]

@BigThunderMatt, you pretty much summed it up.

All we need is some technical upgrades, the removal of the Pocahontas scene with something better, and that's it.

 

[imagineer boy]

WDW's is better setting-wise, but DL's show-wise is better.

But WDW's can be improved if they simply removed the pointless Pocahantas scene. I mean, what's up with that scene? Its simply a random collage of stuff from the movie. And after it, no one ever speaks of it again.

...

THE BIG LIPPED ALIGATOR MOMENT!!!!!

The bubbles scene also needs to go, its so long and pointless.

 

[DisneyParksFan1]

WDW's is better setting-wise, but DL's show-wise is better.

But WDW's can be improved if they simply removed the pointless Pocahantas scene. I mean, what's up with that scene? Its simply a random collage of stuff from the movie. And after it, no one ever speaks of it again.

...

THE BIG LIPPED ALIGATOR MOMENT!!!!!

The bubbles scene also needs to go, its so long and pointless.

Those things and also some technical work. Also, let's get our Murphy as well.

 

[_Scar]

I'm curious as to how your personal experience with exiting Fantasmic at Disneyland was?

Just because I've never been to DL doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. It's common sense.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Having seen both multiple times (not to mention doing crowd control for Fantasmic numerous times at DHS) I can honestly say the changes and differences are not as substantial as you make them out to be. Grant it, I only worked there in summer of '08 but I saw it enough times to note that, while some areas differed largely in content, the show itself was not that dissimilar.

Let's take a look at some of the core differences:

Run Time: DLR is 21 minutes, DHS is 27 minutes

Seating: DLR forces you to camp out hours before the show. God help you if you're in those areas and DON'T want to see Fantasmic. You'll likely end up watching it in its entirety anyway in a trek as simple as going from Pirates to Haunted Mansion thanks to the obscenely huge crowds.

DHS has an amphitheater that seats approximately 2 - 1.5 hours before showtime. But guess what? I've gone back when they had a nightly schedule and I was almost every time capable of getting front row center seating 45 minutes before showtime despite the fact that the center section looked completely full from the top.

Setting: At DLR it's Tom Sawyer Island. At DHS it's a faux mountain. Um sorry, but the show seems SO out of place on Tom Sawyer Island. It's almost as if they didn't have a good place to put it so they just wedged it in there. The show is much better suited to a custom-designed stage like the one at DHS.

Content Differences: DLR uses a Jungle Book themed sequence with a giant Kaa (snake) followed by a strange Pink Elephants on Parade sequence followed by a Pinocchio sequence which is really just a cardboard cutout moving back and forth. At DHS this segment is replaced by a Lion King segment which segues into a bubble sequence showcasing different Disney films while blending the music together. To be honest neither of these sequences really stuck out to me as very entertaining and screamed filler.

They then do a Peter Pan sequence utilizing the Sailing Ship Columbia. While cool because the ship DOES look like a pirate ship here's the main problem: the ship is constantly in motion during the entire sequence. If you're seated closer to Frontierland, you spend a good five minutes of the sequence staring at the stern of the ship and listening to the soundtrack because its too far away to see what's going on. It's passed you long before anything good has happened. At DHS the Pocahontas segment, although not the best choice, takes place on the main stage, thereby giving all guests a good viewing angle of the entire sequence which I might also add segues MUCH better into the princess sequence than just randomly ending and moving on as DLR's does.

Villains: DLR doesn't overdo it here at least. Keeping it simple with just Snow Queen, Ursula (with the recently added Flotsam and Jetsam floats), Chernabog and Maleficent isn't overly distracting. On the flipside, the Jafar sequence at DHS is cool and the giant snake works better in that scene. DLR wins hands down with the new dragon. I remember seeing Fantasmic for the first time and being so disappointed by that excuse for a dragon. The new one at DLR is much truer to the original advertisements and DHS needs it desperately.

Finale: The Mark Twain at DLR is much better as it's larger and able to hold more characters. The Steamboat Willie replica is too boxy and fake looking. However, on the overall finale, I believe DHS wins and here's why: Mickey emerging from the very top of the mountain gets me EVERY time. Random Mickey on top of some pre-existing cabin? Not so much. Oh wow Mickey, look at you stand on that roof. SO dramatic! Not to mention another key point. Between '07 and '08 DLR dramatically cut the amount of pyro in the finale. DLR has to always be careful about that stuff because of the close proximity of a freeway and houses to the park. So their finale is more 'laser-centric'. DHS on the other hand doesn't have to give a flip about pyro and goes all out, making the finale much more exciting.

So, pretty much they both have their pros and cons but I think despite the recent enhancements that DHS has a version that's still better due to fixes they made to the flow of the show (Pocahontas) as well as aesthetic and comfort (stage, finale, amphitheater) that DLR lacks.

Perfect summary and analysis. :sohappy: I agree in full; techically, DLR is better. Thematically and aesthetically, DHS is superior.

 

[_Scar]

Just putting my opinion out there: I think Pocahontas would work if people recognized it was Pocahontas at first (seeing the face character out before Radcliffe [I mean, seriously? He isn't that recognizable of a villain]) and John Smith. And maybe do Colors of the Wind which is a very imaginative song that could use the water jets to its advantage and lasers.

 

[DisneyParksFan1]

I still would hate the Pocahontas scene. Now, if they used it a bit more to have WoC's technology I wouldn't have as much problems with it, but Pocahontas isn't really that popular. It was just a way for Eisner to market her. Remove her please...

I just think Fantasmic should get a technical refurb and complete update. As advanced as WoC.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

I still would hate the Pocahontas scene. Now, if they used it a bit more to have WoC's technology I wouldn't have as much problems with it, but Pocahontas isn't really that popular. It was just a way for Eisner to market her. Remove her please...

I just think Fantasmic should get a technical refurb and complete update. As advanced as WoC.

Pocahontas had been on home video for some time before Fantasmic opened at DHS. The main reasoning behind including her in the show there was that they wanted to include references to more current Disney films. Not to mention the fact that it would not be cost effective to build a pirate ship replica strictly for one segment of the show. They were able to justify one, but I think two would have been pushing it.

 

[_Scar]

I still would hate the Pocahontas scene. Now, if they used it a bit more to have WoC's technology I wouldn't have as much problems with it, but Pocahontas isn't really that popular. It was just a way for Eisner to market her. Remove her please...

I just think Fantasmic should get a technical refurb and complete update. As advanced as WoC.

Perhaps they could use an underwater sequence with Mickey fighting Ursula.

So that'd mean Mickey would fight Ursula, Jafar, and Maleficent in that order.

Pretty solid lineup Or even a Hercules sequence

 

[Zummi Gummi]

But if you haven't experienced it for yourself in person how can you compare it to anything?

You can't. I enjoy the DHS Fantasmic, but then this past September, when I saw the DL version, with a working dragon, I was blown away. As enjoyable as the DHS version is, DL's is ten times better, dragon or not. The fact that the dragon is there now makes it even better.

I think the DHS version spends far too much time showing scenes from movies on water screens. The show just drags on and on through that section. It's cool for a couple of minutes, but that's it.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Fantasmic could be vastly improved if they got rid of Pocahontas already and trimmed down the villains and replaced that pre-Jafar villain cameos bit with Dr Facilier singing the last part of Friends on the Other Side. ARE YA REEAAADDDYYY would be a perfect way to kick off Mickey's nightmare.

 

[_Scar]

But if you haven't experienced it for yourself in person how can you compare it to anything?

Once again, it's common sense.



Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out DL has more traffic problems than MK especially with the multiple F!s at night and the fireworks.

 

[imagineer boy]

Fantasmic could be vastly improved if they got rid of Pocahontas already and trimmed down the villains and replaced that pre-Jafar villain cameos bit with Dr Facilier singing the last part of Friends on the Other Side. ARE YA REEAAADDDYYY would be a perfect way to kick off Mickey's nightmare.

That would be cool. Depends on how popular PatF ends up being though.

But they do need to trim down the villains who show up. Especially Cruella, Frollo, and Scar. They don't do anything. They basically just show up and say "yeah, let's take over Mickey's imagination" and don't show up again until the end.

 

[JEANYLASER]

i can't wait to see fantasmic! with new villains!

 

[roaddogg6420]

Fantasmic

It needs to be nightly. I was their this summer at DHS on a non Fantasmic night and it was dead. Great for us to do TSMM, bad for DHS bottom line.