Philharmagic Getting Some TLC

[The Empress Lilly]

to be honest after having seen a lot of films in 3D recently at the cinema, I was seriously underwhelmed with the quality of Philharmagic. While some of it looks cute, it looked very outdated with regard to technology.

Very true!

I obviously haven't seen this newly restored Phil, but back in September I couldn't help thinking that Phil pales in comparison with today's 3d movies. Ever since Avatar in 2009, the new wave of 3d has meant that 3d is no longer a theme park experience, but a common local cinema one.

Luckily, Phil in the end does not rely on gimmicks, but can hold its own on the strenght of the characters and songs. It's got some milage left in it stilll, despite having been made technically obsolete.

 

[nyfrenchy]

They have not upgraded to a digital projector like they did for the Muppets?

 

[Silver Figment]

I always do this when i go down so it's good to hear it's getting some tlc.

 

[Mickey_777]

This is awesome news. It's the greatest 3D short/attraction anywhere if you ask me.

 

[midwest_mice]

Love Philharmagic, love the smell of apple pie watching the film!

 

[brightlillstar]

This is great! I can't wait to see the new and improved film in less than a month!

 

[COProgressFan]

They desperately need to replace the carpet in both holding rooms as well. The one in the first room was atrocious the last time I was in there.

I agree, that carpet is disgusting and worn out. I think they did finally replace it a while back but they haven't kept it clean.

I think the carpet is nice (and probably muffles the sounds of the crowds in line) but if they're not going to take care of it they should just put in a solid flooring surface which is easier to clean.

 

[scottnj1966]

I think it's way past time for them to switch all film to digital at Walt Disney World.

The direction disney has been going the last few years is not what Walt himself would do. They wait until you see everything falling apart before doing something about it.
New technology was always at Disney first. We were always in awe. No they are behind most everyone else. Why?

Guest relations, what has always set them apart from everyone has eroded the last few years also, but thats for another thread.

I love disney, always have, always will but I will not stay quiet while they take one of the last few things we have that is American and slowly destroy it.

Please Disney, figure out whats wrong internally and fix it.

 

[Magenta Panther]

I think it's way past time for them to switch all film to digital at Walt Disney World.

The direction disney has been going the last few years is not what Walt himself would do. They wait until you see everything falling apart before doing something about it.
New technology was always at Disney first. We were always in awe. No they are behind most everyone else. Why?

Guest relations, what has always set them apart from everyone has eroded the last few years also, but thats for another thread.

I love disney, always have, always will but I will not stay quiet while they take one of the last few things we have that is American and slowly destroy it.

Please Disney, figure out whats wrong internally and fix it.

Amen! :sohappy:

 

[Magenta Panther]

This is awesome news. It's the greatest 3D short/attraction anywhere if you ask me.

I totally agree! It's a solid reminder of what real Disney magic is like. It'll be the first attraction I visit when I return to WDW in December.

 

[Bolna]

As you're probably aware, Star Tours uses a different type of 3D than Philharmagic. I also noticed that if you put the Star Tours glasses on prior to the screen opening there is usually a really bad glare on the glasses. Once the cabin lights go down though it's fine and the film looks great.

Yes, I am aware of the fact that Star Tours uses something more advanced - and I think that this really shows. The quality is just so much better. But even Harry Potter, Cars 2 and Tangled (which was called by its real name - Rapunzel - here in Germany :king all looked so much better in 3D at my local cinema.

I think especially the beginning and the end of Philharmagic are really the worst part, but even the middle sections were not good either.

And it surprised me how quickly my favourite 3D film has become something that I won't bother with next time at the MK. Especially, if compared with DLP's "Animagique" show, which in a way tells a similar story, but is a stage show with pretty cool backlight effects. Somehow that show managed to stay fresh for me so much better than the 3D-film - and I have even seen it more often than the film.

And the glare on the Star Tours 3D-glasses: yes, I noticed that, too, and was really annoyed at first that I got a pair of "broken" glasses, but then realised that as soon as the lights in the flight cabin go out, the glare disappears. And then they worked perfectly!

 

[Communicore]

The whole area needs to be changed, but keep those awesome posters. If they sell those posters I will buy replicas, or maybe t-shirts of those posters. The seats are old, the atmosphere kind of lacks the magical quality, and of course, the carpeting needs to be ripped up.

 

[TheDisneyMagic]

Yes, I am aware of the fact that Star Tours uses something more advanced - and I think that this really shows. The quality is just so much better. But even Harry Potter, Cars 2 and Tangled (which was called by its real name - Rapunzel - here in Germany :king all looked so much better in 3D at my local cinema.

I think especially the beginning and the end of Philharmagic are really the worst part, but even the middle sections were not good either.

And it surprised me how quickly my favourite 3D film has become something that I won't bother with next time at the MK. Especially, if compared with DLP's "Animagique" show, which in a way tells a similar story, but is a stage show with pretty cool backlight effects. Somehow that show managed to stay fresh for me so much better than the 3D-film - and I have even seen it more often than the film.

And the glare on the Star Tours 3D-glasses: yes, I noticed that, too, and was really annoyed at first that I got a pair of "broken" glasses, but then realised that as soon as the lights in the flight cabin go out, the glare disappears. And then they worked perfectly!

Animagique and Cinemagique are two of my favourite Disney shows. On topic of the thread, the first and last portion of Philharmagic has always been of a lesser quality than the main show. I always assumed it was on purpose. Glad to hear the whole show has seen some love.

 

[jjharvpro]

Philharmagic is such a great show. It's one of my favorites for sure. Definitely deserves a refurb, closing it down for a couple of months. Two questions...

1. In order to clean up the quality of the film, the queue, carpet, etc., how long would a refurb need to be?

2. When was the last time Philharmagic got a refurb (of any sort--update, clean-up, etc.)?

 

[Timekeeper]

Here are two thoughts related to points that have been brought up earlier:

On topic of the thread, the first and last portion of Philharmagic has always been of a lesser quality than the main show. I always assumed it was on purpose.

Using visual "bookends" in cinematic storytelling is classic, as seen in films like The Wizard of Oz, where the viewers are taken in and out of a fantasy world through the black and white-to-color transition.

More similar to Philharmagic is TRON Legacy. The 3D world of "the grid" is bookended by our 2D real world. It's a wonderful idea, and Philharmagic obviously uses screen size as the main visual transition (rather than 2D-3D), just as Universal's T2-3D did many years ago to transition the audience into being inside of Cyberdyne Systems.

The point here is that the quality of the film should never be of lesser quality simply for the purpose of a transition. So I hope that was not the case here, but I do agree that the quality is noticeably poor. Just as was done in TRON Legacy, visual transitions can be very effective without substituting for quality. For Philharmagic, I would have preferred a clear 2D-3D transition rather than a fuzzy 3D-to-better 3D transition.

As you're probably aware, Star Tours uses a different type of 3D than Philharmagic. I also noticed that if you put the Star Tours glasses on prior to the screen opening there is usually a really bad glare on the glasses. Once the cabin lights go down though it's fine and the film looks great.

Not only is it a different "type" of 3D, but it's also a very different presentation. Star Tours (new) is much closer to 3D film in movie theaters, rather than "theme park 3D." By "theme park 3D," I'm referring to the in-your-face gags and effects common in Philharmagic, It's Tough To Be A Bug, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Muppetvision, T2-3D, Shrek 4D, and even Captain EO.

Star Tours, like 3D film in movie theaters, is more about creating "depth perception" than about shoving imagines in your face. In Star Tours, most of the 3D effects take place as depth beyond the windshield, very few effects take place "inside" the cruiser, or penetrating the windshield. This type of 3D is not only more convincing, but also easier on the eyes. There are many essays out there that discuss cinematic 3D and the state of the art, and the gimmicky-theme-park-style usage is one of the reasons for why critics predict its decline in popularity.

Don't get me wrong, 3D is fun and parts of Philharmagic look great, but 3D will likely continue to find its success in the smaller doses that theme park shows offer.

 

[pppapazo]

Philharmagic is such a great show. It's one of my favorites for sure. Definitely deserves a refurb, closing it down for a couple of months. Two questions...

1. In order to clean up the quality of the film, the queue, carpet, etc., how long would a refurb need to be?

2. When was the last time Philharmagic got a refurb (of any sort--update, clean-up, etc.)?

My dream refurb for PhilharMagic is that they add a scene of Donald flying through the lantern scene from Tangled. It could replace one of the existing scenes, especially now that the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast will be so heavily featured in Fantasyland. Of course, the CG and 3D in the Tangled scene would overshadow the rest of the show, since it's so much more recent, but how great would it be to see that scene played out on such a large screen?

 

[pppapazo]

The point here is that the quality of the film should never be of lesser quality simply for the purpose of a transition. So I hope that was not the case here, but I do agree that the quality is noticeably poor. Just as was done in TRON Legacy, visual transitions can be very effective without substituting for quality. For Philharmagic, I would have preferred a clear 2D-3D transition rather than a fuzzy 3D-to-better 3D transition.

I agree with this. It must be difficult to create small images that work well in 3D, because HISTA had the same problem. The scenes with normal-sized people never looked as good as the ones where the people filled the whole screen. A 2D to 3D solution may have been better, at least in this case (in HISTA, they flip back and forth so much, it probably wouldn't have worked so well).

 

[jjharvpro]

My dream refurb for PhilharMagic is that they add a scene of Donald flying through the lantern scene from Tangled. It could replace one of the existing scenes, especially now that the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast will be so heavily featured in Fantasyland. Of course, the CG and 3D in the Tangled scene would overshadow the rest of the show, since it's so much more recent, but how great would it be to see that scene played out on such a large screen?

Great idea!!

 

[powlessfamily4]

Glad to hear about Philhar - I love this show.....

 

[MichWolv]

My dream refurb for PhilharMagic is that they add a scene of Donald flying through the lantern scene from Tangled. It could replace one of the existing scenes, especially now that the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast will be so heavily featured in Fantasyland. Of course, the CG and 3D in the Tangled scene would overshadow the rest of the show, since it's so much more recent, but how great would it be to see that scene played out on such a large screen?

I have a more ambitious dream -- changing scenes, so you don't get the same scenes every time.

Add scenes from Jungle Book (King Louie swiping the Hat), Tarzan (swinging through the trees), Alice (follow the hat through the looking glass), and something from either PaTF or Tangled, and then have some randomization as to which scenes you get.