Should the Castle Forecourt Stage be removed?

[Timon]

It's a hard one because while the design of the park doesn't really support it castle stage shows have become part of the DNA of the Orlando park - they've been going on forever and are part of the WDW atmosphere. Not having them would almost be sacrificing part of the parks identity..

This is sort of like the Mickey Hat lovers in DHS. If they never saw the way it was before (Hat or no stage) and how much better it was then, they don't realize what they are missing.

 

[NemoRocks78]

Disneyland somehow survives without a castle show so too can the MK. Even Tokyo only uses theirs seasonally

Oh, I completely agree. The last few shows have done nothing for me and it'd be nice to get the crowds out of the hub for most of the day. I would much rather see some dedicated theater shows again.

 

[POLY LOVER]

YES!!!! It disturbs traffic and the castle view. It's not needed .

 

[Mickey5150]

I've seen it before the big shows and I've seen it now. I say keep the stage because it is a part of this castle. People always complain about how magic kingdoms aren't different enough but we have something different and everyone wants to get rid of it. If we eliminate the stage then maybe we have room to make the castle, smaller?

 

[lazyboy97o]

I've seen it before the big shows and I've seen it now. I say keep the stage because it is a part of this castle. People always complain about how magic kingdoms aren't different enough but we have something different and everyone wants to get rid of it. If we eliminate the stage then maybe we have room to make the castle, smaller?

The area was just rearranged to accommodate the shows by making it more like Tokyo Disneyland. How is that making it different?

 

[DisneyManOne]

Well, as long as we're complaining about the stage here, we should at least be glad our stage doesn't look like Tokyo's...

But however, I do feel like there could be a small show or something in the area where the stage would be. For example, sometimes at Tokyo, the park's marching band usually performs in front of the castle.

Maybe MK could do something like that, and have their marching band or the Dapper Dans or the trolley performers perform a show there.

 

[DisneyManOne]

Sorry for double-posting, but here's another example of what I was talking about in my previous post.

Here's a marching-band performance from Tokyo; which also features the Disney princesses and princes dancing along to their music...

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Notice all the people watching from the castle's walkway? Do you also notice the people walking behind them? I really think mini-performances like these would work for MK.

 

[dhslxop]

In this video of Disney Mania from 1991, you can see guests walking around the stage during the show. Were they permitted to walk through the castle while the show was going on?

 

[Victoria]

I hate the castle stage mainly because its existence means that events happen on it that close the castle walk way. Walking around the castle is very annoying. Scaling back the size of the stage and the amount of things that happen on it would be ideal. I think MK needs a stage show to increase overall attraction capacity but having a real theater with seats would be a much better way to go about it. The castle stage has always felt temporary to me even though it has become quite permanent. A real stage with backgrounds, lighting, better sound, etc would be much more appealing to me. Something along the lines of the Beauty and the Beast theater would be sufficient.

 

[asianway]

In this video of Disney Mania from 1991, you can see guests walking around the stage during the show. Were they permitted to walk through the castle while the show was going on?

I'm sure it has something to do with #efficiency. @drew81 may know how backstage support was handled on the older shows

 

[brb1006]

Sorry for double-posting, but here's another example of what I was talking about in my previous post.

Here's a marching-band performance from Tokyo; which also features the Disney princesses and princes dancing along to their music...

​

Notice all the people watching from the castle's walkway? Do you also notice the people walking behind them? I really think mini-performances like these would work for MK.

Don't forget that Tokyo Disneyland's Castle has a water show during the summer where the castle literally shoots out water into the audience during a hot day. The show is called "Cool The Heat" and it looks awesome!

 

[marni1971]

Probably.

Wil they? No.

 

[POLY LOVER]

the castle is kind of a show of its own you don't need anything more. I was thinking maybe it would be good to start a tradition of Cinderella arriving at the Castle each day and going inside to have an audience with her subjects for a short time.

 

[MinnieWaffles]

The author does know it's a theme park right?

 

[Disneysea05]

Well, as long as we're complaining about the stage here, we should at least be glad our stage doesn't look like Tokyo's...

Tokyo's stage does not always look like that. TDL dismantles the stage when a particular stage show ends it's run (each usually lasts a few months) and then custom builds a new stage for whatever new show they come up with. This way any new show design won't be constrained to an existing stage.​

 

[lazyboy97o]

The author does know it's a theme park right?

And they're the lowest form of entertainment, right?

 

[asianway]

The author does know it's a theme park right?

I would consider the author one of the leading experts on Disney theme park design. Have some respect

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I don't notice it, so I don't any opinion one way or another.

 

[Eastsider05]

It has only been 15 years and it is an identity (expanding beyond just the shows) Walt Disney World would benefit to shed.

More Like 35 Years, The Stage was added in the Early 80's. Not in the early 2000's.

 

[lazyboy97o]

More Like 35 Years, The Stage was added in the Early 80's. Not in the early 2000's.

The daily, near constant shows are a recent development.