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

[RSoxNo1]

Good points. I think that what I enjoy about Rivers of Light is how it doesn't stick to the same model. I don't mind if a show doesn't blast me with every effect under the sun. It fits with the tone of the whole park for me.

The opposite (ever effect under the sun) can also be over kill. I've heard that as a complaint for Happily Ever After. Similarly, while not a fireworks show Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout doesn't really build to anything, it's just non-stop action. These things all have their place, but something that's well crafted with those appropriate peaks and valleys like Illuminations seem to be the shows that stand the test of time.

I don't know what the solution is for Rivers of Light. I think it has a very solid soundtrack, but the lagoon didn't come to life/unfold as much as I had hoped. I'm sure the addition of 100 lanterns would have helped, but I don't know that it would have been enough. The easy way out is to utilize footage from live action Jungle Book and Lion King to add in familiar songs and stories. I just hope they recognize that the fundamental setup is lacking as evident by the rushed Jungle Book Alive with Magic show and the delayed Rivers of Light.

 

[Disney Analyst]

This this this.

Old school always had somewhere to go. Keep raising the bar through the show. A parade of theatrical weenies to build up to the biggest one.

The wannabes of today need some more time in school.

Honestly, my issue with Fantasmic 2.0 is that they give always all the lasers from the get go, they reveals Mickeys finale moment early, with the same pyro explosion they use in the finale when he is sucked into the mirror.

There is way less surprise in the show then before.

 

[Eckert]

The issue is, as I stated when this show debuted, and it’s an issue most modern Disney shows have, they play all their cards from the get go.

Do you think Happily Ever After suffers from this?

 

[Disney Analyst]

Do you think Happily Ever After suffers from this?

I think it suffers less so because in reality the fireworks are the star, as they still build and throw out surprises all the time. The rest is just added toppings to an already tried and true experience.

 

[FigmentJedi]

I think it suffers less so because in reality the fireworks are the star, as they still build and throw out surprises all the time. The rest is just added toppings to an already tried and true experience.

Yeah, all Happily Ever After has done is take what Paris's Disney Dreams show did and take it to the next level by properly merging it with a full-on pyrotechnics set-up you'd find in the long history of "Fireworks set to a nicely curated selection of Disney music".

 

[No Name]

Do you think Happily Ever After suffers from this?

Tinkerbell's flight comes toward the end and is set up to be a bigger moment. One example of something I think it dies well. I know you didn't ask me but I answered.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Thanks for the answer

I guess that's about where I figured it was. Passable but not what they wanted it to be.

So taking it a bit further, do we know what the most complaints about the show are? I'm curious to know. And also curious to know what those in charge think is the eventual answer to "fixing" it ...

Pacing. Boring and unexciting with an abrupt ending. Poor quality water screens. Issues with the seating area.

People like the music and floats.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Pacing. Boring and unexciting with an abrupt ending. Poor quality water screens. Issues with the seating area.

People like the music and floats.

I get the complaints except for the seating issue... what's that about?

 

[Disney Analyst]

Tinkerbell's flight comes toward the end and is set up to be a bigger moment. One example of something I think it dies well. I know you didn't ask me but I answered.

Very true. They build up the the flight, which makes the finale even more exciting, and her flight seems unexpected and magical.

 

[marni1971]

I get the complaints except for the seating issue... what's that about?

Cramped to very cramped and poorly aligned in respect to the show layout?

Maybe.

 

[mousekedoc]

Pacing. Boring and unexciting with an abrupt ending. Poor quality water screens. Issues with the seating area.

People like the music and floats.

MK has a great story with a strong finally
Epcot has the same.
So, as a guest I'm expecting 1. A story line. 2. A strong finish
While RoL has a decent story, it fails to produce the majesty. It falls flat on description. Pretty spiraling lotus blossoms are great, but what exactly do they represent? The water projections fail often due to either weather, or not enough water cannons to fill the voids. And so what if you can’t do pyrotechnics for a finally. How about using the music and those water cannons in a more kinetic way, have the water jump, sway, dance. (I’m sure imagineers could dream up something). I guess that’s what’s wrong for me: it’s too static, too monotone.
It’s nice. It’s Disney, but it’s underwhelming.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Cramped to very cramped and poorly aligned in respect to the show layout?

Maybe.

Precisely. Granted it was a somewhat challenging location to retrofit this into. But there were other options, of course.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I liked Rivers of Light, probably better than many I've seen here, but it struck me after going to Disney Springs on Sunday that the eruption at Rainforest Cafe is more impressive than the RoL finale tower. That happens for free every 30 minutes.

 

[180º]

(Sorry to bump a slightly inactive thread; I think this is the most appropriate place to post this)

Rivers of Light tonight (Sunday, January 21) was a devastating mess. The centerpiece lotus was nowhere to be seen with absolutely nothing filling in as a B-mode. To make matters worse, one peripheral lotus was out of sync for the whole show, and while there was no wind to speak of, the water cannon screens were illegible.

Aside from the technical difficulties, I love Rivers of Light. I’m firmly in the camp that it’s the perfect show for Animal Kingdom, a spiritual offspring of RoE, and beautifully styled both visually and musically. But tonight I saw the show in person for the first time and I was disappointed to see it allowed to go on in such an embarassing state. As it wasn’t delayed or restarted mid-way through, I get the impression the show controllers weren’t too concerned. On this thread I have seen reports of some “off” performances, but this was below even my tempered expectations.

 

[MisterPenguin]

(Sorry to bump a slightly inactive thread; I think this is the most appropriate place to post this)

Rivers of Light tonight (Sunday, January 21) was a devastating mess. The centerpiece lotus was nowhere to be seen with absolutely nothing filling in as a B-mode. To make matters worse, one peripheral lotus was out of sync for the whole show, and while there was no wind to speak of, the water cannon screens were illegible.

Aside from the technical difficulties, I love Rivers of Light. I’m firmly in the camp that it’s the perfect show for Animal Kingdom, a spiritual offspring of RoE, and beautifully styled both visually and musically. But tonight I saw the show in person for the first time and I was disappointed to see it allowed to go on in such an embarassing state. As it wasn’t delayed or restarted mid-way through, I get the impression the show controllers weren’t too concerned. On this thread I have seen reports of some “off” performances, but this was below even my tempered expectations.

Sorry for your bad experience.

During the first week of February it was running fine except for two projectors on the smaller lotuses not working.

Also, the storytellers didn't go through the audience pre-show.

 

[180º]

I've seen ROL twice and I love it.

My first showing *Sometime in February of 2017 right after it offically debuted* was amazing and i fell in love with the show and its message.

My second showing *Nov 30th 2017, First showing of the night* was great too, loved the pantomime performers that walked through the stadium 15 minutes before it started, the lantern where you could pose for a picture was cute too, only thing bad was there where only 3 lotuses on the water that night, there's usually 4.

Really sad though to see ROL have some bad performances as it is a really cute show and is so fitting to the park as well as being such a great way to end Disney's Animal Kingdom.

It really is a nice show. I had definitely heard of a peripheral lotus going missing, but the centerpiece lotus going missing was like having no RoE Earth globe, or probably worse. Maybe like Fantasmic without Mickey. Like Everest without the yeti?

 

[dennis-in-ct]

We saw the show for the first time a couple weeks ago and were very impressed. Loved it.

I am not sure why the rumors are swirling about a re-work of Rivers Of Light to include characters. We thought the show was great as is. I mean, Illuminations does not have Disney Characters so why would Rivers Of Light need characters?

 

[180º]

We saw the show for the first time a couple weeks ago and were very impressed. Loved it.

I am not sure why the rumors are swirling about a re-work of Rivers Of Light to include characters. We thought the show was great as is. I mean, Illuminations does not have Disney Characters so why would Rivers Of Light need characters?

Agree completely, and this is what concerns me most about lotus-less shows like tonight’s flying under the radar. It concerns me that Rivers of Light has probably shown like this before and, ultimately, its lukewarm reputation could be wrongfully blamed on things like a lack of Disney characters, rather than its inability to consistently deliver a good performance.

 

[FigmentJedi]

We saw the show for the first time a couple weeks ago and were very impressed. Loved it.

I am not sure why the rumors are swirling about a re-work of Rivers Of Light to include characters. We thought the show was great as is. I mean, Illuminations does not have Disney Characters so why would Rivers Of Light need characters?

All they need to do is do more with the original characters they made for the show. As we keep discussing, having them be pure pantomime wasn't the best idea.

 

[marni1971]

The show cannot continue to rely on hit or miss technology.

Replacing the fire house mist backdrop would be a huge start.

I’ve seen a flawless show and it was technically stunning. I’ve also seen a weather affected show that was very poor. This is not a company who used to be happy with effects that were not consistent. The mist wall is not a second or third tier effect. It is an integral part of the story and show. Years of research went into the Fant! mist screens to perfect them. They are how they are for a reason.