Starlight soft opening tonight at 9 pm!!!

[Disturbia]

Are the characters clearly visible on the floats? Watching videos online I thought the characters were not brightly lit (royals float in particular) as previous parades.

 

[DisneyFive]

My point was that I don’t think the people with the props were meant to be seen. No need to be condescending with the LOL.

The prop holders with the butterflies on their heads and with the diamonds are not dancing. They’re just walking.

My thoughts exactly. No disrespect to them at all but they were walking with props.

Thanks for the clarification.

Sorry I Didn’t mean to be condescending, It just truly made me laugh out loud that they weren’t supposed to be seen(which is partly because I didn’t read your comment very closely) . I think the problem is, I consider the people walking around as a whole, not separating the actual person from the props that they are wearing or holding. I’m not really up-to-date on parade terminology so I don’t really differentiate between walking and dancing I guess. They were walking/flitting around in what looked like a choreographed way, which looks like dancing to me. I agree that the dark outfits are that way to focus on the other props they are wearing or holding.

Part of the reason for my original comment was that others were saying there was not much going on in between floats, but there really is. Didn’t feel lacking to me

To the person who asked if the characters are well lit on the floats, yes, they are. Very nicely. The problem with cameras is that the lights are so bright on the floats that the camera doesn’t pick up the characters as well, but they really are easily seen all the colors are very bright and colorful actually.

Here are a couple of (not very good) screen captures from some video I took of the “dancers” walking around between floats

 

[DizneyFamof4]

I saw a video by a DISNEY ENTERTAINMENT CM who worked the parades for years and still friends with. She watched SOFT a few times, had concerns so she contacted some of her friends who are in the parade. She asked them if after soft there would be more added; characters walking like usual parades or them getting actual costumes (not black) or them getting choreography as opposed to just walking with a prop. They said NO this is what it is.

She stated she was very disappointed because parades are supposed to be stories that flow and the on the ground CMs in great costumes, dancing etc are what connects the story and floats. I mean she is right, think about Boo to You and Christmas and the daytime. Some of the best parts are the free walking and dancing characters. Hopefully Disney hears some feedback and adds on to it.

We had high hopes for the parade after seeing the sketches, but our family thought the parade as a whole was just ok and not as good as Electric Light or even SpectroMagic. We really liked the floats, but we also thought that there was just to many floats with mainly blue lights. Like others have mentioned, it really needed more in between the floats too and was to dark. We missed having at least a few characters on the ground and we were disappointed with the music, all the other parades we would be humming the parade theme afterwards but not this one. We would have been happier if they just brought the Paint the Night parade that Disneyland had.

 

[DisneyFive]

We had high hopes for the parade after seeing the sketches, but our family thought the parade as a whole was just ok and not as good as Electric Light or even SpectroMagic. We really liked the floats, but we also thought that there was just to many floats with mainly blue lights. Like others have mentioned, it really needed more in between the floats too and was to dark. We missed having at least a few characters on the ground and we were disappointed with the music, all the other parades we would be humming the parade theme afterwards but not this one. We would have been happier if they just brought the Paint the Night parade that Disneyland had.

There are a lot of white and blue lights. Agreed. I guess it kind of depends on what you’re looking for. I think it looks really nice but I get it if you want a really colorful parade like the old ones then this one would not hit that mark

 

[imbelle]

A night time parade is better than no night time parade, but I was hoping they would hit it out of the park with something like the Tokyo Disneyland Dreamlights.

 

[Minnie1222]

Are the characters clearly visible on the floats? Watching videos online I thought the characters were not brightly lit (royals float in particular) as previous parades.

Yes, they are clearly visible. We were very far back and could easily distinguish the different characters.

 

[Smugpugmug]

A night time parade is better than no night time parade, but I was hoping they would hit it out of the park with something like the Tokyo Disneyland Dreamlights.

Agreed. I saw Dreamlights in November and thought Starlight looked amateur-ish in comparison.

 

[Minnie1222]

I actually expected to see a lot of blue and white lights since the parade is named  Starlight:  Dream the  Night Away, and is led by the  Blue Fairy. Some of the floats do change colors so the procession is not entirely starlight-themed.

 

[Miffy]

I saw the 11 pm parade 3 nights ago. I was just outside the Christmas Shoppe.

The good:

There were very few spectators in that area and the CMs were okay with us sitting on the ground both waiting for the parade and during the parade, although I stood up for the parade. There was no one behind me, btw. It was quite nice to be in a not-crowded-at-all location.

The floats are very pretty. I love lights, so put lights on anything and I'm happy.

It's brief. I put this is the "good" category since I never felt like I was standing there for forever and hoping the parade would end. There's just enough of it.

The mediocre:

The music. It's not terrible but it's not wonderful. Or even that catchy, although I've seen the parade only once. Adventure Friends Cavalcade has a far better theme song.

The bad:

Characters on the floats seemed to be remote, separated from us mere mortals, so crowd interaction was minimal. Like we're supposed to worship them, which, come to think of it, maybe is sort of the point!

I also would've liked more street dancers. And a catchy tune like Festival of Fantasy, for example.

However, overall, I was glad to see it and will probably see it again. The entire parade lasted perhaps 10 minutes, max.

 

[DisneyFive]

I saw the 11 pm parade 3 nights ago. I was just outside the Christmas Shoppe.

The good:

There were very few spectators in that area and the CMs were okay with us sitting on the ground both waiting for the parade and during the parade, although I stood up for the parade. There was no one behind me, btw. It was quite nice to be in a not-crowded-at-all location.

The floats are very pretty. I love lights, so put lights on anything and I'm happy.

It's brief. I put this is the "good" category since I never felt like I was standing there for forever and hoping the parade would end. There's just enough of it.

The mediocre:

The music. It's not terrible but it's not wonderful. Or even that catchy, although I've seen the parade only once. Adventure Friends Cavalcade has a far better theme song.

The bad:

Characters on the floats seemed to be remote, separated from us mere mortals, so crowd interaction was minimal. Like we're supposed to worship them, which, come to think of it, maybe is sort of the point!

I also would've liked more street dancers. And a catchy tune like Festival of Fantasy, for example.

However, overall, I was glad to see it and will probably see it again. The entire parade lasted perhaps 10 minutes, max.

I went back and looked in my camera roll, and you are exactly right. From the first float until the last it was 10 minutes.

I will say, the one bad thing about the parade is that it jams up the hub and the main streets of Magic Kingdom for a large part of the evening. With the parade at 9 PM, HEA at 10 PM and another parade at 11 PM it just keeps that whole area packed. There were people lined up an hour early for the parade (probably because it is so new) but that means from 8 PM till 11:15 PM Main Street, the hub, and all the streets are jammed.

 

[elvispursley]

Do they have the bypass open for those who want to exit?

 

[DisneyFive]

Do they have the bypass open for those who want to exit?

They do for a little while, (behind the Emporium shops) but getting closer to when the parade(s) starts, they have to close that off because that’s where the floats come out.

Edit to add: we were leaving during the Second 11 PM parade tonight after riding Tron and they did have the bypass open next to Tomorrowland Terrace during the parade

 

[KatieCharlotte]

The info here is very helpful, but I'd love any opinions on where to watch the parade and fireworks, not necessarily the same spot.

We're planning to watch the 9 p.m. parade, watch the fireworks, and leave. Adults and a teenager. I don't need a perfect spot, especially for the fireworks, but I want to see and I am short. We want to get out fairly quickly and not wait a long time for the bus to All Star Sports. Crowds are my husband's only anxiety trigger. I generally avoid watching parades on Main Street just because I don't want to sit there for an hour. Everyone in the group is willing to wade through crowds between the parade and fireworks, but they really have no idea how crowded it can be.

 

[toesmom]

The info here is very helpful, but I'd love any opinions on where to watch the parade and fireworks, not necessarily the same spot.

We're planning to watch the 9 p.m. parade, watch the fireworks, and leave. Adults and a teenager. I don't need a perfect spot, especially for the fireworks, but I want to see and I am short. We want to get out fairly quickly and not wait a long time for the bus to All Star Sports. Crowds are my husband's only anxiety trigger. I generally avoid watching parades on Main Street just because I don't want to sit there for an hour. Everyone in the group is willing to wade through crowds between the parade and fireworks, but they really have no idea how crowded it can be.

I think adding the 9pm parade is good value now for magic kingdom, and fireworks after parade, this will keep families at park all day, it is great addition. Too bad we left last week on the day the parade started... back at Christmas at BWV and will have a chance to watch it then

 

[jerry557]

For the Magic Kingdom, I think this parade is great. This is a MUCH more formal and majestic parade than I think some were expecting. This is not another Paint the Night. That is obviously not the vibe they were shooting for here. And I actually applaud that. My long-standing gripe with Paint the Night is that it's kind of trippy. It's too much like a dance party. Im not saying Paint the Night is bad. I just dont think that would fit in the Magic Kingdom very well.

Lots of blue and white, yeah. But that's the theme they are going for. This is a magical dream through the stars. The concept art was full of blue and white. This isn't surprising.

The music is a home run. For those saying the music wasn't memorable or magical, I don't know what you are talking about. I thought the music fit perfectly. Im not sure how they could have done any better. And the homage to MSEP with Baroque Hoedown is a great touch.

No, it's not perfect. I agree the length could be longer. 2-4 more floats/units are needed. And the ground game needs some improvement. But those aren't hard things to improve. And I am sure they will be in the future. I feel this was a bit rushed because they needed to get this out before the parties started. And they barely made it as it is. It was supposed to come out in June. Is it as good as MSEP? Not in its current state. However it would take a lot to beat that for me as that was a parade I watched in my childhood over and over. And its etched in my brain. But this is a good platform to build on.

 

[princesslover]

The music is a home run. For those saying the music wasn't memorable or magical, I don't know what you are talking about.

When people started complaining about the music my first thought was “What WAS the music?” (Seriously). I saw it live and had to go back and watch videos to remember it. I honestly didn’t remember it. Even now, I can’t bring the tune up in my head. So for me it’s not that it was bad. Just very forgettable.

 

[Joanna71985]

The music is a home run. For those saying the music wasn't memorable or magical, I don't know what you are talking about. I thought the music fit perfectly. Im not sure how they could have done any better. And the homage to MSEP with Baroque Hoedown is a great touch.

Agreed! I've already purchased the soundtrack