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

ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
doctornick said:
I'm under the impression the barges will move in and out each day like at Epcot. Don't know where I read it though (probably on here and it may have been conjecture, not concrete fact).

As to building permanent structures underwater, it has been stated that it would not be possible for the Discovery River due to it being a natural body of water with a less stable bottom. Unlike WoC which had an artificial body of water to use (basically a very large swimming pool with a concrete bottom).
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It wouldn't have been impossible but it certainly didn't and won't happen.
 
WDWLover#1

WDWLover#1

Well-Known Member
FlyingCat said:
I dont think they will drain it, most likely the fountains will be a more advanced and bigger verison of the Illumination barge fountains, where the fountains are on a barge. The date for the show is coming up, it's suppose to open in early 2016 (2016, march), that's all i'v heard so far. However, it has been confirmed for quiet some time now that this show will include floating laterns, waterscreens, and animal imagery. I suspect there will also be projections on the tree of life and other effects like live actors during the show.
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Oh yes I know. I was referring to @mnelson3 who said Disney were doing the barges in the cheap by not draining the lake and installing fountains like WOC at DCA. I was wondering if draining the lakes at Animal Kingdom was even possible. Did they install equipment to do this when building the lake?
 
ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
WDWLover#1 said:
Oh yes I know. I was referring to @mnelson3 who said Disney were doing the barges in the cheap by not draining the lake and installing fountains like WOC at DCA. I was wondering if draining the lakes at Animal Kingdom was even possible. Did they install equipment to do this when building the lake?
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Yes it's possible. They drained portions with yellow artificial dams and water pumps, but not the entire lake.
 
ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
LongtimeReader said:
DisneySea's entire Fantasmic show is done from barges, and nobody is complaining. If it is done well, whether or not they are moveable platforms or not is moot.
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Fantasmic doesn't only use barges, a better comparison is IllumiNations. The effect of barges could be better than IllumiNations given how small Discovery Lake is. It should be a more intimate show. Also, most screens have come a long way since our Fantasmic opened, so the effect should be better.
 
B

bakntime

Well-Known Member
I think DLR had all kinds of headaches from making a submersible platform for World of Color. They wanted to hide the fountain equipment under the water during the day, but if the rumors were true, it was a maintenance nightmare. If they had it to do again, I think they might just make a stationary one that sticks up out of the water.

AK could use floating barges, but I'm not sure that high powered water jets do well on floating barges. I think the counter-pressure pushing down on the barge would cause it to move a whole bunch.

So if RoL does ultimately use water screens and fountains, I don't think that boats/barges will be viable. A permanent installation of at least some of the equipment would probably be necessary. Whether or not they'd need to drain a portion of water in the river, I don't know. (Let alone if the river can even support permanent installation of equipment).

They could theoretically build a platform (like installing bridge footers in a river by submerging concrete) to support the necessary fountains, but I have no idea how much something like that would cost.
 
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FerretAfros

FerretAfros

Well-Known Member
doctornick said:
I'm under the impression the barges will move in and out each day like at Epcot. Don't know where I read it though (probably on here and it may have been conjecture, not concrete fact).

As to building permanent structures underwater, it has been stated that it would not be possible for the Discovery River due to it being a natural body of water with a less stable bottom. Unlike WoC which had an artificial body of water to use (basically a very large swimming pool with a concrete bottom).
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I know what you're trying to say, but as a point of clarification DAK's river is just as manmade as Paradise Bay. It (and the various retention ponds surrounding the park) were added as part of the park's stormwater management plan to offset the new impermeable surfaces like buildings, walkways, roads, and parking lots. If you use the history tool on Google Earth, it's easy to see that none of those waterways were around prior to the park's construction:
DAK 950204.jpg


DAK 150218.jpg


But you're right in the aspect that Discovery River doesn't have a concrete bottom or filtered water, so doing DCA-style platforms (which still have reliability issues with the lifts) would be nearly impossible. That said, it should be easier to work with than an entirely natural waterway
LongtimeReader said:
DisneySea's entire Fantasmic show is done from barges, and nobody is complaining. If it is done well, whether or not they are moveable platforms or not is moot.
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Not so fast. Although it draws a moderate crowd, TDS's Fantasmic! is not nearly as popular as OLC had hoped, due in large part to the awkward format with the roving barges. It makes for long transitions and a disjointed show. That's not to say that a barge-based show can't be successful (Illuminations and TDS's Legend of Mythica prove otherwise), but it certainly has its own challenges. Disney has already confirmed that live performers will be a part of this show, so surely they would need to be on some sort of mobile vessel

I imagine that having a show aimed primarily in one direction, rather than "in the round", will make staging it a lot easier. When they don't have to make it visible from every angle, it gives them a lot more flexibility
 
LongtimeReader

LongtimeReader

Active Member
FerretAfros said:
Not so fast. Although it draws a moderate crowd, TDS's Fantasmic! is not nearly as popular as OLC had hoped, due in large part to the awkward format with the roving barges. It makes for long transitions and a disjointed show. That's not to say that a barge-based show can't be successful (Illuminations and TDS's Legend of Mythica prove otherwise), but it certainly has its own challenges.
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Sorry, I was only speaking to the tech of the show. I think it can be fairly said that what they accomplished on movable boats is impressive in almost every way...mist screens, fountains, telescoping 360 degree LED screens, performers, inflatables, and projections. And it all floats away into the marina after it is over. The show itself is a bit lousy, mostly because of the reasons you mentioned, combined with a pretty strong departure from what the original Fantasmic's show beats are. Just trying to show that technically, having everything on moveable barges does not equal a limited show. If done right. Mythica was a great show but not being at night it doesn't really compare as well as it didn't require any illuminations.
 
DVCOwner

DVCOwner

A Long Time DVC Member
I sure hope so. On my recent trip to Disneyland Resort the only thing I did not like about World of Color was that it did not have seating. The same for Fantasmics!
 

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