Disney firework shows are in a rut!!!

[WishesFan]

After reading about the new Disneyland fireworks show, ?Remember... Dreams Come True? (hosted by Jiminy Cricket) it looks like ANOTHER take off of ?Believe? and ?Wishes.?

I don?t know about you, but I?m tired of firework shows that are separated into movements with extensive speaking. It just makes it too disjointed! The end of the song never truly reaches a high climax because of the random comment before the orchestra crescendos, ?Remember, just believe!? ot ?What they can?t do these days.?

In my opinion, a fireworks show should consist of three parts...
1. A fanfare announcing Tinkerbell?s Flight
2. A five to seven minute medley of Disney songs (with NO breaks)
3. A finale with the current park theme song (ending high and long with NO speaking comments)

What do you think? I would love another opinion.

Have a Disney kind of day!
-Rick

PS: Before you drill me for having my member name ?wishesfan? and bashing it on this post, please note that I chose that name because I REALLY like the version performed my David Wise and Michelle Lindahl- not the fireworks show.

 

[ToTnut]

well, i was going to get you on the ?wishesfan? thing until you clarified it. I?m with you. I think the best shows never stop except between the main part and the finale. What do you think the perfect fireworks show was?

 

[Jessica L]

IMO - the best fireworks show ever is Reflections of Earth. Very little dialogue, breathtaking music, and an amazing fireworks display which still makes me cry even after having seen it like 10 times (and an infinite number of listens on the CD). It'll be hard for Disney to ever top it.


Jessica

 

[X-S Tech]

Never got to sit and watch reflections of Earth though I love the music. Believe has been the only fireworks show I've ever enjoyed (and the Christmas version was pretty good). Prior to that there didn't seem to be any fireworks/music sync whatsoever. Whether it just wasn't possible or just deemed unimportant I have no idea. I suspect it was a matter of the fireworks guys not being in on the scoring sessions and the composer not giving any input to the fireworks guys. Believe truly looks like a work of art, everything fits, music is well arranged, nice crescendos (visually and auditorily). I don't mind the bit of dialogue. But yeah what I've heard of Wishes doesn't inspire me much.

 

[SharonKurland]

FWIW, I think that Believe is the best fieworks show I've ever seen, seconded by Wishes. But it's not for the format...it's just the music. Very classic Disneyesque kind of style that reminds me of innocent youth.

-Sharon-

 

[X-S Tech]

Haven't seen Wishes either but all of the character dialogue really turns me off. First I hate when they recreate voices like Peter Pan and Pinocchio. I know sometimes it's necessary but in this case (and some others) it just sounds awful. I think it bothers me because it sounds like they have just put false words into these beloved characters mouths (a la Fred Astaire dancing with the Vacuum cleaner). Like how they rewrite the familiar lines to fit the show: Peter Pan: I wish we never had to grow up". Well first of all he would never say that because in his reality they didn't have to. I guess it just smacks of people who aren't necessarily Disney fans, having control of Disney properties. And the music didn't impress me very much. There weren't any particularly inspiring arrangements. And where were the much-touted-by-WDW-publicity-dept never-before-heard verses from When you Wish Upon a Star? I musta missed them.

 

[Joevn]

I agree with you, Rick, I wish Disney would do a format like you suggested. It's the same format as Fantasy in the Sky during the 25th Anniversary and kept for a few years after. (Obviously, this is due largely in part to the Remember the Magic Finale! (Hope to see you on IM at some point so we can chat, just remember to put my SN without spaces, it should appear on your buddy list then.)) But yeah, I liked how it was a continuous flow of classic Disney music with a break for the grand finale.

Like Jessica, I also think the best fireworks show right now at WDW is IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. This show, in my opinion, got everything right - great music, fireworks timed well to the music, and plenty of other special effects. Plus, it also follows the format we both like, well, minus Tinker Bell, but that wouldn't make sense at Epcot.

Wishes is definitely an upgrade from Fantasy in the Sky in terms of more extensive use of special effects and really having the fireworks go along with the music, but the fact that it keeps breaking up for dialogue is annoying...especially Snow White's new voice. Does that get on anyone else's nerves? Plus, I think they overuse the shooting star effect. Still, it's not a horrible show. I liked it when I saw it. It's hard to have a more classic theme park moment than watching fireworks over Cinderella Castle timed to Disney music. This show is a step in the right direction, but hopefully the next version of the castle fireworks show will be better.

Joe

 

[SFMike]

The voices and pacing annoy me too. Wishesfan has it right with the three part idea. And PLEASE no little kid voices! They are not cute to me.

I think the narration is just filler to make the show longer. And since we are living in the Eisner era of creative bankrupcy we basically get the same shows over and over. Your typical sequelitis.

 

[Jessica L]

Bill - so I gather you're not a fan of people with accents?

I kinda liked the old Illuminations (ie 25th Anniversary edition), but more so before Reflections of Earth entered the scene. It was kinda like an "ignorance is bliss" deal.

I've never seen Believe so I have to sit out on that debate. I'm going to DL next August, but by then the 50th Anniversary show will be up and running - hope it lives up to everyone's expectations!

Jessica

 

[SharonKurland]

You are ALL going to hate me. but I have yet to find an Epcot fireworks show that I like. And I've see a LOT of them.

Ick.

Nowadays I listen to the voiceovers to see if I know who's doing them.....

-Sharon-

 

[xfkirsten]

I haven't seen Wishes in person, so I can't comment on how the music/finale works together with the fireworks. However, I hate the really bad imitations of Disney character voices in there. Snow White in particular has always struck me as really off. I just don't know how well voice parts like that mix anyways - it's not like with a score where they can time it with the music. If what I just said makes any sense at all.

I love Believe, however. I was SO happy to see it running when I went on the 14th, even though it wasn't scheduled. I've never felt there was a lack of a big finale there. The music grows to a crecendo just after the kid says "Remember, just believe!" and there's no shortage of shells there. And Believe in Holiday Magic still brings me to tears.

-Kirsten

 

[Jeff in NY]

I don't usually complain around these boards, but the fireworks are starting to annoy me too, and here's why:

Lulls in the action--You're not fooling me. Quiet parts in the "story" mean fewer shells to fire off.

The "Little Kid" voice-overs--I don't remember which one it was, I think "Believe," where I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl:"I wish I never had to leave this magical place!" Now, I'm sure people know the actor/actress and their gender, but I don't. I know it was supposed to be that way too.

Finally, and this goes for a lot of park entertainment--What I call the "Jean-Benet Choirs" These are the kids singing backup that sound like their parents made them take singing lessons. When Walt, or Tutti, recorded It's a Small World, they used regular kids, and it sounded fine. The re-scoring from the 90's is the chorus of Jean-Benets, and I think it sounds silly.

Okay, that was my rant for 2004! I should also say that I like DCA, I liked the Superstar Limo ride, and I enjoyed the Eddie Murphy Haunted Mansion movie. So, you may not agree with me.

 

[Dirk]

Disney Fireworks ... now that is a hot topic forcing me to post once again

Right now I think Illuminations:Reflections of Earth is still the best of the fireworks regularly presented at WDW, Disneyland Anaheim and Disneyland Resort Paris (can't speak for Tokyo Disney as I only plan to go there soon but haven't been there yet).

Reflections of Earth combines a truely moving soundtrack, great fireworks and some fitting special effects. It also is unique by managing to pull off non-fireworks-moments without giving you the feeling of the whole thing just beeing dragged on. Wonderful score, wonderful experience.

Believe (and its Christmas incarnation) are quiet good and most propably the best "Disney Material" based fireworks around. It has the advantage of the distinct Disney feeling thanks to the location and the used material, but somehow lacks the "uniqueness" of Reflections. While the score is moving it never touches me as much as Reflections. It has some great moments but is just of a different quality than Reflections. But so far the best fireworks in any Magic Kingdom. I do like how they combine classic material with a new song and even manage to get a story in. The Christmas version though has a bit of a strange feeling to it due to the anticlimatic finale with the snow, but seems to aim at the "amazement" factor with that. This makes it great for first time visitors and kids but surely lacks for repeat visitors.

Wishes on the other hand is a let down to me. It surely improves effect wise over the prior MK-fireworks, but it is in no way up to Believe or Reflections of Earth. The score is really nice, but it is too often stopped by too long dialogue which is just prolonging the whole show without really bringing across any decent story line. Also the whole scene just sits "empty" during most of the dialogue, giving you time to look around and wonder what is happening. If they want to drag out unnecessarily the fireworks with dialogue, at least offer something to look at during this phase, e.g. ,oving projections or laser effect. Right now the dialogue kills the atmosphere for me and especially the flow of the other wise great score (which I would for some feeling I can't really pin point so far would anyway rate below Believe).


I know that a lot of posters might hate me for what I'm going to say now, but I personally even think that the current fireworks at Disneyland Resort Paris top Wishes as an overall experience for a music lover. Why? Well, certainly they are not as long, the fireworks itself are not as huge or impressive (regarding that Wishes wins hands down), but Tinkerbell's Fantasy in the Sky has a nice flow to it as the score builds up and takes the guests on a journey without being interrupted. Baserd on music from Peter Pan it is a classical Disney fireworks display without any singing or dialogue - really nice from a musical experience point of view. It manages to pull of a great show based on the limitations set for Disneyland Resort Paris. It needs to be seen what "Wishes" will be like, when it hits DLRP in summer 2005 in a new incarnation, that certainly will have to be downscaled from WDW's version. Hopefully at least some of the special effects fireworks will survice the move, as those are direly lacking currently at DLRP.


Yours
Dirk

 

[Dr. Know]

My two cents --

Reflections of Earth is a masterpiece... I have seen it many times and it has never failed to give me chills.

Believe... is beautiful; very strong score, nicely synchronized with the fireworks display. Also very moving. I love the big crescendo at the end -- again, I have found this spine-tingling in person

Wishes... Like Dirk, I am somewhat disappointed. The score is not as strong as Believe, the dialogue is terrible, and the whole thing just doesn't flow as smoothly as Believe. I wish there was more 'original' material in the score, rather than cut-n-paste snippets from various Disney films.

On the other hand, all three of these presentations blow most non-Disney fireworks displays that I have seen completely out of the water.

Jim

 

[merlinjones]

I would like to see fireworks accompanied by the Wonderful World of Color theme.

 

[WishesFan]

I?m back! I just don?t understand why everyone likes ?Believe? so much! I saw it about a month ago and was VERY disappointed! The fireworks were SOOOO weak and the music definitely could have been louder and MUCH more dramatic. My main complaint is hearing those awful kid singers singing with the adults. Same for ?Wishes?; just before the last note on, ?...dream will come true!? everyone is looming on a high ?A? in unison. I don?t know about you, but I was waiting for that high ?D? last chord but it never came!

I guess my main complaint is the new way of singing Disney park songs. My favorite songs for THAT DISNEY SOUND would be the Remember the Magic Finale from FITS and Share A Dream Come True from the parade. There?s just something about that tight harmony.

What do you think?

-Rick

 

[Jeff in NY]

Howdy again!

Rick, you're talking about that classic "Kids of the Kingdom" sound, and I agree with you. Those singers must have moved on, and now we're hearing the new "kids." I also hear what you're saying about the harmonies. My stab in the dark on that one is that the arranger is different. It seems to me that whoever is arranging the vocals, or even the instrumentation for that matter, is someone who is very "Broadway." I remember when Beauty and the Beast hit the screen, we all said, "Wow, that's very Broadway." I'm feeling it in the park productions as well. Not a bad thing, just different from the 70's and 80's.

 

[Dznygrl]

I really dislike the voice they use for Jiminy Cricket these days (ala Spectromagic) and am very disappointed to hear that Jiminy will be doing the narration for DL's Remember Dreams Come True fireworks show. I think I'd rather have the annoying little kid in Believe or even the grandma from the holiday show. The "new" Disney voices are just....bad.

 

[X-S Tech]

As for the fireworks themselves, Believe has scaled back the number of shells they use and I've noticed a great difference in the way this affects the show. But even with a reduced number of shells, they are still synced much better than most shows I've ever seen.

 

[SFMike]

Yes Bill, it was incredible because they they still give a #*!? at TDL. It was the opening of Disney Sea in Tokyo that really soured me on The Disneyland Resort. Comparing it to DCA was the smoking gun that showed that Eisner and crew have no respect for the American public. We are just the rubes that will pay what ever price they set to see the lamest, cheapest attractions if it has the "Disney" label on it. Well, the creativity of of Disney Sea and the beauty of Disneyland Paris killed what was left of the old Disney magic in Southern California to me. At least for the 50th we are getting some new paint!