SPOILERS BELOW!
To elaborate a bit on my earlier post, it was interesting to view it after hearing criticisms from others. Some have complained that the dancers don't change costumes - this isn't entirely true. There are subtle modifications to the outfits for each number (including the semi-awkward choice of having the men wear vests with no shirts during "I Wanna Be Like You"). Not enough characters is a valid complaint, but I think the addition of Stitch will solve that issue (the audience seemed let down that he never showed - it was truly a bizarre choice to leave him out).
I will say that at the public performance I attended, each character got entrance applause. I expected it for Mickey, but the roar that met Pocahontas' entrance surprised me. The crowd of average park guests (on a day when all APs but Premium were blocked) was right there with the show, and loudly showed their appreciation multiple times over the 22 minutes. I'm grateful it's not longer, because those benches are not comfortable. Would it have killed them to have installed pads on the seats or shade structures for the queue area? Dayum.
Others have criticized the plot, saying there is none. It has far more plot than Animazement (my favorite Disneyland show of all time), but I think people who are newer to Disney and used to Aladdin are taken aback by the use of a revue. Nobody does revues like Disney, and frankly, I think they're the best choice for theme park fare. A revue gives guests multiple characters and songs from multiple films and more theatrical leeway. The film to stage routine is not ideal for theme park shows, which need to be considerably shorter than a Broadway musical.
The plot device of Mickey and the unpainted spot provides a nice throughline on which the songs are hung. The resolution with Yensid was PERFECT, allowing Walt's vision to subtly creep in while providing a great moral. It didn't feel forced and awkward (like Steps In Time 2.0) and it gave the show some heart.
I heard more than one person say the ending was forced - I dunno, it made sense to me. Dig A Little Deeper is a feel-good finale and allows Tiana to take over lead vocals for the gospel-flavored finale reprise of the show theme, Journey Into Imagination.
The only song choice I didn't care for is Under the Sea. The song has been done to death, especially in theme park/cruise line shows. The Sebastian puppet didn't quite work for me - the real stars of the number are the two dancers given the bubble balloons - they held the audience in the palms of their hands. What a cool trick!
The choreography is fantastic and the show is filled with amazing dancers who work their skinny butts off. The face character singers do a good job of blending in when they're not on as their character, and each of them had fabulous voices that were perfectly in character.
And lastly, big kudos to the incredible trumpet player! The dimension of some live music adds a lot to the performance, and the guy we saw was AMAZING.
Recap - show's not perfect, but it's pretty great. So glad to have a real show back at Disneyland after such a long absence!
