Fantasmic! From All Sides...

 

Fantasmic! is 30 years old!  How crazy is that!? The show started May 13, 1992 in Disneyland.  I don't know when I first saw the show, but it was enchantment at first sight.  The Electrical Parade is 50 years old. That's kinda crazy.

 

In High School I bought a cassette tape from the Pirates of the Caribbean store.  On side A was Fantasmic! and side B was the Electrical Parade.  This tape was played on loop, side A over and over, constantly rewound at the end. (The Electrical Parade is nice and all... but that music without the visuals... 0_0).

 

On this last trip I saw Fantasmic! about 8 times, all from different spots.  And I discovered something new!

 

So one evening my Mom and I were having a late dinner at the Hungry Bear in Critter Country.  (Honestly not my favorite food as the cheeseburger in Tomorrowland is far superior), but the Hungry Bear is in a nice little spot.  We were eating past nine from the top deck overlooking the rivers of America.  The fun part of this area was being able to see some of the the "backstage" stuff.  Watching rafts get into place. Seeing Pirates, Flynn, and Rapunzel run across Tom Sawyers Island to the Mark Twain.

But this was the greatest part of all!!!!!!!!

Ahhhh!!!!!!!

After the pirates left the ship, some remained.  I saw the silhouette of Jack Sparrow ready himself on the plank.  Elizabeth and a few pirates standing a little ways down, right next to the side facing our shore.  And when they passed, the Columbia getting into position for the next show, they all waved completely in character!

 

When the Mark Twain passed us at the end of the show, all the characters waved, in character, as they passed.  A great way to see so many characters up close.  And with both ships this happened during both shows.

 

Now, You really can't see the show from Hungry Bear.  The music is faint and muffled.  No dialogue heard.  Everything is just really distant.  But after the first show there's fireworks, and a spot with a tree clearing for the aerials. Though the fireworks are quite loud in this area for those sensitive to loud bangs.

 

During one show I watched the backstage area on the other side of the river, a little bench area next to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Some of the characters waved to kids who shouted their names, so that was fun.

My favorite spot was Pelicans Landing near the Haunted mansion.  I saw two shows here.  One right next to the food shack booth thingy (heh, what is it called?), and the other at the end closest to the show. It was this second show that was just so much fun.  Everything is seen from the side. For a lot of it we can only see the back of Mickey, but other parts were enjoyable, like watching the monkey's dance as their rafts come out.  The Pirate ship so close and in full motion.  The princess rafts drifting by.  

 

Now, watching Fantasmic! from the front is in many ways the absolute best, because that's how the show is staged.  Twice I saw the show from this angle, though from a distance.  Once from the French Market and the other from Cafe Orleans which is only for those who ate at this restaurant just before the show. The French Market is open to all, though there's trees.

 

I was also in the stand by spot next to the Haunted Mansion.  Not once did I do a paid spot or a dining package, so the show can be enjoyed by those not wanting to spend the extra money.

 

 Funny enough I saw World of Color only once and the Electrical Parade one and a quarter times, so needless to say Fantasmic! is my favorite show. :D

 

Sarah

Exploring Disney's Hollywood Studios

June 11th, 2016

Disney's Hollywood Studios was a mixture of old and new experiences, and with those old experiences there were new twists.  The first ride we went on was Star Tours where we got a new variation from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Then we checked out Indiana Jones: Epic Stunt Spectacular, which was so much fun!  Part Indiana Jones; Part behind the scenes stunt show.

The Great Movie Ride is a trip down classic movies past with interaction from the ride host, Jungle Cruise style, though without the jokes, and a gangster who takes over halfway though the ride.  

Beauty and the Beast-Live on Stage was interesting.  Wasn't a fan.

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was such a surprise when the ride car moved forward into dropping position.  I screamed so loudly I thought I was going to lose my voice!  We loved this ride so much we went twice in a row!!  Wonder how long the original version will remain; it's nice that it's still available.

Fantasmic was in a large amphitheater, which was nice, because there was seating.  It was fun seeing the differences between the two versions, though I ultimately prefer the Disneyland version.  (I have no idea when I'll get the chance to see Disneyland's updated Fantasmic, but I watched it on YouTube, and it looks really good.)  Gotta say, Steamboat Willie at the end of Florida's Fantasmic is underwhelming compared to the Mark Twain, which is a fitting conclusion.

Disney's Hollywood Studios was my least favorite of the 4 parks.

I didn't get to ride Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, which is apparently really fun.  The line was long.  This park feels really small compared to the other parks.  Apparently it was bigger before the renovations started, with a cool New York section, which someone was telling me about.  When Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land open hopefully Disney's Hollywood Studios will be worth a revisit.

And that immersive Star Wars hotel that's been announced sounds beyond epic, and expensive.  Austenland, Star Wars style.  Man, it would be a cool experience.

The Shows at Disneyland and California Adventure

 Paint the Night!  I love, love this new rendition of the electrical parade.  Great use of lights and new technology.  Just overall fun.  And I love the Owl City music they played with hints of the original parade in the soundtrack.  I saw it three times!  And my poor 5 yr. old niece wanted to see it so bad, but she slept through it twice.

 Disneyland Forever is the new show introduced this year for the 60th anniversary.  I liked it, especially the image show they did on the buildings on main street, but I feel the Remember Dreams Come True firework show is a better.

 Frozen Sing Along . . . because there isn't enough Frozen in the park.  I'm still trying to figure out how I managed to see it three times.  It was fun with the family, but I'm on Frozen overload.  And I'm seriously bummed Aladdin the Musical is being replaced by Frozen as well.

 I've seen Fantasmic! so many times.  I even had the music on cassette tape once and wore it out.  Still, with all the times I've seen it, I've never been this close.  You can get meal packages with some restaurants in the park that give you a special pass to different sections.  It was great.  The show is on sabbatical until the Rivers of America is filled in again.  I hope they bring it back!  I'm sure they will.

 World of Color - Celebrate!

Bring back the old show where you choreographed more complete songs to lights and music, and not just Let it Go.

Disneyland . . . let it go.

And Mickey and the Magical Map.

Somehow I managed to see this show three times as well.  3 is the magical number.  But it is a cute show, and I like the songs they choose.

For me no Disneyland experience is complete without seeing a few shows.