New nighttime show 'Rivers of Light' confirmed to be coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

[TTA94]

There were multiple people including whylightbulb, marni1971 and WDW1974 stating that the budget had indeed been massively cut and the show was downgraded to a small scale Bellagio show. Those posts were from mid 2014 however, over a year and a half ago (and perhaps the source itself was even older). You seem to have heard something different. Were those rumors of cuts inaccurate (or possibly a threat that was not actually followed through with), or was the original budget (or something close to it) reinserted in the last year or two?

I will definitely say that the November video (with the animated art) presented by Joe Rohde certainly showcases art that APPEARS more elaborate than what insiders have been describing recently. The art actually LOOKS pretty darn fantastic. I'd even say that if the show has a reasonable length (most night shows seem to be around 12-13 minutes, with World of Color apparently being around 25) and if they can sustain the visuals seen in the artwork consistently throughout (it would be a shame if only a couple of brief scenes use these types of effects while the rest is mostly basic and empty), I think it has the potential to actually be a fantastic show.


Again it was stated that the show was originally intended to be something on the scale of World of Color before the cuts, which allegedly brought it down to something like a small scale Bellagio show. The video above however does not look like it reflects those cuts. Granted they appear to be different types of shows (RoL compared to WoC that is), but what i'm seeing certainly looks like it could be at least as impressive as World of Color if not more so. WoC almost exclusively uses lit fountains and mist projections whereas River of Light seems to rely more on performers and physical props/sets. What will determine how it stacks up to WoC is how long it is and how consistent the visuals are.

Then again I also know better than to doubt Martin, 74 and whylightbulb who are usually spot-on with their info. It also wouldn't be the first time that Disney released blatantly deceptive art for an attraction, whereas the real version doesn't come close to living up to the concepts (New Fantasyland). Or where they show an awesome looking piece of art that only accounts for a very brief part of the show and the remaining 95% is bland and empty. It's hard to know what to believe here.

I'm confused to. Hopefully it is true the budget didn't suffer cuts.

 

[No Name]

A question: why are the rear "bleachers" sections pitched at a smaller angle than the front "themed" sections? That would seem to be the opposite of what one would normally do. I guess this implies stuff is happening right at water level, but quite distant from the viewing area?

I see no logical reason why the lower seats would be at a greater incline than the higher seats. Seems completely illogical and I don't think I've ever seen that before.

Could it possibly be that the lower seats are being used for fastpass + or some king of upcharge? Maybe that's why they're so nicely themed and inclined. And then the back seats could be for "regulars."

Second guess is that, becuase of the odd design, the top rows aren't very noticeable if you're glacing across the water. So they took the cheap route and decided not to theme them.

Third possibility is that they haven't been themed yet, but I think the chance of that is pretty low. These are definitely being installed like regular, metal bleachers, not like the stone ones.

Anyway, should be interesting to watch. I am intrigued

 

[RandySavage]

^ Could be.

Also, the new video update in the Avatar Construction Progress thread seems to show that the light globes on the Asia side will possibly be housed in Tibetan structures and then rise up for the show (currently in extended position for install?).

 

[Coaster Lover]

why are the rear "bleachers" sections pitched at a smaller angle than the front "themed" sections?

Could it possibly be that the lower seats are being used for fastpass + or some king of upcharge? Maybe that's why they're so nicely themed and inclined. And then the back seats could be for "regulars."

This is probably the most likely answer to the original question. Not only are the seats in the first few rows nicer and closer, but they are also at a steeper angle which means far fewer obstructions in front of you while you are watching. Additionally, the change in seat style makes it really easy to say "this area is reserved seating, this area is general admittance". I'd suspect the first few rows will be a combination of dinner package seats (especially since they'll now have Tiffens to offer such packages), FastPass+, and possibly some sort of desert party or similar up-charge package.

 

[TTA94]

Would Disney really premiere a new show on the horribly crazy weekend of Easter? IMO they should either open the weekend before Easter, which probably will be bad enough, or just wait until the end of April when Spring Break is over.

 

[Rudyard Kipling]

I know this is nothing to go by, since March is spring break season, but I noticed that Main Gates are blocked out at DAK the weekend and Monday before Easter (March 19-March 21). Just throwing that out there to help fuel the speculation fire

What do you mean by "blocked out"? Just curious.

 

[DisneyRoy]

What do you mean by "blocked out"? Just curious.

Pretty sure he's talking about blocked out for cast members. When Disney does something special they restrict admittance to employees to limit the number of people showing up. Correct me if I'm wrong though. It definitely does happen.

 

[robrab14]

i have good info that there will be some private showings for cast members in march, followed by a few soft opening performances in early april with a grand opening on earth day

 

[Alexanderleh]

I noticed quite a few people are scared about the idea of the budget cuts still being present for the show. I was talking to a few sources and they mentioned that yes, budget cuts still are present in this show, however not in the way originally said to be rumored. The funny thing is that the budget cuts that hurt the most was the new frozen ride. They mentioned that they've seen inside the main frozen entrance and it looks pretty cool but nothing jaw dropping. Sorry for going off topic but anywho, ROL is still planning on being an awesome show. I've seen a lot of the hidden and public viewed light fixtures, it's gonna be very light intensive which I personally love. Cannot wait!

 

[redjebvt]

Since this is Animal Kingdom, wouldn't it be more appropriate to have lasers on sharks?

 

[Matt_Black]

You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, would you remind me what I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here! What do we have?

 

[Grumpy0404]

i have good info that there will be some private showings for cast members in march, followed by a few soft opening performances in early april with a grand opening on earth day

Noooo!!! I will be there March 19-24. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you are off by a week or two.

 

[ToTBellHop]

There were multiple people including whylightbulb, marni1971 and WDW1974 stating that the budget had indeed been massively cut and the show was downgraded to a small scale Bellagio show. Those posts were from mid 2014 however, over a year and a half ago (and perhaps the source itself was even older). You seem to have heard something different. Were those rumors of cuts inaccurate (or possibly a threat that was not actually followed through with), or was the original budget (or something close to it) reinserted in the last year or two?

I will definitely say that the November video (with the animated art) presented by Joe Rohde certainly showcases art that APPEARS more elaborate than what insiders have been describing recently. The art actually LOOKS pretty darn fantastic. I'd even say that if the show has a reasonable length (most night shows seem to be around 12-13 minutes, with World of Color apparently being around 25) and if they can sustain the visuals seen in the artwork consistently throughout (it would be a shame if only a couple of brief scenes use these types of effects while the rest is mostly basic and empty), I think it has the potential to actually be a fantastic show.


Again it was stated that the show was originally intended to be something on the scale of World of Color before the cuts, which allegedly brought it down to something like a small scale Bellagio show. The video above however does not look like it reflects those cuts. Granted they appear to be different types of shows (RoL compared to WoC that is), but what i'm seeing certainly looks like it could be at least as impressive as World of Color if not more so. WoC almost exclusively uses lit fountains and mist projections whereas River of Light seems to rely more on performers and physical props/sets. What will determine how it stacks up to WoC is how long it is and how consistent the visuals are.

Then again I also know better than to doubt Martin, 74 and whylightbulb who are usually spot-on with their info. It also wouldn't be the first time that Disney released blatantly deceptive art for an attraction, whereas the real version doesn't come close to living up to the concepts (New Fantasyland). Or where they show an awesome looking piece of art that only accounts for a very brief part of the show and the remaining 95% is bland and empty. It's hard to know what to believe here.

Cuts were proposed and a good deal of funding added back when Disney decided they needed to have an outstanding entertainment package for the park in 2016 (at least partially due to loss of capacity elsewhere). There were still budget cuts but there always are for any project. Expect a full-scale nighttime spectacular (with a spectacular soundtrack). This should be a sleeper hit I think.

 

[KrazyKat]

 

[Pumbaa1222]

I see no logical reason why the lower seats would be at a greater incline than the higher seats. Seems completely illogical and I don't think I've ever seen that before.

Could it possibly be that the lower seats are being used for fastpass + or some king of upcharge? Maybe that's why they're so nicely themed and inclined. And then the back seats could be for "regulars."

Second guess is that, becuase of the odd design, the top rows aren't very noticeable if you're glacing across the water. So they took the cheap route and decided not to theme them.

Third possibility is that they haven't been themed yet, but I think the chance of that is pretty low. These are definitely being installed like regular, metal bleachers, not like the stone ones.

Anyway, should be interesting to watch. I am intrigued

Could it be that the bleachers get covered with some kind of themed "tarp" during the day? I remember early in the project the suggestion/thought that the viewing area could be themed to rice patties, which didn't seem to happen, but with these less inclined area, it seems easy to cover during the day, and pull back to reveal bleachers for the show.

 

[TTA94]

View attachment 130344

The barges shaped like animals looks cool. It looks like they will be projected onto? The fountains to me seem a bit disappointing... It looks like updated Illuminations fountains that only shoot straight up at different levels, not wipes or anything like WoCs fountains. It also appears that's all the fountains that will be in this show, possibly one of the budget cuts :-/
We shall see and there could still be a lot more that we don't know. Overall I think RoL will definitely be a very nice addition to DAK.

 

[mm52200]

The barges shaped like animals looks cool. It looks like they will be projected onto? The fountains to me seem a bit disappointing... It looks like updated Illuminations fountains that only shoot straight up at different levels, not wipes or anything like WoCs fountains. It also appears that's all the fountains that will be in this show, possibly one of the budget cuts :-/
We shall see and there could still be a lot more that we don't know. Overall I think RoL will definitely be a very nice addition to DAK.

You realize you're making assumptions about how disappointing the fountains and show will be from a piece of concept art. A piece of art. It's hardly an accurate representation about what kind of fountains, elements, and other things will be part of the show. There will be live performers in the show but they're absent from the art. Just wait to see the show before you make assumptions

 

[TTA94]

You realize you're making assumptions about how disappointing the fountains and show will be from a piece of concept art. A piece of art. It's hardly an accurate representation about what kind of fountains, elements, and other things will be part of the show. There will be live performers in the show but they're absent from the art. Just wait to see the show before you make assumptions

I do not think the show will be disappointing. As I said I do think it will be a very nice additon to DAK. You are correct I shouldn't judge based on the few concept art we have seen. I'm sure RoL is going to be unique and some may say better than WoC. We shall see!

 

[doctornick]

Not sure if this has been reported (so please excuse me if it has), but I was just reading my latest Disney Files Magazine and in it they discuss Rivers of Light with the VP of Animal Kingdom. The magazine goes on to confirm that there will be multiple showings of Rivers of Light each night, and it will also include 'exclusive footage captured by Disneynature filmmakers' (this was probably already assumed because of previous references to Disneynature filmmakers contributing to the show).

The article goes on to reference the Tree of Life and how it will 'come to life' with spontaneous stories as 'natural occurrences' throughout the night...so it sounds like the ToL will be part of the show as well as have it's own mini-shows multiple times a night.

Again, all news to me, but not sure if it was news to the masses.

To expand on this (because not everyone would have access to Disney Files), this are the full excerpts from the article...

* "Scheduled to perform multiple times nightly, 'Rivers of Light' will combine live performances, grand theatrical imagery (including exclusive footage captured by Disneynature filmmakers), a soaring musical score and innovative special effects in a stirring showcase of the beauty, fragility and wild unpredictability of animals and nature."
* "The iconic Tree of Life, meanwhile, will come to 'life' like never before, with spontaneous stories unfolding as 'natural occurrences' throughout the night. These unscheduled moments will harness the metamorphic magic of animal animation to tell visual tales of giving love, adventure, humor and culture on the surface of the towering tree."
* "Other new experiences scheduled to debut this spring include evening hours for Kilmanjaro Safaris, allowing adventurers to travel beneath the setting sun through the African savanna (where African wild dogs and hyenas are among the newest animal additions); festive nighttime street parties throughout Discovery Island and Harambe Village; and Tiffins, a new signature dining destination inspired by the research expeditions of Walt Disney Imagineers."

DAK Vice President Djuan Rivers is interviewed for the piece.

 

[TTA94]

Anyone know if the lotus flowers will be stationary/set up prior to the show like the Illuminations barges?