Tokyo DisneySEA Fantasmic?

FigmentJedi

Well-Known Member
Show's now open. I'm really impressed and it's definitely a different beast from the US versions. Am really loving the new animation for the villain sequence.

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stitchcastle

Well-Known Member
saw it, not enough wow factor for a stage as grand as Mediterranean Harbour, they should have imported Illuminations instead. That or shelled out the money for World of Color like they originally wanted.

Fantasmic! is too intimate a story for the epic scale that is required to put a show in DisneySea.
 

steve2wdw

WDW Fan Since 1973
I've just watched the "new" Fantasmic at TDS twice. It looks to be quite a spectacle if you're watching it in person. It's not Fantasmic though. I would have called this show "Imagination", like Fantasmic was to be originally called. As a "music" guy, the Fantasmic score is what makes Fantasmic, well, Fantasmic. This new show completely butchers the original score...in fact, the Fantasmic fanfare is used so little, I can't figure out why they used it at all. When it shows up, it's preceeded by the typcial Disney chorus, singing a rather lackluster Imagination song, then during the finale, another theme is introduced, then back to the original Fantasmic score. The original almost feels out of place. By the finale of the US versions, even first time viewers are so familiar with the Fantasmic theme, they can hum it on the way out of the park. I don't know what the Japanese are going to be humming when they leave this show, but it probably won't be the original theme. Steve Davison should be credited with a visual treat, but the score lacks cohesion. I'm curious to see who the composer is for the new material. It certainly doesn't seem like a Bruce Healy composition. A previous poster compared this new Fantasmic to WoC and I would agree because of the the style of the presentation. Without the narrative and the sweeping score of the original DL and WDW version, this is definately not Fantasmic in my book. It is really cool to look at though and I'd definately like to see it in person. Just change the name, and get rid of any musical references to the original score and it will be a great show on it's own merits.
 

stitchcastle

Well-Known Member
yeah, it's not "Fantasmic!", it's definitely something else. I'm still waiting for them to really go all out for a nighttime spectacular at Mediterranean Harbor lagoon. BraviSEAmo was very close it just suffered from being too conceptual. As it stands this "Fantasmic!" feels somewhat half-baked, part of the magic of the original show was its use of the various Rivers of America vehicles and that magic is completely lost in the TDS version.

I still say that if OLC just shelled out the dough and gone ahead and drained the lagoon to have its own "World of Color", billions of jaws would be lying on the ground right now at how amazing it is. (just imagine a lagoon the size of MH with thousands of fountains all lit up and dancing around)
 

Disney_Geek

Member
Just watched the videos, and I wasn't all that impressed. Usually Tokyo Disney blows me away, but this just... feel short. Their dragon looks so much better than ours at Hollywood Studios, but the story was so weak. There wasn't even much of a story, in my opinion, which is one of the fun factors of the US Fantasmics that make them work instead of looking like a mashup of different movies. I did like how they projected onto the hat. Hey! Maybe maybe we could find a use for the hat at HS like this! ;)
 
My personal opinion on DisneySEA's Fantasmic.

I just watched the DisneySea version of Fantasmic on Youtube. I wanted to post my honest thoughts on the show. I have seen, in person, both the Disneyland and WDW version of Fantasmic and I have very mixed thoughts on this new show.

Let me start with the things I just didn't like.

I must first agree with steve2wdw's comments about the theme for this new show. There really is little copy of the WONDERFUL theme to Fantasmic. To me, a good night-time show is one that you not only hum the theme on your way out of the park, but one you can easily remember. Some that come to my mind include Fantasmic (US versions), Main Street Electrical Parade, and the "Glow in the Park Parade" (Six Flags....I reference to this because I have heard there was someone that used to be an imagineer working on that parade). This new theme is just not one that sounds very memorable. During the finale, I always get a cold chill (the good type, the one that makes you want to smile and cry). I'd hear it in the DisneySea version, get that cold chill, then all of a sudden lose that feeling when the newer theme is intermixed with it. And what's this with vocals in the last few seconds? Hearing them sing the word "Imagination" with the music just really doesn't sound right to me.

Another thing I didn't like, apart from the theme, was during the Princesses scene. I think I really only saw one (live) princess during the scene and I think it was Cinderella. I didn't see any of the other princesses (Belle, Ariel).

The only other thing I didn't like which gave me a "HUH?" moment was seeing STICH?!?! Is there anything at the Disney Parks that he doesn't get his hands into?

Anyway, let's get on to the things I actually did like.

The Lion King scene was very interesting, and I liked that they used several things from that movie during the scene as well as the water screen usage.

I liked the Genie/Pink Elephants scene (perhaps they could incorporate that scene into the current US versions next time they do an update to the show).

I also liked that they used a bit more fireworks than they do in the US versions, and fireworks can always add to a good show!

I also, like Disney_Geek, really thought the projection onto the hat was pretty snazzy. It did give a nice enhancement to the scenes of the show.

In conclusion, I'd probably give this version of fantasmic a 3 out of 5. I still think the US versions are one of the must see shows at the parks, and would really drag people with me to see it. I wouldn't make a special trip to head to Japan to see this version, but if I was already out there I'd aim to see it.

That's about it for my personal opinion.
 

mimitchi33

Well-Known Member
If this show is brought to Disney World and/or Disneyland, it could be called "Super Fantasmic!", so the name could be like an upgrade to let visitors know of a new show!
I would have called this show "Imagination", like Fantasmic was to be originally called.
If it was renamed to "Imagination!", we might as well call the EPCOT pavilion with the same name the "One Little Spark" Pavillion!:lol:
I
The only other thing I didn't like which gave me a "HUH?" moment was seeing STICH?!?! Is there anything at the Disney Parks that he doesn't get his hands into?
There's already a Stitch TV shown in Japan that is popular, but it ended the week of the earthquake/tsunami:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10252
 

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