Harmonious: how would you rate it?

[DianaMB333]

What to Love:
- It looked technically hard and complex to put together… so A for effort
- Using different languages in the music
- Classic songs selection

What I’d like some improvement:
- Upbeat the tone in the songs (more like Coco’s)
- More fireworks
- The overall impact.. with Illuminations and HEA there are goosebumps moments … today I didn’t truly get one … so, for me it is a 7 /10

maybe I had higher expectations and therefore the rating.. but let’s see how would you rate it?

best recommended locations:
esplanade / US / Japan
(Try to be in front of the main screen -big circle-)

 

[fabfemmeboy]

From the livestream - so fully acknowledging it may be a different experience in person - I was underwhelmed. I wanted to love it, I love the idea behind it (classic Disney songs in the styles/languages they come from? Yes please!) In reality...it felt very copy-pasted, didn't really seem to go together at all, and the barges+arms thing felt far less impressive than other shows Disney has done. If they did amazing things, I could maybe forgive their ruining of the World Showcase view, but it wasn't anything special. Screens + arms that wave back and forth? Meh. I also didn't like a lot of the arrangements as much as I wanted to. There were some where they were trying so hard to mash songs together but the keys for the background music didn't work and it felt unintentionally dissonant/tense. So for me, like a 5/10. I don't hate it, but I don't feel the need to be sure that I see it.

 

[SmartyBacon]

The other thread had a lot of hate for this new show. I saw it live last night from the Japan area; myself and everyone around me thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven't watched the recording yet so maybe there were some production issues with that?

I would expect them to adjust the show since the barge tech would allow for it to be more dynamic, which could certainly be cool.

As far as the screens and the Stargate ruining the lake views, I was told yesterday that the idea is for those showpieces to providing entertainment throughout the day, maybe that starts on the 1st.

IMHO it is certainly worth seeing in person.

 

[DWillowBay]

I loved it! I am a big Illuminations fan, so I didn't think I would be so impressed. But happy to report that I was wrong. They have met the challenge of upping the bar. Great artistic effort, beautiful musically. Obvious technical integrity. Can't wait to see it in person in just 22 days!

 

[cafetao]

I thought it looked really good. I think some of the criticisms in the other thread are kind of silly. It seems to me that there is a vocal group on these boards that are not going to be happy with anything Disney does right now.

That's not to say Disney never deserves criticism, or that you have to like every change. I've been watching Disney find new and creative ways to squeeze more money out of me for decades. But I thought the show was well done and the message was good if a bit heavy handed.

 

[DavidNYC]

I was underwhelemed by the stream but again - may feel different live. Visually it looked beautiful but I think the overall "feel" was missing. I think the music was a large part of that. The score to Illuminations was wonderful and itself seemed to tell a story especially when accompanied by the visuals which seemed to match. I thought the music here was either too slow for too long, had bizarre transitions, far too heavy on Disney songs and was just missing too much cohesiveness to the show a whole. It's a shame because when you think of it - Illuminations wasn't really anything visually spectacular and was pretty simple: fire / globe / fireworks / simple water effects. But for various reasons Illuminations was so much more than the sum of its parts. I didn't get that feel here - it felt disjointed and not fully realized - albeit beautifully.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I was underwhelemed by the stream but again - may feel different live. Visually it looked beautiful but I think the overall "feel" was missing.

This is how I felt too. Initially I had the TV on mute, and I was thinking there was a lot going on and it looked good. But then when we watched it back with the sound on, I did not get it. And the ending? So awkward--the big fireworks finale, a long pause, and then that last weird statement.

My overall rating is: Not worth having those ugly barges in the lagoon all day long.

 

[Lisa P.]

I thought it was visually beautiful. As mentioned by a PP, it seemed a bit heavy-handed on the messaging which I found to be distracting, and too much of a hodge-podge of short, dissimilar musical pieces,. It also seemed more designed as a marketing promo for current Disney products than a reflection of 50 years of Disney, which includes plenty of messages with universal appeal. Perhaps if they had used powerful instrumental music (Fantasia, anyone?) with soothing generic and/or nostalgic imagery to transition between pieces with lyrics, it would seem more cohesive and fluid. Interrupting the show with brief black-outs when there's a change of scene and mood just disrupts the audience's engagement with the show.

So while I did enjoy the video and I would like to see it in person at some point, it wasn't compelling to me. And it certainly did not make up for the eyesore that the barges now create... all... day... long. My elderly mom is deaf and she loves visually beautiful scenery and shows... she would hate the daytime lake views at Epcot now but she'd love this nighttime show.

 

[igrsod]

My family never liked Illuminations. We always found it boring and underwhelming. I liked the idea of this show, music as a language that ties us together in this world. I loved the choices of songs and the different languages used. I did feel the transitions were not well done, and the storyline needed to be woven throughout in a more cohesive way.
I thought that there were plenty of fireworks. It was visually gorgeous... maybe more projections of actual landscapes from those places would be awesome. No show is perfect.. this one is not perfect. BUT, I liked it. I was dancing in my seat with a smile on my face. I can't wait to see it with my family. I think they will love it. Is there room for improvement... YES.

 

[sethschroeder]

I was told yesterday that the idea is for those showpieces to providing entertainment throughout the day

By whom? Since the start the whole concept was these could be "partly" submerged and would be a fountain throughout the day. We will see I guess as time goes by.

Whats also weird is they say this will be a fountain display and right next to it is the Moana fountain display (or whatever they are calling it).

 

[OhhBother]

We saw it live and loved it!

 

[bsmcneil]

From the livestream - so fully acknowledging it may be a different experience in person - I was underwhelmed. I wanted to love it, I love the idea behind it (classic Disney songs in the styles/languages they come from? Yes please!) In reality...it felt very copy-pasted, didn't really seem to go together at all, and the barges+arms thing felt far less impressive than other shows Disney has done. If they did amazing things, I could maybe forgive their ruining of the World Showcase view, but it wasn't anything special. Screens + arms that wave back and forth? Meh. I also didn't like a lot of the arrangements as much as I wanted to. There were some where they were trying so hard to mash songs together but the keys for the background music didn't work and it felt unintentionally dissonant/tense. So for me, like a 5/10. I don't hate it, but I don't feel the need to be sure that I see it.

This. I agreed with the notes from the OP - I just probably would've said something more like the 5/10 that @fabfemmeboy posted

 

[bsmcneil]

I thought it looked really good. I think some of the criticisms in the other thread are kind of silly. It seems to me that there is a vocal group on these boards that are not going to be happy with anything Disney does right now.

That's not to say Disney never deserves criticism, or that you have to like every change. I've been watching Disney find new and creative ways to squeeze more money out of me for decades. But I thought the show was well done and the message was good if a bit heavy handed.

What would you say the message is?

 

[mom2rtk]

This is how I felt too. Initially I had the TV on mute, and I was thinking there was a lot going on and it looked good. But then when we watched it back with the sound on, I did not get it. And the ending? So awkward--the big fireworks finale, a long pause, and then that last weird statement.

My overall rating is: Not worth having those ugly barges in the lagoon all day long.

What was the last weird statement?

 

[ChanaC]

Speaking of ratings, can anyone who has seen it (or will see it over the next few days/weeks) be able to rate where they stood and watched from? Unlike Illuminations it doesn't appear that just anywhere around the lake is a good spot. I'm really interesting in knowing where people watched from and what they thought of their view. Thanks to OP for already giving some suggestions!

 

[ipianomantanner]

Disney wasn’t made by just throwing money at things and using technology as a scapegoat. It was built on story and being able to move the heart. Inspiration and impacting peoples emotion.

This show is nothing but laziness with money and tech thrown at it. There is no tie in to Epcot. The fact that you didn’t even know if the show was over or not until an awkward voiceover comes on and tells you it is says everything. The music was as lazy as it gets for Disney. Zero taste. Zero originality other than a GarageBand mashup some 14 year old could throw together.I know, I’ve been a Nashville orchestrator for 20 years. Nothing about this new show is anything Disney Is about. Unfortunately it’s the trend of what Disney is becoming.
And I LOVE new stuff. HEA is my favorite show of all time. It’s not about wanting to be nostalgic, it’s not about being afraid of change. This show sucks, it’s lazy and it does nothing except show off money and tech in a way that you can get at any six flags or universal.

 

[katyjeka]

We loved what we streamed and can't wait to see it in person!! I loved Illuminations but am ready for a change.

 

[katyjeka]

We saw it live and loved it!

If you don't mind me asking, where did you watch it from?

 

[Mousey0324]

I thought it looked really good. I think some of the criticisms in the other thread are kind of silly. It seems to me that there is a vocal group on these boards that are not going to be happy with anything Disney does right now.

That's not to say Disney never deserves criticism, or that you have to like every change. I've been watching Disney find new and creative ways to squeeze more money out of me for decades. But I thought the show was well done and the message was good if a bit heavy handed.

not having a cohesive story from a company that prides itself on story telling..is not a silly criticism. the show lacked emotion.

The music was a mess. Visually strimulating but that was about it…

 

[RAD]

I’m wondering how all those mechanical elements will stand up to the wear and tear of being out in the Florida weather all day? Just thinking about all the problems malfunctions on rides what will they do if lets say one of the satellite barges goes down or an arm gets stuck?