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AVP
06-04-2004, 10:50 PM
This review has untagged spoilers - read at your own risk!

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Disneyland debuted the new Imagine... a Fantasy in the Sky fireworks show this evening. Imagine replaces Believe... There's Magic in the Stars. According to an official Disney publication, the new show was designed to take advantage of new launching technology in order to help protect the environment.

Music: Imagine opens with the fanfare music from original "Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks from Disneyland. From there, it launches into a remix of the "Share a Dream Come True" parade music from the Magic Kingdom. As in Walt Disney World, Florida.

The remainder of the show is a medley of assorted "Princess" tunes, "Part of Your World," "A Whole New World," etc, etc, etc, mixed with the WDW parade music. One friend noted that all of the songs are from Eisner-era animated features - Little Mermaid, Aladdin - with no "classic" (Walt-era) Disney music.

Pyro: Several people in the audience speculated that Imagine probably uses 1/2 - 1/3 of the shells used in Believe. There are certainly fewer shells in the air at any moment - where Believe would have 2-3 simultaneous bursts, Imagine has long sequences that are nothing but a series of single-shell explosions.

Many of the "special" shells are used in Imagine - stars, hearts, double-rings, etc. The comets are used, as are the launchers and fountains across the back of "it's a small world," and the launchers on top of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Tinker Bell still flies over the Castle.

In fact, all of the elements of Believe are still used - just with far fewer shells than before. Someone observed that there is a lot of "dead air" in the show, and that is certainly true. From our vantage point on Main Street, I found myself watching the lights on the Castle a few times because there was nothing going on in the sky.

Where Believe had a theme if not an outright plot, Imagine seems to be a step back to the pre-Steve Davidson era of Disneyland fireworks, where the main point was to shoot lots of pretty things in the air, not tell a story.

The Good: New or re-worked effects - a colorful "fan" effect, new launch effects from the Castle.

The Bad: Folks, check the sign on the gate - it reads "Disneyland," not "Walt Disney World." Could you please at least use OUR parade music?

The Ugly: Now that we've spent years watching an amazing show that told an actual story through pyrotechnics, how are we supposed to go back to a "boom! ah! boom! ah!" show? Especially when there aren't enough shells used to elicit an "ah!" from the audience?

My take - if it ain't broken, don't fix it. I want Believe back.

AVP

GoldenEars
06-04-2004, 11:26 PM
I, personally, loved the new show!! I was standing in the middle of Main St. near the Market House and was very impressed with the whole thing. And yes, I did recognize that a lot of the music was from WDW. But hey, it was still good and frankly, I love the music they used.

What I was laughing at (inside) was the way they seemed to really play the theme to *a whole new world* a lot...or so it seemed. But then I realized why that would be. A very good friend of mine who works in the marketing devision of Disney told me that they are trying to get rid of all the logo merchandise that is being used this year for Disneyland, which is *a whole new world* theme. They want to resort back to Walt's original theme, which of course is, *the happiest place on earth!* Or perhaps for next year it will be, *the happiest homecoming on earth.*

But regardless, I'm sure the *powers that be* at Disney thought it would be a good idea to incorporate that particular song (a lot) in the new firework show. And that way, guests will buy more of the merchadise that they're trying to get rid of. I don't know, just a hunch on my part.

Bottom line tho, is that I really liked the new firework show! It was better than I was expecting it to be. Way to go, Disney!

My only complaint of the show would be the volume level of the music. Where I was standing, the music was way too loud. It almost sounded a bit distorted. But then again, it could be where I was standing, I don't know.

I'm eager to hear what others thought of it!!

Patrick :D

AaronInCal
06-04-2004, 11:49 PM
I also liked "Imagine" overall. It did seem to start off slow, but got better as it went. Seemed like maybe too many pauses with narration and probably too sappy as well, but this is Disneyland! Also the Mickey was in the show, not long after it starts! Everyone should also keep an eye on the Matterhorn about half-way or so through the show for what happens as Tinkerbell gets ready for her flight! Pretty cool! There is also a bit of "exit music," ala Fantasmic, and they actually tell you "Goodnight!" The new effects shot from the Castle area are quite cool and very bright! Kinda hard to tell, but it looked like they were shot further off the sides of the Castle possibly so they are all ready for when the rehab on the Castle begins. I'm sure the show will be tweaked through this month since tonight really was only the 2nd time they actually performed the show, after the test they did Thursday night. So we'll see if they make any changes to shells used or the music in the coming week.. Still, an enjoyable show that will only be around for this summer! (Unless it comes back after the 50th..)

TP2000
06-05-2004, 12:23 AM
My review?.... I liked it! I thought it was a nifty fireworks show that was a nice change of pace from Believe. The music was all new to me since I haven't been to Florida in a couple years, and I probably wouldn't remember the parade music there anyway. I thought the soundtrack flowed nicely, I loved the music selections they played, and I enjoyed the short bits of narration and especially the end where they actually told us "Goodnight!".

The pyro and shells looked very nice, even though it was kind of a foggy night without much wind to push the smoke away. On clear nights with a breeze it will look even better I bet. I didn't notice that there was a decrease in overall pyro used, it just seemed as though they timed things differently. There were definitely a few times when there were a LOT of big shells all going off at once.

The new Tinkerbell effect on the Matterhorn was a surprise, and a nice way to get everyone to "direct your attention" towards the Matterhorn to see Tink. Bravo!

Overall, I give the show an 8 out of 10. And considering this was slapped together in a very short amount of time and this show will only last a matter of months, I think Disneyland went above and beyond with their new fireworks offering.

There isn't a story being told, or a particular plot unfolding with this new show. But I think the plotline of Believe was lost on the average Joe Tourist from Dubuque anyway, and the vast majority of non-Disney Geek people in the Park just want some pretty fireworks set to snappy Disney music. The new Imagine show delivers that, and adds a few nice surprises and bonuses as well. I really like the new fireworks show, and look forward to seeing it again this summer!

Germboy
06-05-2004, 12:45 AM
I have to say that I agree 100% AVP. I am a DL fireworks freak. I record every new show that the park presents: 4th of July, NYE, post-9/11, Believe, etc. Honestly, I normally squirm in the car the whole way home, til I can play it back on a TV. This recording? I couldn't care less if it gets taped over. It REEKS of corporate.

I take exception to two of your observations. 1) It does NOT start with the fanfare of the original FITS from Disneyland. Not even close. It starts with the fanfare of the REMAKE of FITS FROM WALT DISNEY WORLD. I could NOT believe it. I loved the original DL version, but I CAN'T STAND that "new and improved" version (circa late 90's or 2000) they played at WDW. Hearing it tonight made my skin crawl. I don't know about the "Share A Dream" parade back there. Is that the "second star to the right" theme? and 2) Not ALL of the songs were Eisner-era...they did play Chim-Chim-Cheree (Mary Poppins), Once Upon A Dream (Sleeping Beauty), and a few others. But, you are right--they weighed HEAVILY on Eisner-era characters.

I did not like the narrations. The show started with the EXACT same voice that does the narrations for WDW's Wishes show (some female voice with a strange, unnatural-sounding accent). It also included another voice with the same corny style of narration they had for the Christmas Believe show (female voice, attempting to sound like a grandmother, but instead sounds like an old transvestite with social issues--"Let it touch you once more!").

Let me interrupt this tirade with a few magical words: Believe! Imagine! Remember! Share! Actually, I gotta give them credit: Imagine is a new one. They haven't used that one yet. They should call the 50th Anniversary fireworks show: "Remember to Believe and Imagine that you can Share the Wishes!" (Open your heart. Let it touch you once more!). I also didn't like the narration that continued way after the finale of the show, and even after the lights came on. That part will get real old, real fast.

No patriotic ending. No grand finale. AS ALWAYS. When will they learn?

When it ended, I asked my three friends what they thought of it. All of them said "I could have done without the singing." I couldn't have agreed with them more. I am so tired of Disney having to create some new "theme" song for their fireworks shows. Ever since FITS ended, every last show has had to have some non-Disney, unknown song, to "sell it" to the crowd. Why not take advantage of the rich history of Disney music and pull from THAT? They did it for the first 50 years...why change a good thing? People go to Disneyland to see Disney. Not to see some show that could be played at any theme park.

I played it for my parents, who have gone to DL since 1962. They let their passes expire years ago because the park had become something that they did not recognize (nor were they interested in). Both of them said "Something's missing." after I showed them the video tape.

Tinkerbell, as with Believe, is thrown in as an afterthought (instead of the one who lights the fireworks), the show also relies heavily on WDW's old (cancelled) show, the fireworks were sparse and were not really timed to the music, and the general concept seemed to be thrown together at the last minute.

On a positive note, it was something NEW. Not different (it was a patchwork of the rehashed set to new music), but new.

I just wonder where this came from, and why.

TP2000
06-05-2004, 02:53 AM
I did not like the narrations. The show started with the EXACT same voice that does the narrations for WDW's Wishes show (some female voice with a strange, unnatural-sounding accent). It also included another voice with the same corny style of narration they had for the Christmas Believe show (female voice, attempting to sound like a grandmother, but instead sounds like an old transvestite with social issues--"Let it touch you once more!").


Okay, you and I disagree on the merits of this new fireworks show, but that paragraph just made my whole weekend!

I will never be able to listen to that unfortunate grandmotherly narration ever again without thinking of old transvestites with social issues! Thanks for the bellylaugh!

cstephens
06-05-2004, 07:17 AM
I like the show, but I do think it's going to take some getting used to for me. There are a lot of the same elements that they used in Believe, and a few that weren't used much (fantail effect), and a few nifty new surprises (the colored burst at the end and the finale being shot off the castle). The one thing that I'm not too happy about is the soundtrack. It's much more subdued than Believe. Believe is so much fun and peppy, and I like listening to the song even without the fireworks. I don't envision listening to the soundtrack to Imagine on its own.

The voiceover on this one is kinda weird though.

karl
06-05-2004, 09:21 AM
Started viewing at Fantasyland and transversed to Small World Mall.

Fantasyland had NO Audio. Nothing.

Storybook has a really good vantage point.

Small World Mall was nice and close.

They did keep the shells coming. Not as much "across the back" as before. Finale seemed a bit shorter, lower.

Believe was a much more theatrical presentation. There was a sense of story and purpose. It had art design.

This one was mostly an effects show. Here's a fan. Here's a colorful fan. Here's kinda a lite version of the Finale. The Castle Fireworks seemed to be a bit more intense. I dont know how it looked from the front. Mickey was really good from where I was.

Jeremiah
06-05-2004, 08:47 PM
The Bad: Folks, check the sign on the gate - it reads "Disneyland," not "Walt Disney World." Could you please at least use OUR parade music?

[AVP

OK I have not seen the show yet but as a HUGE Disney music fan I must point out one thing about this. Almost everyone loves Christmas Believe... which is in fact music from WDW. It is if I remember right the theme from the the Millennium Celebration. I have always had a problem with this fact but no one else seems to ever have...... But I will just have to wait and check it all out.

J

Cloud Buster
06-05-2004, 09:49 PM
Pyro has published new calendars for the entertainment division (as of a few weeks ago) showing the dates and times for the whole summer.

FYI, pyro still seems to call the show "Believe". *shrug*, probably a copy / paste job from the old calendar file :)

Cloud Buster
06-05-2004, 09:51 PM
Started viewing at Fantasyland and transversed to Small World Mall.
- snip -

Don't know when you saw the show, but I know in the last few days there have been a lot of complaints to audio central about program audio not operating properly. They keep replying "we know, we're on it". Friday morning there was (at least initially) no program audio on Main Street when we opened. I don't know if this is related to the lack of pyro music or not.

Missing Marbles
06-05-2004, 10:54 PM
I watched the “Imagine” show tonight and really enjoyed it! The crowd appeared to share my joy as was apparent by their enthusiastic applause during and after the show. Having never been to WDW, it was the first time I heard the soundtrack and was not disappointed. I thought the fireworks were orchestrated pretty well with the music. Since I did not count the shells, I did not feel as if this show cheated me out of fireworks as compared to “Believe.’ In fact, I thought the placement of the fireworks was very artistic and tasteful. Plus, the sparkling affects on the Matterhorn added to the excitement to this wonderful show. If you have not seen “Imagine,” do as I did and enjoy the show being displayed NOW rather than viewing it with eyes from the past. :D I applaud an entertaining job well done!

Darkbeer
06-05-2004, 11:11 PM
I saw the show tonight, and well... I was underwhelmed....

A 10 minute show, the music was not well mixed, and while I thought it was a good show (I will watch it again), it is a LOT less than Believe!

I am not sure if there are 1/2 the shells of Believe!, but I would say at least 15 to 20% less....

Also, NO fireworks came off the Castle....

So, enjoy the show, it isn't bad, but it is a big drop from Believe!

lilblckrncloud
06-05-2004, 11:16 PM
I watched the new show tonight and I wasn't impressed. I mean, it wasn't horrible or anything - I enjoyed it because I am a total fireworks junkie, so I will oooh and aaah at just about any fireworks display. It just wasn't anything special and it made me miss Believe. Being the cheeseball I am, I used to get teary eyed every single time I watched Believe, but this one left me totally uneffected.

Mostly it was boring and muddled. I really prefer the instrumental music to the random singing in this one. It did nothing for me, and it definitely was way too loud. I agree with DsneNut that it sounded almost distorted.

A great testament to how boring it was: around the middle somewhere, the 7 year old girl standing next to me turned her back on the fireworks and started playing with one of those whirly light up toy things instead. I couldn't believe it. Aren't all kids pretty much mesmirized by fireworks?? This show couldn't hold her attention for even 5 minutes.



It also included another voice with the same corny style of narration they had for the Christmas Believe show (female voice, attempting to sound like a grandmother, but instead sounds like an old transvestite with social issues--"Let it touch you once more!").
I agree 100% with this one! My friend pointed out that she sounded kind of like a cheap Brini Maxwell (http://www.stylenetwork.com/Shows/BriniMaxwell ) knock off, and I think she was right on the money.

Germboy
06-06-2004, 02:27 AM
It is if I remember right the theme from the the Millennium Celebration.

Where? I know that EPCOT's anthem for the millenium was "Hand In Hand." ("Let's celebrate the future, hand in hand...") They played Xmas music for the NYE show?

Germboy
06-06-2004, 02:36 AM
Thanks for the bellylaugh!

Glad to know I wasn't the only one laughing... :D

cstephens
06-06-2004, 03:25 AM
A great testament to how boring it was: around the middle somewhere, the 7 year old girl standing next to me turned her back on the fireworks and started playing with one of those whirly light up toy things instead. I couldn't believe it. Aren't all kids pretty much mesmirized by fireworks??

Ummm, no. Kids seem to like those sorts of toys. I've seen them play with them during Believe.

Bruce Bergman
06-06-2004, 07:42 AM
I saw the show tonight, and well... I was underwhelmed....

A 10 minute show, the music was not well mixed, and while I thought it was a good show (I will watch it again), it is a LOT less than Believe!

I am not sure if there are 1/2 the shells of Believe!, but I would say at least 15 to 20% less....

Also, NO fireworks came off the Castle....

So, enjoy the show, it isn't bad, but it is a big drop from Believe!

Gee, they had Castle shots on Friday - but they weren't off the upper ramparts like they used to be, they were from the roof farther out on each side, like over the ride buildings but all the way to the south/front. Probably so they can leave them in the same spots when tarping off the castle for the expected work.

Germboy and lilblckrncloud hit a lot of little points that I won't try to point to. Was the show boring in places? Yes - I'll bet Professor I. M. Boring himself worked on it. :D In BTMITS they used a lot of 'gold shower' shells as place fillers - the new ones are almost a dull red, nearly invisible. The white and blue 'flower' placeholder shells are boring also when they just keep picking the same shell for a minute...

The fan patterns are interesting, especially the new colored "Peacock" fan - but NBC doesn't own Disneyland. :rolleyes: And there were no exciting points at ALL - like the properly timed Red/Green "Battle of the Shells" section from Believe In Holiday Magic. No hard hits in the soundtrack they could time the Nine-Line or aerial shells to.

I hope they do some work on this show soundtrack, shell selections and pacing over the next few weeks, it needs it. As it is, this show doesn't pass the "Would you fight your way through 3 hours of afternoon traffic to go see it?" test, and both BTMITS and BIHM did.

:fez: --<< Bruce >>--

lilblckrncloud
06-06-2004, 09:04 AM
Ummm, no. Kids seem to like those sorts of toys. I've seen them play with them during Believe.
I'm well aware that they like those sorts of toys. Yes, I have seen them play with them during the fireworks, but this girl completely turned her back on the show and looked down at her toy. That I had never seen before.

Pat-n-Eil
06-06-2004, 09:13 AM
I assume I'll be in the complete minority in this thread, but I thought Believe was too long.. if the length of the new show is shorter, then I'll enjoy it more. However, if it is just as long but with fewer fireworks, that will be even more boring.

We enjoyed the holiday show last year, but we hardly ever watch and listen to the full fireworks show. We'd rather be riding California Screamin' and catching the fireworks while we're zooming around the track.. We're just different, I guess.

Opus1guy
06-06-2004, 10:24 AM
I assume I'll be in the complete minority in this thread, but I thought Believe was too long

Maybe it seemed that way because it was indeed boring? A matter of comparison and/or relativity?

Someone once asked Albert Einstein to explain his Theory Of Relativity in layman's terms. He responded by saying:

"Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity!"

;)

JeffG
06-06-2004, 11:21 AM
FYI, the song used in "Believe...In Holiday Magic" was the theme from WDW's 25th Anniversary Celebration ("Remember the Magic"), not the theme from the Millennium Celebration.

I was pretty disappointed that they used that music in the show, since it had been so heavily overused in all the advertising for the WDW 25th Anniversary. To a degree, my problem was that I was simply tired of the song (which I never liked that much to begin with), but I also felt that they had managed to so thoroughly associate it with that event at WDW, that it really seemed out of place here.

I haven't seen "Imagine" yet, but my instinct is that I won't be as bothered by the use of the WDW parade music. Unlike "Remember the Magic", that music hasn't really been used anywhere else other than in the parade itself. In fact, I would guess that the majority of Disneyland guests will be hearing the song for the very first time during the fireworks show. Considering that the show probably was put together very quickly, using that parade music doesn't seem like a bad choice.

-Jeff

Niwel
06-06-2004, 02:59 PM
We saw it Saturday. We were in line for Peter Pan and a CM got in at the end and closed the line to anyone new. They said they had to shut down Fantasyland for the fireworks. I asked if we could stand by Dumbo -- hse said we should be able to see it fine from there, but some of the eefffects were around the castle, so we'd miss them. I then asked her if you could hear them in Fantasyland, she said last night (Friday) you couldn't. When we left Fantasyland vie the walkway to Frontierland, we headed over toward the middle of Main Street and were able to hear perfectly.
When it seemed like it was over I told my boyfriend not to move, that every foreworks show has a "fake ending."
I am a big Believe fan, this one will probably just need to grow on me. The woman sounded like an mix on Christine Banraski and Anjeclica Houston. The singer sounded like Kelley Coffee (singer for Holiday fireworks).
I loved tinkerbell flying! Let's just say I'm looking forward to Julie Andrews as narrator for the 50th. :)

AP2CM
06-06-2004, 11:04 PM
ok, I'm a major fan of the "Dancing in the Streets: Parade Memories" music CD sold at WDW and it turns out that music from this album is used almost exclusively in the new Imagine: show. To be honest, my mouth dropped to the floor when I saw the show on Saturday night (2nd performance since the premiere). I wasn't overjoyed by the soundtrack choice (mainly because the music was composed for the 100 Years of Magic celebration for WDW), but I have to admit that I was blown away by the decision to use it on the west coast...(to be honest, I've always hoped they'd compose an entire album to celebrate DLR (hoping that it would sound half as good as the WDW album))...and I have to admit, it sounded FANTASTIC on the mainstreet sound system (I stood by the train station). I agree that the number of shells is drastically deminished, but I can't blame DLR for that, nor can I expect them to revive believe. The environmentalists have too heavy a hand on the situation at this point, and Matt Ouimet is rightfully concerned with our community relations standing. In closing I can honestly say that I walked away from the show smiling. It's not believe, but it is a new show and from what I hear, it's going to be improved on a semi-weekly basis , so keep your eyes to the sky nightly at 9:25pm this summer...you might just see some new effects and additions!

Silly Spook
06-07-2004, 01:32 AM
The worst thing about the show was hearing "A Whole New World" over and over again. The best thing was the star effect during the "When you Wish Apon a Star", but then the "Whole New World" invaded again! The circular patterns were cool for the "Circle of Life" segment. I thought starting the show with only gold shells was a bit monochome-esque. The ending finale was all white. Why? I think more classic themes should have been encorporated, and for heaven's sake, dump the Pocahantas "Just Around the Riverbend" music. People don't need a tribute to the animated flops of the Eisner era.

The woman narrator was nauseating. That voice is totally unintelligible, and sounded like she had a bandana tied around her mouth. I wish Leota was still doing voiceovers for DL! ie.: "Welcome to Fantasmic" "Hurry Back, Don't forget your death certificate if you decide to join us! Make final arrangements now"

Surprizingly, I enjoyed the premiere Friday night in spite of my reservations about the demise of the Believe show. It has it's flaws, but it won't last long enough to matter.

Fireworks are just a way to allow the annual passholders to sneak into the good attractions while the tourists are preoccupied. Heehee!undefined