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

[mikeh]

Now that the fireflies are 'a thing' for RoL, too, I can only think of Raymond from The Princess and the Frog.

Speaking of fireflies, I was driving around tonight and saw something that reminded me of the fireflies in RoL

They use very high powered lasers that resemble the effect that seems to be sweeping the nation (at least Orlando) in lieu of actual hard work to hang Christmas lights.

Note that the lasers are much higher powered and MUCH less dense than the above picture.

 

[MisterPenguin]

And the deer is reminiscent of Bambi, but is not Bambi..

Which deer? In the IP vignette, Bambi and Thumper are definitely there. In the Fawn and the Spirit Bird (Eagle), the fawn is just a fawn, a live version of the fawn carved into the ToL.

 

[21stamps]

And the deer is reminiscent of Bambi, but is not Bambi.

Now that the fireflies are 'a thing' for RoL, too, I can only think of Raymond from The Princess and the Frog.

This is what I was talking about yesterday.. unless my family needs our eyes checked- I swear that Bambi and other characters are part of the Awakenings.

 

[Mike S]

My kids have been from Danali to Key West, Yosemite/Yellowstone/Grand Canyon/Zion/Bryce/ Arches/ Great Smoky Mtn/Rocky Mtn/John Pennakamp/New River National Parks. Broadway to Hollywood, the Smithsonian more times than I can remember.

That doesn't mean that as a country we haven't gone from The Learning Channel being started by NASA to the Honey Boo Boo/Duck Dynasty Channel and Discovery Channel has gone from Cosmos to the Bigfoot Channel.

We should not encourage this trend and we should fight it every inch of the way.

Maybe James Cameron needs to dive deep and raise the bar IRL.

You fundamentally do not understand Disney's Animal Kingdom. You're missing the themes. We first need to establish something basic.

Theme is the underlying value system a story is built on. A theme may be something like "with hard work and perseverance, you can succeed." Or "with patience you'll find what you desire." An excellent and clear example of theme in a theme park attraction is in Splash Mountain. The theme of valuing home and family is clearly on display there. If you think about your favorite stories, you'll find themes in every one. Some are meaningful and impactful, others are frivolous. Depends what the storyteller is trying to do.

This compares with setting or place. The setting of Africa is used in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Africa is not the theme. Try to tell me what underlying values come from an East African town and you'll be left scratching your head. Those buildings are there not only to draw admiration and immerse guests, but to further the Disney's Animal Kingdom story along.

Animal Kingdom's themes are not Harambe, the Himalayas, or the Dino Institute. Those are settings and places. The primary themes set out before the park was built are threefold:

1) The inherent value of nature. When you compare monetary gain or other reasons to destroy nature next to the inherent value of nature, nature should win out.
2) That there is value and growth in adventure. The wildness of nature and human nature combining together will breed adventure. There is a fundamental belief that the adventures you go on can help a guest learn and grow.
3) A respect and awe for nature. That nature is powerful and unpredictable.

Those are the themes of Animal Kingdom. Try to tell me you can get those themes from Siri and Wikipedia. That's why animated films in Rivers of Light make absolutely no sense.

For example, what would happen if Zootopia was put in Rivers of Light? Does it reinforce those themes?

The answer is a clear negative.

Disney has trained millions of guests to not place any meaning in theme. Setting and synergy over any fundamental value.

Such a shame.

Wow. Avatar fits all three!!!

 

[marni1971]

Please guys stay on topic.

(Disclaimer: I actually don't have any authority or anything, but I've always wanted to 'say' that. And to @wdwmagic and @The Mom...you're welcome. )

I'm sure when theirs something to actually talk about regarding the show the thread will be back in full blow by blow swing.

 

[Kman101]

Just because it's a deer it doesn't mean that's Bambi ... it could be but the point is that the carvings are "coming alive" on the tree. That's all it is.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

That WED Enterprises / Walt Disney Imagineering once developed far more original content before Iger's franchise mandate is a simple historical fact that can be easily examined by looking at their portfolio of work.

This in no way addressed the post to which you responded: "Disney has no interest in maintaining a balance between IP and non-IP. That is a construct of some apparent super fans, not the majority of average guests."

But you do seem to enjoy reading yourself speechifying.

Since you fail to see what's wrong I shall list them for you:

'm not going to respond anymore to you because you don't seem to understand the park's history and

I have to say, David, the arrogance on display here is pretty off-putting. I know you from another thread, so I don't think you mean to sound that way, which is why I wanted to point out those two comments to you just to bring to your attention how they sound by themselves.

I know you are young, and I hated when people said that to me. But a great piece of advice to use throughout your life is to always remember to "know what you don't know." That is, be aware that you might not know everything and that being as young as you are necessarily precludes a certain amount of perspective others have. I say this meant in a helpful way.

You aren't understanding what I'm saying- to ME Disney World is a place of fantasy, more than their characters, but also including the characters.

I don't need to watch YouTube videos of attractions or shows and critique them. If other people choose to that's fine..it's never going to be my cup of tea. I experience them and appreciate them for what they are. I like some more than others, and of course my child plays a huge factor into what we do and don't do now.

Lastly, you don't need to respond but I'll leave you with this.. you said you were a teenager. I'm not sure how old but it doesn't matter. The simple fact is- I have been going to Disney World longer than you have been on this earth.
Wow, that makes me sound really old.lol

So anyway, please, when talking of how I don't know the history..or you speaking of your experience with the past by what you read or watched or were told vs what I have experienced for myself, keep in mind that not everything can be fully understood by reading, being told, and watching on YouTube. It was magical then, it's still magical now. That isn't meant with any kind of hostility, it's just a simple fact- People love the parks for different reasons. To you ToT is a classic, to me it was not even around when I first started visiting. The parks are different now, the thing is- a lot of us still love it..plenty of us choose not to live in the past...most of us could really care less if a Frozen ride is in Norway. It's Disney, creative license is allowed in my book.

Bravo. So much bravo!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Instead of realizing what I am stating you instead chose to redirect into some other conversation and ignore what I and many others have presented

wait - @21stamps has got this:

I'm not ignoring your points. I'm viewing them as what they are - opinions. Mine are opinions as well. We obviously have differing opinions on this subject.

Exactly. That is precisely the point I was about to make. Thank you.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

It should be taken as a barometer of those who know, understand and care as opposed to a family looking for Potter and the Golf Ball running from ride to ride.

But now, back to Rivers of Late. This threads gone west far too much.

No. It absolutely should not. Those families pay the bills and do not deserve be treated with condescension.

I would posit they are using the parks the way Walt intended. I don't think he planned it for people who make it their life.

I read posts from David and think how sad it must be, what a missed opportunity, that he can't just sit back and enjoy the ride, warts and all, like I just did.

People keep saying the thread is going off track. It's been so far a mostly respectful and robust discussion; and using examples from other parks to make the point about rivers of light is not really going off topic IMO.

My bottom line is this: unless you are or were an imagineer, opinions here are all equally valid.

 

[Po'Rich]

I had to respond to this... If you read the rest of my comment it speaks to other places for educational fun in America. Disney is not America to me, it's Disney World, that's it. America is only "dumbed down" if you choose not to take advantage of all of the wonderful places available to us...and there are plenty of them, all you have to do is look

Now I have to reply. The dumbing down of America comes from the perception that learning should be compartmentalized. We should only receive an education when we seek it out...and then it better be entertaining to have any value. But, by God, don't ruin our pure entertainment with anything educational. It's a sad state when we feel that learning something lessens the value rather than enhances it.

 

[marni1971]

My bottom line is this: unless you are or were an imagineer, opinions here are all equally valid.

How do I put this.... some people are more... aware than others.

Without trying to sound snobby.

 

[Po'Rich]

My bottom line is this: unless you are or were an imagineer, opinions here are all equally valid.

This is another misperception that is promoted in America these days. Opinions about personal taste ARE all equally valid. One person may enjoy IP-related shows while another may not. As long was we're talking about personal taste, you are correct.

Opinions themselves, as a general statement, are not all equally valid. Some are more informed than others. Some are backed by verifiable evidence while others are not. Some people on these boards have more inside knowledge or historical knowledge than others. Their opinions carry more weight.

 

[Kman101]

I can see the points on both ends but it seems Tony is arguing back on the same thing that he's doing. He's discounting opinions and informed posts because it doesn't align with his way of thinking (and I'm kind of generalizing, sorry). I agree it can get a bit condescending around here, but isn't Tony basically arguing against exactly what he's doing? And maybe the advice given to David should be taken by Tony. I'm fairly young and you have no idea the life experience of someone or how educated or uneducated they may be. Instead of being so dismissive of quite a few posters (and this goes both ways!), listen to what they have to say. And that advice goes both ways (I want to re-affirm this). Just trying to see it from both sides .... and can't we all just get along? Doesn't mean we have to agree ...

 

[21stamps]

Just because it's a deer it doesn't mean that's Bambi ... it could be but the point is that the carvings are "coming alive" on the tree. That's all it is.

I actually googled it bc I started to think maybe I we were just seeing things that weren't there.
This popped up in my search..I also was "live" on fb while it was going on, but I can't go back and view my video because at the end it would post. FB gave me a message that I "didn't have the rights" or something of that nature..that was strange, and it was the only time I received that message while in Disney World.

Called Tree of Life Awakenings, there are four distinct brief shows, featuring

• A playing deer and a watching hawk
• A hummingbird and flowers
• A red fox in winter
• Images from Bambi, Dinosaur, Tarzan, Finding Nemo, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and other Animal-Kingdom related movies

[/QUOTE]

 

[Kman101]

I actually googled it bc I started to think maybe I we were just seeing things that weren't there.
This popped up in my search..

Called Tree of Life Awakenings, there are four distinct brief shows, featuring

• A playing deer and a watching hawk
• A hummingbird and flowers
• A red fox in winter
• Images from Bambi, Dinosaur, Tarzan, Finding Nemo, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and other Animal-Kingdom related movies

[/QUOTE]

Thank you! Good to know. I haven't gotten to see them in person and won't spoil myself by watching videos so I was just assuming what it was

 

[marni1971]

I actually googled it bc I started to think maybe I we were just seeing things that weren't there.
This popped up in my search..I also was "live" on fb while it was going on, but I can't go back and view my video because at the end it would post. FB gave me a message that I "didn't have the rights" or something of that nature..that was strange, and it was the only time I received that message while in Disney World.

Called Tree of Life Awakenings, there are four distinct brief shows, featuring

• A playing deer and a watching hawk
• A hummingbird and flowers
• A red fox in winter
• Images from Bambi, Dinosaur, Tarzan, Finding Nemo, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and other Animal-Kingdom related movies

Can you provide the link you found please?

 

[21stamps]

Can you provide the link you found please?

I think the link was actually to an article on this site. I'll find it again and post it. I copied that last night.

 

[21stamps]

Thank you! Good to know. I haven't gotten to see them in person and won't spoil myself by watching videos so I was just assuming what it was[/QUOTE]
I didn't watch the videos before our trip either. It's beautiful! Don't spoil it, it's breathtaking.

 

[marni1971]

I think the link was actually to an article on this site. I'll find it again and post it. I copied that last night.

Thanks. I'm interested to see if it was a fan interpretation or official description. So far nothing on the official site I've found says anything more than generic animals coming alive from the trunk carvings. Or words to that effect.

 

[SorcererMC]

Which deer? In the IP vignette, Bambi and Thumper are definitely there. In the Fawn and the Spirit Bird (Eagle), the fawn is just a fawn, a live version of the fawn carved into the ToL.

This is what I was talking about yesterday.. unless my family needs our eyes checked- I swear that Bambi and other characters are part of the Awakenings.

Just because it's a deer it doesn't mean that's Bambi ... it could be but the point is that the carvings are "coming alive" on the tree. That's all it is.

I was thinking about the fawn vignette, I thought they were employing a sort of 'conceit', and I wasn't thinking about them as vignettes, so thanks @MisterPenguin.
@Kman101 @21stamps yes there is a Bambi vignette and in the video the fawn vignette was later. In the last vignette there was music from Tarzan and the Jungle Book, but the animals were in shadow, 'characters that are animals but not characters', if that makes sense.
I'm assuming that it's clearer in person, and maybe they show the vignettes at random?