Disneyland 70th speculations and news

[disneychrista]

I somewhat agree

The OG and 2.0 were amazing, the show's flow now sucks its just gone and they throw in as much random "new" as they can.

The first time I saw the most recent version I was like "What the heck did they do?" I understand wanting to keep the show fresh and current but you are 100% correct that the flow is gone. It is still my favorite night time show but I LOVED the original version. I will still see it each trip (if it is playing).

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

The first time I saw the most recent version I was like "What the heck did they do?" I understand wanting to keep the show fresh and current but you are 100% correct that the flow is gone. It is still my favorite night time show but I LOVED the original version. I will still see it each trip (if it is playing).

I haven't seen it since the dragon burned. Are you talking about changes made when it came back? I hadn't realized there was anything significant besides the lack of dragon

 

[disneychrista]

I haven't seen it since the dragon burned. Are you talking about changes made when it came back? I hadn't realized there was anything significant besides the lack of dragon

It is the changes to it when they added the Aladdin and other newer show elements. Not sure when those were made because it had been a very long time since I had seen the show.

 

[AquaDame]

I haven't seen any of this new stuff and had no idea... I'll still keep our dinner and an open mind, but if its truly bad well at least thats one less thing to try and fit in on trips! We already skip it in Florida as I had liked the one at DL much better.

 

[disneychrista]

I haven't seen any of this new stuff and had no idea... I'll still keep our dinner and an open mind, but if its truly bad well at least thats one less thing to try and fit in on trips! We already skip it in Florida as I had liked the one at DL much better.

It is still a good show. Just doesn't flow as well with the new added stuff. And of course the dragon is missing.

 

[Tinkaboo]

Unless you see the show multiple times a year, you probably WOULDN'T even notice a difference...it's still a great show and way better than WDW, just due to proximity.

 

[iHEARTflorida]

Any recommendations on which Shadows of Memory show to watch? The one before or after the fireworks? Planning on watching them at SWGE for the Rising show. Read to stand against the back wall, is this the same for Shadows?

Planning on watching the 2nd PNT show too from Main St, so was thinking the first Shadows show might be best, but then maybe I’m there too early for the fireworks ?

 

[LKing]

I agree with your thinking. First Shadows of Memory, Fire of the Rising Moon, then PTN. That gives you plenty of time to find a spot along the parade route for PTN.

 

[OlliePop27]

The Peter Pan segment returning was the best thing they did. It's so good. The Pirates segment never really seemed to fit.

 

[iHEARTflorida]

I agree with your thinking. First Shadows of Memory, Fire of the Rising Moon, then PTN. That gives you plenty of time to find a spot along the parade route for PTN.

Thanks LKing. I just want to clarify which wall to stand against, is in the one along side Smugglers Ran, to the left if looking at the ride entrance or the wall directly opposite the falcon?

 

[LKing]

Thanks LKing. I just want to clarify which wall to stand against, is in the one along side Smugglers Ran, to the left if looking at the ride entrance or the wall directly opposite the falcon?

I'm not 100% sure you can stand up against the wall. They may use that for ECV or stroller parking. Ask a CM to confirm. Below are some pictures to better describe the area.

The teal area is the best viewing for both Shadows of Memory and fireworks. If you are in the area of the red X, SoM will be fine but Ogas might get in the way of some of your fireworks. Note, teal region is not exact - just make sure your view isn't obstructed by Ogas.



This is a picture facing the entrance of Smugglers Run. It was the first week so much more crowded than it will be now. The patio on the left is for dining packages. MF is to the right, with the spires behind it.



You don't want to be right next to MF or behind someone who is going to put their kid on their shoulders. The projections are up above the MF so, as long as you have a view of the spires, you're good. The picture below will give some perspective. It shows how high the MF is above the tops of people's heads and how high the projections are above the MF.



This picture is facing the dining package patio and Docking Bay 7. Right next to Dok Ondar's Den of Antiquities (the building on the left), you can see people sitting. There are some small cubes/benches in that area. They aren't the best for fireworks because Ogas gets in the way. That's why I put the red X in the photo above.



Note that the fireworks are to the right of the smaller spire so just make sure you have a clear view of that area. The following fireworks pictures were taken on a different night than the Shadows of Memory photos above. For the fireworks, I was sitting on one of the small cubes next to Den of Antiquities. You can see that some were blocked by the tree and Ogas. There was still plenty to see, but my view would have been better if I wasn't so far to the right.





How to get from SWGE to Main Street: If you take the red exit below, you'll want to turn around from your MF viewing area and walk up the steps towards Docking Bay 7, then turn left. If you take the teal path, after you go under the tunnel, either turn right and join with the red path or turn left, walk through Fantasyland and turn right at the Matterhorn to get to Main Street. Note that most of Fantasyland and the castle are closed for fireworks. By the time you make your way to Fantasyland, it might be open so you might be able to cut through the castle.

 

[ShoeCello]

Unless you see the show multiple times a year, you probably WOULDN'T even notice a difference...it's still a great show and way better than WDW, just due to proximity.

I agree with this - the show is mostly the same in terms of story, but it's a few technical elements that used to consistently work have been cut, are not working, or were not brought back post-fire. For example, 1) there is no magically moving Mickey at the very end, 2) Aladdin and Jasmine now dance on stage instead of on a magic carpet that was on a lift, 3) Maleficent no longer rises and instead waves her arms around on stage, and 4) (the big one) no dragon. Anything else I'm missing from those familiar with Fantasmic? Going by memory here and may have missed some changes. Same script, same storyline, just with reduced theatrics. Of course, there's also the change from Pirates to Peter Pan but that is not a technical limitation.

 

[LAS2AMS]

there is no magically moving Mickey at the very end, 2) Aladdin and Jasmine now dance on stage instead of on a magic carpet that was on a lift, 3) Maleficent no longer rises and instead waves her arms around on stage, and 4) (the big one) no dragon.

“Magically moving Mickey” still occasionally happens. Maleficent is once again rising, so whatever wasn’t working has been fixed.

The magic carpet and dragon were destroyed in the fire. Per reports, Disney intends to bring them back when the budget permits. Allegedly, they spent tens of millions rebuilding the show after the fire - and some credible sources claim the cost was so high that Disney considered scrapping the show.

A barge often breaks down. The current incarnations have been around for nearly 20 years, so maybe they’ll get replaced soon.

Fantasmic is still, hands down, our favorite show at Disney. I prefer the Pinocchio segment over the Aladdin one, and I miss the dragon but other than that…

 

[ShoeCello]

“Magically moving Mickey” still occasionally happens. Maleficent is once again rising, so whatever wasn’t working has been fixed.

The magic carpet and dragon were destroyed in the fire. Per reports, Disney intends to bring them back when the budget permits. Allegedly, they spent tens of millions rebuilding the show after the fire - and some credible sources claim the cost was so high that Disney considered scrapping the show.

A barge often breaks down. The current incarnations have been around for nearly 20 years, so maybe they’ll get replaced soon.

Oh interesting - I haven't seen either magically moving Mickey or rising Maleficent in multiple months, but haven't seen F! in the last couple weeks. Good to know that they fixed Maleficent's lift.

Yes, am aware that the magic carpet was impacted by the fire, just including it in the list of things that are not the same from pre-fire. I've also seen several showings of F! where one of the barges is out, but it (luckily) still isn't that common in my experience. I'm surprised they don't have a back-up barge by now...

Fantasmic is still, hands down, our favorite show at Disney. I prefer the Pinocchio segment over the Aladdin one, and I miss the dragon but other than that…

I'm with you with these sentiments! The flames don't make much sense without the dragon (though I still love seeing the river catch on fire!)

 

[AquaDame]

I agree with this - the show is mostly the same in terms of story, but it's a few technical elements that used to consistently work have been cut, are not working, or were not brought back post-fire. For example, 1) there is no magically moving Mickey at the very end, 2) Aladdin and Jasmine now dance on stage instead of on a magic carpet that was on a lift, 3) Maleficent no longer rises and instead waves her arms around on stage, and 4) (the big one) no dragon. Anything else I'm missing from those familiar with Fantasmic? Going by memory here and may have missed some changes. Same script, same storyline, just with reduced theatrics. Of course, there's also the change from Pirates to Peter Pan but that is not a technical limitation.

Thank you! I though someone mentioned the flow and story are all wrong now but glad to have misunderstood!

 

[disneychrista]

Thank you! I though someone mentioned the flow and story are all wrong now but glad to have misunderstood!

There is a change to the flow of the show form the OG version of the show or even 2.0. But as others have said if you have never seen the show or don't see it very often you may not even notice. As someone who has watched and listened to the OG Fantasmic soundtrack, it is noticeable. It does not make the show bad by any measure.

 

[LAS2AMS]

There is a change to the flow of the show form the OG version of the show or even 2.0. But as others have said if you have never seen the show or don't see it very often you may not even notice. As someone who has watched and listened to the OG Fantasmic soundtrack, it is noticeable. It does not make the show bad by any measure.

It’s a 30yo show. Most of the updates they’ve made through the year are positive. In my mind, the Pinocchio scene flowed better than the Aladdin, but most people prefer the Aladdin scene - probably bc you can’t go wrong with more Mickey. Of course, it pays homage to the Pinocchio .

Overall, it’s a better show than the original. Lots more lighting, sound effects, pyro, etc. And they ditched the DisneySea sound track and went back to an enhanced version of the original.

It’s a really expensive show to run. Given Disney’s track record, I’m surprised they haven’t retired it yet. Removing Pinocchio, Aladdin’s carpet and the dragon probably allowed them to cut a number of stage hands. They’ve also cut between 4 to 6 performers since it returned from the fire.

 

[disneychrista]

It’s a 30yo show. Most of the updates they’ve made through the year are positive. In my mind, the Pinocchio scene flowed better than the Aladdin, but most people prefer the Aladdin scene - probably bc you can’t go wrong with more Mickey. Of course, it pays homage to the Pinocchio .

Overall, it’s a better show than the original. Lots more lighting, sound effects, pyro, etc. And they ditched the DisneySea sound track and went back to an enhanced version of the original.

It’s a really expensive show to run. Given Disney’s track record, I’m surprised they haven’t retired it yet. Removing Pinocchio, Aladdin’s carpet and the dragon probably allowed them to cut a number of stage hands. They’ve also cut between 4 to 6 performers since it returned from the fire.

I'll have to look up the DisneySea sound track version. I am unaware of that. Until December, it had been about 15 years since I had seen the show. There had been years between trips and my previous trip it was closed due to Galaxy's Edge construction.

 

[AquaDame]

There is a change to the flow of the show form the OG version of the show or even 2.0. But as others have said if you have never seen the show or don't see it very often you may not even notice. As someone who has watched and listened to the OG Fantasmic soundtrack, it is noticeable. It does not make the show bad by any measure.

We've seen it a ton, but mostly the original up until 2005 or so when our visits became less frequent. Now we only see it every other year or so. Tbh when Peter Pan changed to Pirates is when I stopped paying attention, because I really did not enjoy that change.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

I mean to each their own but the Show now is not better then the OG or 2.0 Show

The flow might not be important to some people but its like movie editing, an entire movie can suck because of just editing alone to say the flow doesn't matter on the quality to me is just not true.

2.0 Was the best the show has ever been, it was the OG soundtrack, Murphy the Dragon, extras added on like the Croc, ursula and Flotsam and Jetsam and updated effects and fountains.

The show now is fine and yes most people "like" it but The General Audience seems fine with most crap thrown in front of it, I mean they ignore Ellia and other Pixar films but will make a billion Dollars for Moana 2 a very generic and just blame boring film

But as someone who grew up with the show and used to tell everyone it was the one show to see, now....sure go see it but its just as good as it used to be and to me at points boring because there is no flow they just throw in things because and I love Aladdin but it doesn't fit the show, WOC used to have a great Aladdin Segement that worked sooo much better then this

But to me the people saying its just as good, its like changing 1/3 the floats to Paint the night, changing the music to flow less and taking out the big finale and claiming its basically the same show...its just not its lesser then it used to be and if you don't care cool but I can say its disappointing the shape the show is in