Pixar Fest - Reviews and Thoughts, plus Soft Opening News

[Deleted member 107043]

Overall I'm giving this promotion a C+ pre-opening. That grade may improve or worsen a week from now after it actually starts.

I'm willing to give this promotion the benefit of the doubt, as I'm old enough to remember when Disneyland had spring/summer promotions every year in the 1980's and early 90's. Circus Fantasy, State Fair, Main Street Hop, etc. They were all just for four or five months, they were all temporary, and they all looked and acted like it. Some of these promotions worked better than others.

For instance, Captain Zoom and his Amazing Cannon from the 1988 Disneyland State Fair Parade. No, seriously.

But all of the old 1980's promotions had unique parades, special shows, and themed decor packages from the parking lot toll booths right up Main Street to the Castle. Pixar Fest is nothing but a return of 2 old parades (one 3 years old, and one that is 10 years old!). Both of these returning parades have been downgraded from their inaugural formats from 2008 and 2015, with the loss of the Ratatouille float in Pixar Play Parade and the loss of the Frozen float from Paint The Night. Yeah, there's a new Incredibles float coming in 10 weeks, but why isn't it ready for opening night? Really bad planning and managing, obviously.

Pixar Fest just seems cheap and lazy. And the "addition" of themed food as a big selling point for Pixar Fest, all of which looks incredibly gorpy and gimmicky and drenched in fructose corn syrup, is a real turn off for me. Puke.

The reason this whole thing goes from a D+ to a C+ is the creation of a new fireworks show that must only be for this year, and the return of Paint The Night to DCA where I think it's going to work very well and thrive in that park for several decades.

I'm cracking up at Zoom and his, um, cannon.

Anyone who was a Disneyland fan back then is sure to remember the Totally Minnie Parade. Betcha didn't know there was a Totally Minnie record album and a Totally Minnie TV special too. It was all totally stupid.

 

[jrhwdw]

I'm cracking up at Zoom and his, um, cannon.

Anyone who was a Disneyland fan back then is sure to remember the Totally Minnie Parade. Betcha didn't know there was a Totally Minnie record album and a Totally Minnie TV special too. It was all totally stupid.

Was this sarcasm??????

 

[MTBaymax]

I want to like it. Visually, of course, it’s there. But but I feel it just starts too damn abrupt. You could’ve had Luxo Jr bookend the show, same as the movies themselves, but instead of squashing the ball, have him be the reason the ball is rolling towards us sending the show in motion. Not that it would solve the issues of lack of narrative.

I don't know how they even managed ... not using Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me."

It was there for the finale. Probably the only thing I like about that show.

 

[drew81]

Any idea on what Pixar characters will be appearing at DCA?

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Any idea on what Pixar characters will be appearing at DCA?

Fingers crossed for Gypsy!!!

 

[dweezil78]

Couldn't even make it through three minutes of the fireworks video I was watching. I feel so bad for you guys. We have Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom and the iconic Disneyland gets this? Yikes.

DL often rotates shows seasonally and keeps things a bit more varied than MK -- this is a limited time show thru September 3.

 

[180º]

Couldn't even make it through three minutes of the fireworks video I was watching. I feel so bad for you guys. We have Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom and the iconic Disneyland gets this? Yikes.

I know you’re the merciless Inquisitor of fans who prefer Wishes, and I prefer Wishes to HEA, but I totally agree with you here. And is it wrong that I was hoping they’d clone the Brave segment from HEA for Together Forever?

Anyway, my personal ranking of recent fireworks shows is super weird. It looks something like this:

1. Wishes
2. Magical
3. Remember...Dreams Come True
4. Happily Ever After (A clip show, but it gets a pass because it’s a really good clip show)

...

...

...

(Begin Incoherent Clip Show Territory)

92. Disneyland Forever

93. Together Forever

 

[mickeyfan5534]

How do you mess up THAT bad? Like wow, that was terrible.

 

[jrhwdw]

DL often rotates shows seasonally and keeps things a bit more varied than MK -- this is a limited time show thru September 3.

Exactly and the show is fine for that. While the crowd and I liked it, it should not be year round show.

 

[MTBaymax]

Exactly and the show is fine for that. While the crowd and I liked it, it should not be year round show.

That’s the big problem. It’s not the fact that it was made to be a limited time show; it’s the fact that it is SO OBVIOUS that it’s a limited time show.

 

[dweezil78]

I know you’re the merciless Inquisitor of fans who prefer Wishes, and I prefer Wishes to HEA, but I totally agree with you here. And is it wrong that I was hoping they’d clone the Brave segment from HEA for Together Forever?

Anyway, my personal ranking of recent fireworks shows is super weird. It looks something like this:

1. Wishes
2. Magical
3. Remember...Dreams Come True
4. Happily Ever After (A clip show, but it gets a pass because it’s a really good clip show)

...

...

...

(Begin Incoherent Clip Show Territory)

92. Disneyland Forever

93. Together Forever

While I'm not super pumped about the Pixar show from the video (then again, can't say videos of fireworks ever pump me up as they never translate wel).. I don't quite get the argument against 'clip shows' when it comes to fireworks. I totally get it for shows like WoC where that's literally all you're getting and not much else.

But for fireworks, if you removed the projections (which are just additive to what we already had w/ older fireworks+music shows), you'd still be left with fireworks set to music like any other show. At the end, IMO, it still comes down to the usage of music, how well the fireworks sync with it, and how much you care for the source material. The 'clips' are really just gravy on top.

 

[dweezil78]

Irrelevant. You can do seasonal shows that are fantastic, but this is one of the worst things ever

You all are so dramatic. No, it's not one of the worst things ever -- YOU just don't like it. Is it the most amazing thing ever? No. But there are plenty of people who will love this and be excited to see it over the summer while it's here. People on here need to stop declaring personal opinion as fact, it's so hard to take these conversations seriously.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Who here has seen the fireworks show in person and ISN'T basing their opinion on a YouTube video?

 

[Californian Elitist]

You all are so dramatic. No, it's not one of the worst things ever -- YOU just don't like it. Is it the most amazing thing ever? No. But there are plenty of people who will love this and be excited to see it over the summer while it's here. People on here need to stop declaring personal opinion as fact, it's so hard to take these conversations seriously.

Did you see the part where he watched the show through a YouTube video? I wouldn't take his opinion seriously.

 

[TROR]

Did you see the part where he watched the show through a YouTube video? I wouldn't take his opinion seriously.

Who here has seen the fireworks show in person and ISN'T basing their opinion on a YouTube video?

Sorry I forgot the entire show's structure and flow changes when you see it in person

 

[Californian Elitist]

Sorry I forgot the entire show's structure and flow changes when you see it in person

I assume you watched a video.

Watching a show in person versus watching it through a YouTube video is not the same at all. I cannot and will not take your opinion seriously.

 

[TROR]

I assume you watched a video.

Watching a show in person versus watching it through a YouTube video is not the same at all. I cannot and will not take your opinion seriously.

This is like saying you can't have an opinion on a band's music unless you see them in concert. The soundtrack's not good and that's my biggest problem with the show. Doesn't matter if I listen to it on cassette or hear it in the parks, it's not going to change how choppy it is.

 

[dweezil78]

This is like saying you can't have an opinion on a band's music unless you see them in concert. The soundtrack's not good and that's my biggest problem with the show. Doesn't matter if I listen to it on cassette or hear it in the parks, it's not going to change how choppy it is.

Listening to a band is not even in the same universe as watching colorful glittery explosives exploding in the sky.

 

[TROR]

Listening to a band is not even in the same universe as watching colorful glittery explosives exploding in the sky.

Seeing as I'm talking about the soundtrack, yes it is.

 

[Californian Elitist]

This is like saying you can't have an opinion on a band's music unless you see them in concert. The soundtrack's not good and that's my biggest problem with the show. Doesn't matter if I listen to it on cassette or hear it in the parks, it's not going to change how choppy it is.

No, it's not the same. A show does not compare to a tune.

You can think what you want. I'm just not going to take your "opinion" seriously until you actually see the show. If someone had never visited Disneyland, but watched a video of a walk-through of the park and decided they didn't like it and said the park was boring, would you take their opinion seriously?