New Star Wars Fireworks Show - 'Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular'

[donsullivan]

So,how are the views from the far side of Echo Lake? That seems to be more in line with the fireworks line of sight than Hollywood Blvd. I'd really hate to see them pave over the lake (as has been rumored at times in recent years but maybe if "Phase 3" ends up being something more around the Indy stunt theater than they could potentially create a space for better views of the show for more people. They could even theoretically create an end of the night exit gate in that area to avoid crowing on Hollywood Blvd after the show.

From a photo I saw taken last night posted by a friend, the fireworks line up a little better from Echo Lake but you can't see much of the projections on the Chinese Theater because the SS Down The Hatch (aka: Min 'n Bills) blocks that view

 

[YodaMan]

I can't imagine that would be a great Fantasmic experience I mean sure ROE and F! overlap nightly during the summer, but SWAGS is right there in the park. Maybe I'm overthinking it

I don't think it will be a problem. Fantasmic will be in the northeast corner and the fireworks now launch across world drive to the southwest of DHS. Honestly have Illuminations at 9 is more distracting than having Fireworks at 9:15

 

[jrhwdw]

I’ve noticed some of the July show times overlap with Fantasmic! with Fantasmic! at 9 pm and “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular” at 9:15 pm. I’m wondering if Disney is making guests choose one or the other due to the limited viewing options of the spectacular?

Does anyone else this is really odd?????? To me, it's incredibly odd to see DHS close at 9:30 in July, EVEN JULY 4TH?????? The WDW defender in me wants to think we have 2 showings of SW: AGS coming. I mean DHS hasn't done this schedule with any other pyro show, and the cuts across Disney can't be that bad, can it?

I think somethings up....I HOPE!

 

[jrhwdw]

What on Earth makes you think that?

I was thinking that there making the first one earlier to they can get another one in? Maybe link the second one with a second F!? To spread out the crowds, esp, if SW: AGS is only good from DHS's hub. As of now you can't see both in 1 night in july. Unless F! times are changing. IDK, I just think its weird to see DHS do this.

Any word if the fire on GMR will debut tonight, this week, or at all??????

 

[Disone]

I really wanted to love this new show, but while good (it is good and worth watching) the roof top fireworks are sorely missed, they added so much perceived fire power to the show. I also anticipated off center, Disneyland's certainly are, but this is way too far off center. It does not ruin the show but it certainly makes it less enjoyable. Maybe the new launch point is intended for viewing from the new land? If so, can we keep the old show until the new land is closer to completion? I know, wishful thinking.

 

[MereMickey]

Just finished watching the video WDWMagic posted on Youtube and I liked it. I thought it captured the campiness and technical brilliance that is Star Wars. It looks like some scenes make you feel like you are right in the mix of some of the most popular scenes in the movie. That looks pretty neat. And the Hat is gone! I knew it was gone for a while but it is so nice to see the Grumman's Chinese Theater again. I reminds me back when we first started going to Disney in the late 80's, early 90's. Got some nostalgia there not only with Star Wars but classic Disney World. Love it!

I have taken note, though that if a prime spot is not picked out when I visit next summer, it could possibly make viewing a slight nuisance. I worked in DHS when it was still MGM and the park is small, so I definitely will be picking a night when I know it won't be the most busiest.

 

[rioriz]

I hate the "Well we couldn't see it from our spot" excuse. Well hate it for ya but you should have found a better spot. This show surpasses the original in every way. The projections mixed with the fireworks and music made for a great show. I'm not saying it's the best Disney ever made but it def makes its mark in nighttime spectaculars.

THIS all day everyday!!!

Yeah it was a bit disjointed but overall successful

 

[Mouse's Magic]

Are the fire flames on the roof top in the show yet?

 

[J. D.]

Are the fire flames on the roof top in the show yet?

Just saw it and no flames yet. Still a great show and I think the flames will only make it better.

 

[gsimpson]

The technology in the show was great, they're really getting the video mapping down cold. The RGB LEDs in the trees were a great use of the tech. The lasers were a bit underwhelming but they can add later. The show being as far off center as it was did make it less enjoyable but next time I will know where to stand, of course there really is no good place to stand to have a straight on view of the building and the fireworks. My biggest problem with the show is that it is another "lets slap together movie clips and beauty shots and call it a spectacular", no need to spend time and money being creative, let's use corporate synergy instead. Apparently Disney is no longer able to actually create shows that have their own stories, WDI's only creative ability is to choose which movie/animation IP to scavenge and promote. Even the older stitched together shows (fantazmic, philharmagic) have a story of their own. The current World of Color show in DCA is the same way, just slap together movie clips, throw in some good tech, and call it a spectacular. I really am dreading the day they replace Reflections of Earth with a 20 minute commercial in the round.

 

[flynnibus]

I think a lot will love it, fireworks purists not so much. But it offers something different.

It doesn't get said enough.... But thank you to you and your bothans that get us such great media of these attractions so quickly!

 

[Filby61]

My biggest problem with the show is that it is another "lets slap together movie clips and beauty shots and call it a spectacular", no need to spend time and money being creative, let's use corporate synergy instead. Apparently Disney is no longer able to actually create shows that have their own stories, WDI's only creative ability is to choose which movie/animation IP to scavenge and promote. Even the older stitched together shows (fantazmic, philharmagic) have a story of their own. The current World of Color show in DCA is the same way, just slap together movie clips, throw in some good tech, and call it a spectacular.

There are people at WDI who have the creative ability to do original material. Unfortunately, they're under the thumbs of a management hierarchy that demands every new venue at WDW and DLR must hype Disney brands (and do so on a bare-bones budget). Nothing is a greater creativity-killer for WDI than getting reams of notes from the Iger-hired-and-inspired consumer products executives who have no sense showmanship (ask the folks who created the first World of Color show, the one that the public didn't get to see, what Bob Iger's revision notes were like).

It's no wonder that if you want to see what WDI is capable of, you have to go to the overseas parks.

 

[peter11435]

The technology in the show was great, they're really getting the video mapping down cold. The RGB LEDs in the trees were a great use of the tech. The lasers were a bit underwhelming but they can add later. The show being as far off center as it was did make it less enjoyable but next time I will know where to stand, of course there really is no good place to stand to have a straight on view of the building and the fireworks. My biggest problem with the show is that it is another "lets slap together movie clips and beauty shots and call it a spectacular", no need to spend time and money being creative, let's use corporate synergy instead. Apparently Disney is no longer able to actually create shows that have their own stories, WDI's only creative ability is to choose which movie/animation IP to scavenge and promote. Even the older stitched together shows (fantazmic, philharmagic) have a story of their own. The current World of Color show in DCA is the same way, just slap together movie clips, throw in some good tech, and call it a spectacular. I really am dreading the day they replace Reflections of Earth with a 20 minute commercial in the round.

When it finally debuts River of Light will be exactly what you're looking for. It will have its own story and not be existing material simply slapped together. WDI has plenty of creative ability. Unfortunately they are not always allowed to use it.

 

[flynnibus]

So, I watched this without seeing the Frozen or last Star Wars show previously...

One.. the star destroyer sequence is awesome...
The projections in the very beginning of the show are pretty weak... but go through more ups than downs as the show progresses
The sequencing leading up to the finale is pretty good, and the moment they pop to the lightsaber spot light is awesome

But the bads?
The show really seems to lack direction through the sequences. They just seem all over the place without any real pacing and control of the tempo to build to. I mean we get climax sequences all mixed in in various places.. maybe at one point we feel we get a villians sequence but again it seems to blur in and out. The show really seems to lack cohesion in this sense of having a structure to control the progression and tempo you want to guide the audience through.

The pyro seems ok, but nothing to write home about in terms of special, just adds to the show.

The show being pretty much entirely the GMR plaza area and not much else... in the era of paid seating areas, clearly its going to be messy in terms of getting comfortable viewing areas due to the contention and limited space available.

Overall I thought it was a show I really liked... much more so than any of the other shows I've seen recently. I mean I wasn't looking for the fast forward button after 3-4 minutes like most of Disney's shows of late. Minus the park ops things... I thought the show looked like a nice addition.

Then I went back and watched @wdwmagic's videos on Frozen and the prior star wars show. I can totally understand other people's complaints about the Pyro and viewing. The prior shows were very much Fireworks shows on the scale of Wishes! and were pretty damn good! Fireworks that would make any Disney park proud (and me upset I missed them on our last trip due to their late announcement of their start date). This new show is certainly not even in the same zip code as those shows when it comes to a Fireworks show vs a 'castle show' level.

Spectacle.. is a Disney fireworks show... Galactic Spectacular is a great 'castle show'.

The real kick in the gut is how Disney goes through the efforts to create this new launch site... and the fireworks presentation we get as a result of these changes is a fraction of what we used to get??? That is the most gut wrenching part of all of this IMO. I know people were talking about fallout in the past shows, but tweak, not gut the thing :/

Screw TSL needing to be open, etc... run that caliber of show at park closing and people won't be upset over some parts of the park closing 30mins early, etc.

 

[wdwmagic]

The technology in the show was great, they're really getting the video mapping down cold. The RGB LEDs in the trees were a great use of the tech. The lasers were a bit underwhelming but they can add later. The show being as far off center as it was did make it less enjoyable but next time I will know where to stand, of course there really is no good place to stand to have a straight on view of the building and the fireworks. My biggest problem with the show is that it is another "lets slap together movie clips and beauty shots and call it a spectacular", no need to spend time and money being creative, let's use corporate synergy instead. Apparently Disney is no longer able to actually create shows that have their own stories, WDI's only creative ability is to choose which movie/animation IP to scavenge and promote. Even the older stitched together shows (fantazmic, philharmagic) have a story of their own. The current World of Color show in DCA is the same way, just slap together movie clips, throw in some good tech, and call it a spectacular. I really am dreading the day they replace Reflections of Earth with a 20 minute commercial in the round.

This show wasn't produced by WDI. It was done by WDW Creative, with J Michael Roddy at the helm. He also did the Star Wars stage show.

He left Universal to join Disney.

 

[Mike S]

This show wasn't produced by WDI. It was done by WDW Creative, with J Michael Roddy at the helm. He also did the Star Wars stage show.

He left Universal to join Disney.

Let me guess, he's the guy behind Cinematic Spectacular isn't he? That would actually explain a lot.

 

[MrPromey]

This show wasn't produced by WDI. It was done by WDW Creative, with J Michael Roddy at the helm. He also did the Star Wars stage show.

He left Universal to join Disney.

That explains a LOT. This seems a good deal closer in terms of viewing, pacing, and cohesion to the lagoon show at USF than anything else (currently permanent) at WDW. For those who haven't seen the show at UNI, it's not a favorable comparison.

 

[MrPromey]

Let me guess, he's the guy behind Cinematic Spectacular isn't he? That would actually explain a lot.

You beat me to it!

 

[Disorbust]

I can't believe how underwhelming this is. My family loved the frozen fireworks but this is meh. It makes me sad to think this is the best they can do with all this tech and the SW franchise, although, maybe it's better in person. This isn't enough for me to burn a night at MGM where last summer we went to the Frozen fireworks 3Xs and none of us of frozen fanatics.

 

[MrPromey]

Let me guess, he's the guy behind Cinematic Spectacular isn't he? That would actually explain a lot.

I know a lot of people on here don't really go to Universal so to put this in perspective, I just wanted to make note that in my personal observations, a lot of people don't even bother to stop to watch the Cinematic Spectacular at the end of the night at UNI. The water screens don't have optimum viewing angles, the fireworks are few and far between and it has about as much cohesion as the set of trailers you watch while waiting to get on the Great Movie ride.

Personally, we would walk out pulling the stroller backwards so my son could get a view of some of the fireworks as they went off here and there as we headed to the front of the park. You'd occasionally see people stop and turn around to see them when the fireworks would go off before continuing to walk until the next set but that was about it.

I don't fault UNI because they've never had a reputation for good nighttime shows. The original Miami Vice themed stunt show was good for its time, which I believe is what the lagoon was originally built to accommodate but beyond that?

Always just assumed UNI wasn't really trying to make it that big of a deal. Disney on the other hand...