Saw SpectroMagic for the fist time. It was strange.

[karibritt01]

Because the whole parade is timed to the pre-recorded audio track (which is running from a computer system as well,)

and that track takes "X minutes" to repeat itself, over-and-over,

and that determines when each new "cel" of the parade route "wakes up" (pre-announcement, lighting changes, first float in the distance) ready to present the beginning of the parade.

If the parade starts right on time (it does so 99% of the time,) it will reach the same "cels" along the MK route at the same timing a pace every single time it runs.

I either read in Inside the Magic, or saw it on a travel channel show, that the parades are not on timers. They have a computer chip in the road which reads a sensor in the floats, and that triggers the music and lights as the parade moves along. I have seen Spectro take longer at times, less at others. It only makes sense that a parade can't run at exactly the same pace every night... sometimes twice.

 

[iloveeeyore]

So sorry you didn't love it! Spectro is our very favorite attraction at WDW, especially when coupled with Wishes. We recommend it to everyone, tell people it's not-to-be-missed; just goes to show you that not everything is for everyone. We haven't seen the "new" Spectro ball guys since they eliminated the lighted masks, which we really loved. I think we'll miss them. I have heard many, many people say they are creepy, so you are definitely not alone in this.

As far as it being slow-moving, I'm really GLAD it is, because I have more time to enjoy it that way.

 

[Connears]

I still miss the Main Street Electrical Parade.

I have to agree that MSEP is my absolute favorite! It was the first night parade I saw and I loved when it returned for a while. Rally miss it. Espcecially the Pete's dragpn you have in the picture

Connears

 

[Jozymouse]

So sorry you didn't love it! Spectro is our very favorite attraction at WDW, especially when coupled with Wishes. We recommend it to everyone, tell people it's not-to-be-missed; just goes to show you that not everything is for everyone. We haven't seen the "new" Spectro ball guys since they eliminated the lighted masks, which we really loved. I think we'll miss them. I have heard many, many people say they are creepy, so you are definitely not alone in this.

As far as it being slow-moving, I'm really GLAD it is, because I have more time to enjoy it that way.

I totally agree with you. Spectro is also one of my favorite things to see in Disney but I REALLY miss the Spectro men (with the masks) I thought they were so cute and happy The new ones are weird looking and make faces so its just very odd to me. I like the fact that its slow moving because I get the chance to take good pictures!

 

[skier_pete]

It's funny how the world (and World) works. Some love it, some hate it, like just about everything else. My opinion is I like this parade the best of all of them. The otehrs are just kind of Ho-Hum. I am not sure what OP was expecting in terms of the "theme" or "story" of the parade...I didn't really think any of the parades followed story lines per se. If Spectro has a theme, it's the magic of spectrum of lights. One of the coolest things in WDW to me is the last segments white/color transition. What I like best is at the beginning where the 3 pigs are on the float, and they dip the paintbrushes in either the white bucket or color bucket, and that's what "paints" the floats.

That said, last trip we saw the parade twice, the second at the Splash Mountain end of the route. It was indeed a LONG wait to get there, and seeing it twice on the same trip wasn't all that, so I would definitely limit myself to once a trip.

But one thing I think everyone can agree on...like most things at WDW...it's worth seeing once!

SkierPete

 

[maxiesmom]

I totally agree with you. Spectro is also one of my favorite things to see in Disney but I REALLY miss the Spectro men (with the masks) I thought they were so cute and happy The new ones are weird looking and make faces so its just very odd to me. I like the fact that its slow moving because I get the chance to take good pictures!

I totally agree with you! I liked the Spectro men better with the masks on, now they do look a little creepy. Still, I love the Spectromagic Parade. I have the music in my car too!

 

[dis-happy]

Never been a huge Spectro fan myself, but one thing I haven't seen addressed here: when I first saw it a couple of year ago the lights changed often (from all white to colored) in time to the music. I thought it was a really neat effect to show the "magic". But lately they have reduced it, sometimes to a float or two, not the whole parade like it used to be, and not as often. Anyone in the know want to comment on this change???

 

[Jozymouse]

It's funny how the world (and World) works. Some love it, some hate it, like just about everything else. My opinion is I like this parade the best of all of them. The otehrs are just kind of Ho-Hum. I am not sure what OP was expecting in terms of the "theme" or "story" of the parade...I didn't really think any of the parades followed story lines per se. If Spectro has a theme, it's the magic of spectrum of lights. One of the coolest things in WDW to me is the last segments white/color transition. What I like best is at the beginning where the 3 pigs are on the float, and they dip the paintbrushes in either the white bucket or color bucket, and that's what "paints" the floats.

That said, last trip we saw the parade twice, the second at the Splash Mountain end of the route. It was indeed a LONG wait to get there, and seeing it twice on the same trip wasn't all that, so I would definitely limit myself to once a trip.

But one thing I think everyone can agree on...like most things at WDW...it's worth seeing once!

SkierPete

For me, I love the segment with the 3 fairies from Sleeping Beauty where the colors changes from daylight to night colours(dark blue-ish). I think its gorgeous. Also, just like you, I also love when the colours turn to white. Its so magical!

 

[Jozymouse]

I totally agree with you! I liked the Spectro men better with the masks on, now they do look a little creepy. Still, I love the Spectromagic Parade. I have the music in my car too!

I love the Spectro CD but would like it even better if they had the "sounds" from the Spectro Men. Personaly, I've been listening to the BOO TO YOU Disney Halloween parade soundrack in my car since Sept 2006 and cant get enough of it. I'm like obsessed. Its crazy what Disney does to me!

 

[MARY-IN-OH]

I've never seen Stitch in Spectro. That would be cool, I love Stitch.

Has anyone else seen him in Spectro?

-mary

 

[If U Had Wings]

While I like Spectromagic alot, I still much prefer the old Main Street Electrical Parade. I was crushed when I couldn't go when they brought it back a few years ago. It has to have my absolute favorite Disney music of all time in it. One of these days I have to make it out to California Adventure just to see it again. The music of Spectromagic just doesn't stay with me the same way. I couldn't hum it if you asked me to.

I don't usually catch any of the other parades. I did see the Boo to You parade at MNSSHP this year and loved that one though. Again I think it has to do with the music for me. I was singing Boo to You for about a month afterwards.

 

[kait13]

parades= best time to ride rides woooo

 

[Robo]

I either read in Inside the Magic, or saw it on a travel channel show, that the parades are not on timers. They have a computer chip in the road which reads a sensor in the floats, and that triggers the music and lights as the parade moves along. I have seen Spectro take longer at times, less at others. It only makes sense that a parade can't run at exactly the same pace every night... sometimes twice.

The pucks in the street are used to communicate the progress/location of the floats.
It makes sense that it CAN run at the same speed every night.

If there is a problem with an entry it is either moved to the side or towed thru the route to keep the parade continuing in pace.

 

[disney111]

They weren't on a float. They were walking behind the float of one of the Princesses (I can't remember which), and interacting with the crowd. It really seemed out of place.

I think you might be remembering things wrong.. I've seen Spectro like a hundred times and I've never seen Stitch ever. And Gepetto is with Pinocchio on a float near the end of the parade.

Anyways I LOVE Spectro although I do agree about the SpectroMen in the beginning - they are a little creepy! (I have a fear of clowns ) I don't think anything else about the parade is weird though. And about it being slow like Robo said that's simply the way parades work. If you watch the daytime parade from Town Square in Main Street it'll be almost thirty minutes until it gets to your location, nothing weird about that...

 

[Jozymouse]

Yeah and Dopey is at the front of the float Pinocchio/Gepetto float. It would be nice that Disney would add characters to Spectro though! They did remove Brer Fox a while back and he was never replaced

 

[HallGirl]

I think one of the things that makes the parade run slowly at times (at least for reaching Frontierland) is getting across the bridge into Liberty Square. Sometimes those floats don't make it all the way across, especially if it's 2 or 3 floats connected, and they have to pull them. Usually it happens with the last few floats.

 

[Saa62]

The way I understand the music. There is a background tune that is playing from the buildings that remains the same and repeats itself over and over throughout the entire parade. It is the main rhythm and pace. Each float as it enters the viewing crosses over the pucks that are buried in the pavement to keep the music synchronized with the main rhythm. The specialize music for the particular float actually comes from the float itself but has the same timing as the background rhythm.

Next time you watch the parade listen for the main rhythm to start playing then notice the music will change when there is a float but between the floats the music goes back to the same background rhythm.

The floats themselves are naturally battery powered and have just enough battery capacity to run the parade route once. If there are any unscheduled delays the floats will try to keep all the lights going but may not have enough energy reserve to power the drive system. Disney has tow vehicles ready behind the scenes at various locations so they can quickly bring one out and tow the float to complete the parade.

I don't know for a fact but I would theorize that on night there are 2 parades that sometimes all the floats might not get a full charge before the second parade and this could also result in the floats having to be towed.

Another interesting thing that I have heard is when they are training the drivers for the night parade they will sometimes bring out a portable strobe light and flash it in the drivers face as they drive the floats to get the drivers used to the flashes from cameras.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I either read in Inside the Magic, or saw it on a travel channel show, that the parades are not on timers. They have a computer chip in the road which reads a sensor in the floats, and that triggers the music and lights as the parade moves along. I have seen Spectro take longer at times, less at others. It only makes sense that a parade can't run at exactly the same pace every night... sometimes twice.

In essence correct. The audio and lighting is driven by the floats themselves and their locations along the route. If running slower, or faster, the audio, etc will always be correctly synched to the float/s in the immediate area of viewing. The actual minute by minute timing of the parade can and does vary.

A simple explanation from Wikipedia.....

....All audio is controlled through DTMF tones transmitted by RF signals from the antennas on Cinderella's Castle to each unit. Each unit has its own audio themed to the unit, with the main parade theme is then played on the zone speakers. Each zone is anywhere between 70 to 80 ft in length. The audio is stored on the unit as digitally encoded information. All the audio and other effects are stored in DACS (Digital Automation Control System). The lighting effects and other special effects are all controlled by on-board computers which initiate their own cues using a Programmable Logic Controller. The cues are sent via the antennas to the units. The main control center is located under Main Street USA. The PC (Production Center) is where all Magic Kingdom parades are stored. It is located behind Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

 

[blue_eyes5212]

Spectro is a must do for us! We always watch it in front of City Hall.
We can pretty much see the floats coming out of the "gate".

 

[karibritt01]

The pucks in the street are used to communicate the progress/location of the floats.
It makes sense that it CAN run at the same speed every night.

If there is a problem with an entry it is either moved to the side or towed thru the route to keep the parade continuing in pace.

I haven't been since last June, but when we saw the parade there were large gaps between the floats several times. We were near the train station, and at the end of the route. I have seen gaps before, but that particular time was worse than I had seen before. There are many factors that can slow a parade... the obvious 2 being the characters walking and interacting, or the floats needing to be towed. I think idiots crossing the road rounds out the top 3!

I have never noticed the music coming from the floats themselves... that would be interesting to watch for next time around.