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View Full Version : LuminAria- Its Pretty Good!



Disney Fan Matt
11-18-2001, 09:18 PM
I am not sure if I saw the same show as Al and the other Mouseplanet writers who hated the show.
After hearing what they said about it, I was pleasently surprised.
The fireworks were great, and lots of varities that I had never seen before.

The smoke wasn't that bad at all.
The music wasn't that bad either. It was decent. Like Al said, not something to buy, but decent.

Now the show was SHORT!
10 minutes...
Those screens were way too small.

But the lights on Screamin and the Sun Wheel were great, as were the candles in the water.
I thought it was nice to have the kids pictures in the show, but it would be a whole lot better if they were larger!

All of the pyro things out in the water looked fine.
They were decorated nicely, and looked as good as they possibly could out there in the bay.

I can't believe how hyped this show was around the park.
Banners everywhere.
The whole map is covered with LuminAria ads...
Even a poster in Disneyland under the railroad!

It could have used fountains and water effects though. That might fill in the gaps when there were no fireworks being shot off.
Heck, they could even make it longer by adding a music sequence for the fountains.

It was a whole lot better than I thought it would be!
Was anyone else pleasently surprised by the show??

DisneyFreak2000
11-18-2001, 09:59 PM
Luminaria is the best. I liked it!!! Disney Fan Matt, I'm glad you enjoyed it too. See, I'm not the only freak. ;)

GoldenEars
11-18-2001, 10:06 PM
I gave the show a 2nd chance that other night and felt the same way about it after it was over...HORRIBLE! Once again, they put this show together way too quickly, and it shows! Don't get me wrong, the show could have possibilities and be really good but, it's going to take a lot of re-staging and work.

And for those who really enjoy it, that's great! I'm not ripping on anyones opinion. Remember, to each is own!

yeo_foxe
11-18-2001, 11:47 PM
I had saw this show on opening night. Thought it was also-ran, anti-climatic. But OK....

Saw it sunday... It's 10x better! Tighter.... Wonderful!

Also, the screens go up after the show now and there's after-show music that plays.....

mcampisi
11-19-2001, 06:21 AM
Saving all the Xmas festivites until I take my parents there in Dec, but this sounds like it may be another case of biasing people based on an unfinished show. I think if it has tightened up and gotten better, the people who are already dead set against liking anything in DCA will refuse to budge even if it is good now becuase they have been told it was poor in the first place.

mrfantasmic
11-19-2001, 07:33 PM
Oooh, I like that...
It's an "unfinished show"...

Morrigoon
11-19-2001, 07:37 PM
That sounds strangely familiar.....

...unfinished show....
...dress rehearsal.....

Remind you of anything?

Disney Fan Matt
11-19-2001, 08:34 PM
Interesting, both people that saw it Sunday liked it.
maybe that unfinished show is finished now.
So if you saw it before give it another shot. And if you haven't seen it, keep an open mind and decide for yourself!

By the way, if you didn't like it, say WHY you didn't like it.

akacl
11-20-2001, 05:23 AM
Its not a great show, its not a bad show. Its entertaining. For whaving a limited budget, its not bad. I have been working it, and lately, more people have been clapping and gasping at the fireworks. Personally, the first few days the show was bad, but now its getting better. Fantasmic and believe are on its own level and luminaria cant compare, and people have to accept it for what it is.

yeo_foxe
11-20-2001, 08:13 AM
There seemed to be more pyros on sunday and less dead spots.

It also seemed tighter and the sound seemed to be working better.

(I had a better seat tho on Sunday...)

bluepearl
11-20-2001, 08:51 AM
Matt: I just want to say that I appreciate your positive attitude towards LuminAria. I really like DCA - even though it's obviously not the caliber of Disneyland, I can at least make the most of what's there.

Ralph Wiggum
11-20-2001, 01:32 PM
Originally posted by mcampisi
Saving all the Xmas festivites until I take my parents there in Dec, but this sounds like it may be another case of biasing people based on an unfinished show. I think if it has tightened up and gotten better, the people who are already dead set against liking anything in DCA will refuse to budge even if it is good now becuase they have been told it was poor in the first place.

I am one of the people who LOVE DCA!!!!! No question about that. But I didnt not enjoy Luminaria very much. I will give it another chance because i did see it on that first friday and their are rumors that it wasn't finished. I will keep an open mind and get back to you.

mspangler
11-20-2001, 05:35 PM
I can't comment, since I won't see it until I'm there in December, but seeing the difference between Al's review and some of the people here, it sounds good.

I've learned by now to take Al's updates "with a grain of salt", since they seem more and more on the "Anti-Disney" side of things.

AVP
11-20-2001, 07:16 PM
Originally posted by mspangler
I can't comment, since I won't see it until I'm there in December, but seeing the difference between Al's review and some of the people here, it sounds good.


Originally posted by mcampisi ...but this sounds like it may be another case of biasing people based on an unfinished show.

A few points - LuminAria opened with one version of the show, and that version has been changed. I don't think it's quite fair to say that the show has been "finished" now, or that the "unfinished" version was the one reviewed. When Sue and Al saw the first show over opening weekend, it was presented as a complete show, and was being advertised heavily to the public. Not, "come see our 1/2 finished show". So opinions of people who saw that show during its opening weekend are valid, IMHO.

Now, there have been situations in the past where Al has reviewed an unfinished show, and the majority of the MousePlanet staffers, as well as the guy who designed the show, nailed him for it. I personally don't believe in reviewing a show until it's open to the public, but LuminAria WAS at the time Sue and Al saw it. And yes, we learned that night that some of the effects had not worked properly, but nothing that was missing significantly changed the show. A few missing fireworks don't change the fact that the screens are too small, the lagoon too smoky, or the sight-lines problematic.

Having seen LuminAria again several times since it was changed, it's very obvious that the show was re-worked. An entire section has been removed, the remaining pieces moved around, and the whole thing is shorter. This version 2.0 of LuminAria isn't the "completed" version we were all intended to see, it's a re-work. I have my notes of the presentation Steve Davison gave about LuminAria this summer, and version 1.0, the one we saw the weekend it opened, is what he described. So, I think any reviews of 1.0, based on what someone saw at a public performance after it was opened to the public, are fair game. Just as reviews of 2.0 are fair - but it's not the same show.

BTW, I'm among the % of people who actually *like* most of the show. Did you see where, in Sue's original article, she said she spoke with another MPer who liked it more than she did? That was me. I adore the music. I love the new pyro. But I do find the show too smoky, I do have a problem seeing it from the "designated wheelchair viewing area", and I wish the whole "Kodak/Stepford Kids" segment would glow away forever.

AVP

Disney Fan Matt
11-20-2001, 08:20 PM
Originally posted by mspangler
I can't comment, since I won't see it until I'm there in December, but seeing the difference between Al's review and some of the people here, it sounds good.

I've learned by now to take Al's updates "with a grain of salt", since they seem more and more on the "Anti-Disney" side of things.

I feel the same way about Al's reviews.
I appreciate getting the news about new attractions and shows, but I have found that the only way to get an unbiased opinion is to just see it for myself.
Al is very knowledgable about the parks, but sometimes the only way to judge something is to experience it for yourself.

papajorgio
11-21-2001, 09:49 AM
I really enjoyed the show. It might have been that i saw Luminaria with my girlfriend and we're suckers for the holidays. The pyro was awesome, and the cards were really cute. Didn't notice a huge amount of smoke...maybe we were sitting upwind of the show? We were sitting right along the bay by the semi-circular pavillion. I'm just really confused why people would think this show is horrible???...

Nick Papajorgio

mad4mky
11-21-2001, 09:53 AM
Originally posted by papajorgio
I really enjoyed the show. It might have been that i saw Luminaria with my girlfriend and we're suckers for the holidays. The pyro was awesome, and the cards were really cute. Didn't notice a huge amount of smoke...maybe we were sitting upwind of the show? We were sitting right along the bay by the semi-circular pavillion. I'm just really confused why people would think this show is horrible???...

Nick Papajorgio

I haven't seen the show...but I just had to comment on your name...

Ahh...another "Vacation" fan! And how are those nice new cars you won on your trip to
Vegas running Mr. Papajorgio?;)

(now watch...I'll be wrong, and it'll be your real name!! Anyways, welcome to MousePad!)

Maleficent0
11-21-2001, 02:15 PM
It might be worth it to mention that MP has seriously lowered the expectations of folks who didn't see the show on opening night. Maybe, walking in with lowered expectations, we're happy that it's a least kind of cool.

I think Al is a bit critical too, but you have to ask yourself:

Self, is this the type of show that Disney usually creates?

That's a resounding no. I like DCA, and Luminaria is okay (mainly because of some new effect types), but this show is no where near what it should be from a company that *should* have this stuff down by now.

I saw it on opening night, and wasn't thrilled. But I was impressed that they were to put anything together as quickly as they did on a limited budget. I'll give it another chance, and hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.