I Have A Different Take On "Jungle Book:Alive With Magic"

[yulilin3]

I'm in the camp that says you must try something at least once before you knock it down, even with all the negative reviews.
What some people find fun others might find it scary or boring,
This is what I tell people: get together with your family and find 3 things in each park that you really want to do, those are your priorities, whatever time you have left then fill it with your second list of priorities and so forth.
If you are dead set on hating the JB show because of the reviews you've read and the videos you saw it will probably make for a bad experience once you are there because you will be already conditioned that it's a failure.
If you go with an open mind you might enjoy it
I know that park time is precious and if you would rather do anything else other than this show then that's fine. If you are still curious but don't want to make long lines show up at standby 30 minutes before and maybe they have seats available and you'll be able to see it.
If you have a fp then by all means use it.
I live streamed the 10:30pm soft opening show and the 9pm Saturday show from the same spot and both nights the viewers kept saying how wonderful and colorful and upbeat it was.
I would NEVER leave a show before it ends, even if it's boring, even if I have enough leg room to not bother other viewers. It's disrespectful to the performer that are onstage doing their best.
BTW: knowing your kids limits is crucial and I applaud parents that know when their kids have had enough and take them back to the room, no need to have a crying, whiny, sleep deprived kid out and about late at night. They will grow up soon enough and experience the nighttime entertainment at all the parks

 

[lovethattink]

I'm in the minority. I loved the show. I'll go see it again and again, when I can get a FP+ for it.

We had young children in front of us on Saturday. We got there just after 7:30 and the kids in front of us were already seated. Their patience was shot before the show ever started.

If you don't like musical theatre, you aren't going to like JB. As I said before, I loved it and dh and ds liked it. My oldest ds would not care for it at all. I know it's not his cup of tea.

I would recommend seeing the new JB movie before seeing the show.

And keep in mind, it's not the Disney cartoon version of JB. The only characters you'll see are from the movie, shows on the mist screens.

 

[yulilin3]

Also something to ponder...for those saying that Disney should've kept the theater empty until RoL. First they have contracted the musicians for RoL they needed to give them something to do. Second, imagine those 5000 making the lines longer for the other attractions. Third, like @lovethattink , myself and other people, we enjoyed the show, so Disney is providing entertainment for all sorts of tastes, not just the ones that just want to see Disney characters.
RoL is headed in this same direction, I might add. I don't think they will have Disney characters on floats, it's more about the culture and the relationship with nature. I may be wrong and only time will tell.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think that's a really good point... I think RoL will end up being more like JB than any of the other nighttime shows. I think that there's a pretty good chance that if JB is not your cup of tea, RoL won't be either. What will be interesting to watch long-term is how RoL does and if they end up changing that (characters, popular songs etc)

 

[Mom2Stitch]

Also something to ponder...for those saying that Disney should've kept the theater empty until RoL. First they have contracted the musicians for RoL they needed to give them something to do. Second, imagine those 5000 making the lines longer for the other attractions. Third, like @lovethattink , myself and other people, we enjoyed the show, so Disney is providing entertainment for all sorts of tastes, not just the ones that just want to see Disney characters.
RoL is headed in this same direction, I might add. I don't think they will have Disney characters on floats, it's more about the culture and the relationship with nature. I may be wrong and only time will tell.

I agree with this 100% and I hope they keep it that way. With the Awakenings at the Tree of Life, I'm just amazed and so, so happy that, while there are subtle nods to Disney, it remains about the animals and nature. I so can't wait to see it in person.

I've not been yet, but have watched videos of the show The show I will see if it's still there in September because I want to see if for myself. I don't think having the theater sit empty is the better option either, people will still enjoy it whether I do or not. I'm not a fan of lots of things ranted and raved about here on the boards(Norway's schoolbread comes to mind first), but I wouldn't expect others not to enjoy them. Fantasmic! is my favorite night time show, but I don't want to see it in every park.

 

[Mikie]

I think that's a really good point... I think RoL will end up being more like JB than any of the other nighttime shows. I think that there's a pretty good chance that if JB is not your cup of tea, RoL won't be either. What will be interesting to watch long-term is how RoL does and if they end up changing that (characters, popular songs etc)

I hope they stick with their original plan, but do it up full Disney quality. Illuminations doesn't have any characters or popular songs and it's wonderful! I'm hoping the suggestions about characters are just because many think of this incarnation of the show was horrible and are throwing out ideas of other things that could have been done quickly but still well. Hopefully, people don't think that everything has to have a character to be worthwhile (I.e. uproar over cramming Anna & Elsa into Norway)

 

[nilla]

As I said before, I would probably enjoy the show. I also enjoy Voyage of the Little Mermaid, the Castle show, and the Beauty and the Beast show.

But would I use a FastPass or book a dining package for them? Absolutely not.

 

[yulilin3]

I agree with this 100% and I hope they keep it that way. With the Awakenings at the Tree of Life, I'm just amazed and so, so happy that, while there are subtle nods to Disney, it remains about the animals and nature. I so can't wait to see it in person.

I've not been yet, but have watched videos of the show The show I will see if it's still there in September because I want to see if for myself. I don't think having the theater sit empty is the better option either, people will still enjoy it whether I do or not. I'm not a fan of lots of things ranted and raved about here on the boards(Norway's schoolbread comes to mind first), but I wouldn't expect others not to enjoy them. Fantasmic! is my favorite night time show, but I don't want to see it in every park.

I love Norway's school bread, my DD15 does not Fantasmic! is my favorite nighttime show, I find Illuminations boring but I still bring family and friends to watch it when it's their first time here, so they can experience all that Disney is offering

 

[ArwenMarie]

I hope they stick with their original plan, but do it up full Disney quality. Illuminations doesn't have any characters or popular songs and it's wonderful! I'm hoping the suggestions about characters are just because many think of this incarnation of the show was horrible and are throwing out ideas of other things that could have been done quickly but still well. Hopefully, people don't think that everything has to have a character to be worthwhile (I.e. uproar over cramming Anna & Elsa into Norway)

I agree. If RoL is beautiful, and Disney quality, it will be a hit. If it's like JB (not beautiful, not Disney quality IMO) it will not be a hit. And that's when I think there could be a tendency to think that people don't want stuff without the characters and popular songs from the movies.

 

[loves to dive]

I'll go see it at least once if it is still showing when I'm there in September just to see for myself. I think a lot of the complaints have been the technology isn't working, but maybe they will have worked that out. I'm one of the few that doesn't like Illuminations, for me it's a waste of time and I'm a huge fan of fireworks. That earth drives me crazy. I love Fantasmic, the fireworks at HS are great, I don't watch the castle show at MK, basically I watch Tink fly and the first part of the fireworks then I start leaving. Different strokes.

 

[wfjny]

I'm in the camp that says you must try something at least once before you knock it down, even with all the negative reviews.
...
BTW: knowing your kids limits is crucial and I applaud parents that know when their kids have had enough and take them back to the room, no need to have a crying, whiny, sleep deprived kid out and about late at night. They will grow up soon enough and experience the nighttime entertainment at all the parks

Agreed and agreed.

I too think you should always try something. We have been very blessed, and we are able to visit Disney several times a year. My only rule is we do something new on every trip. Sometimes that is easy to do (a new ride, a new show, a new restaurant), other times it is going off and discovering something we have never done before. But you do have to try something, if nothing else, it is one more thing you have been exposed to in your life.

And you are correct, every family is different. We often left the parks early as our kids were younger, as our kids really do need to be on somewhat of a schedule. I would see other families pushing their kids too far, and seeing the meltdowns.

Today, as they are now a bit older (youngest is 11), we can do the parks in the evening. No sunscreen, no sunglasses, no hats, makes loosing things that much harder. Plus it is different atmosphere. But I do constantly see people trying to fit that square peg into the round hole. Know your limits, and work within them, you will all be much happier.

 

[cgh]

BTW: knowing your kids limits is crucial and I applaud parents that know when their kids have had enough and take them back to the room, no need to have a crying, whiny, sleep deprived kid out and about late at night. They will grow up soon enough and experience the nighttime entertainment at all the parks

Thank you for that. My one child has food allergies as well so we have 2 TS meals a day normally. They normally are well behaved in the restaurant. We always do quiet time in the afternoon as well. We have a blast. I also do lots of planning with the family so everyone gets to say what they want to do more then anything else and I make sure it is on the schedule. Each kid is much more accommodating when they know their choice is coming up next. i don't think there's a 'right' way to do Disney. I just know what works for us.

For the original topic- sorry for the offshoot- but from the video I saw it is slow to get started. I do think people here and people who go all the time will pick things apart more. Average person? Entertaining. I wish the story was more clear with it as it seemed a bit disjointed-randomly showing an animal. I'm sure there it would neater.

 

[jacksmommy]

We are looking forward to it! My kids love the nighttime shows and are excited about AK after-dark! We also saw The Jungle Book movie, love the music and beautiful, majestic animals in it. We have a Dining Package which we are on the DP so it is just a single credit so not a big deal for us in our plans and thankful that I don't have to wait stand-by or have my precious 3rd FP just waiting until the night time. Maybe we will go and be a one and done thing but I am looking forward to a first time at Disney!

 

[Micca]

Also something to ponder...for those saying that Disney should've kept the theater empty until RoL. First they have contracted the musicians for RoL they needed to give them something to do.

Disney was also planning on revenue from the sales of dining packages for ROL. If it takes several more months to get ROL up & running, that could have run into a pretty sizable deficit. They had to come up with something to bridge the gap until ROL is ready.