Disney Enchantment Discussion & Reviews Thread (Premiering 9/30)

[Jnjtrio]

Well the good news, can enjoy the fireworks portion from the backside of the park and not have to be in the hub/main street crowd to enjoy the best part of the show. I am also really glad we did not try and get a dessert party for our early November trip.

 

[acarsme123]

This show was really bad compared to HEA. Not sure if it was just the video feed but the projections didn’t look that sharp and clear either. Are all the 50th overlays screwing with the projection clarity or was it just a bad recording of the show?

 

[Disturbia]

My teen wasn’t impressed with the fireworks music and said HEA was better (she has seen Wishes and HEA). There is nothing that you can sing along to or is moving. It didn’t matter that they were using the latest movies/characters, the whole production was like karaoke and disorganized. They need to bring dialogues from the movies that motivate kids to believe in themselves. Maybe that will be the name of the next fireworks-Believe.

The beginning was really good and we liked the nod to wishes. Bright colors and the Tiana part was good, but then we lost track of what was going on. I think they should have continued the princess focused theme. Everything was too fast. The story (if there is one) doesn’t flow. There are parts where some characters don’t move, others move where you can’t follow. Elsa shooting into the sky could have been better (projection transition to fireworks could be more seamless). The Frozen2 part could have been so much more immersive (Olaf on Main Street?). Where are the Disney Villains (slay your inner dragons, maybe more dialogue from the movie inside out). There is a lot of loud karaoke towards the end, maybe that was supposed to be uplifting? They just need to have a song that kids can relate to and be inspired by. There were parts towards the end which felt like snipets from HEA (Moana).

No one was screaming in joy afterwards. It was sad to see people’s disappointed faces vs smiling faces after HEA. I think Disney will change the fireworks after the 50th celebrations are over. They can build on this concept and make it better/more immersive/engaging.

I did cancel my dessert party a few days ago and I’m glad I did.

 

[twincruisers]

I was hoping to get hyped for our trip in a few weeks with Enchantment’s live-stream instead I came out wondering what Disney’s goal with the show? I was expecting a 50 year tribute with some callbacks to ”the mouse that started it all” and Walt, but instead I only saw a commercial on the movies of the last few years. Where’s the story? The connection between each of the sequences?

I also wasn’t excited by the new projections vs the past ones I’ve seen in DLR, but maybe the livestream was having technical errors as the voice-video sync was off during the whole presentation.

The fireworks also seemed muted compared to past shows but maybe that’s the director’s fault for poor camera angles?

From a song standpoint, the redone vocals seem harder to associate with the original songs which ruins audiences singing with or at least mouthing along to the songs.

Compared to my past experiences with DLR, the show felt muddled and unmemorable. We have dessert party tickets so we’ll have a chance to compare the real-life version vs the stream, but so far Disney hasn’t done itself any favors For building momentum for us.

 

[CJLove79]

As a Disney stockholder, I wish I could single handedly fire Chapek without pay & have Iger or someone better qualified to run the company. I'm the kind of stockholder that believes in QUALITY, not quantity. Chapek is so concerned about getting back the profits lost last year, that he's willing to sacrifice the very thing that made Disney Disney & that's the human experience. Iger contributed to that mindset too in some ways, absolutely right. But you can tell that Iger genuinely cared about the human experience WAY more than Chapek does. Why do you think Chapek brought Iger out in the beginning? Chapek knows he's immensely despised so why not walk out with the Bob that most Disney fans like? Plus, Iger brought about another great Disney Renaissance under his watch that most of us loved. And yes, there's guest experience but I mean human experience in an all encompassing sense. For example, Disney World is for EVERYBODY, don't price out the middle class or less financially capable, don't thank the CMs one day & then layoff and or take some of their benefits away the next day. I like making profits like the next guy or girl but not at the expense of the human experience.

Enchantment was really bad in my opinion, it definitely has its good points but it was mainly bad. I'm going to watch it again to see if it might grow on me a little bit like Harmonious did. How can you take away a fireworks show that brings a lot of emotion & heart like HEA & replace it with one that's a total opposite? I'm a creative guy myself and what I would've done is add more fireworks while projecting certain images of when the Florida project started, the construction of Disney World, the resorts, parks & work our way from then to now. I'd mix in some animated movies & characters throughout the show but sparingly. I'd also have about five well known Disney songs playing & the rest of the songs are original & EMOTIONAL. Have some portions where Walt & Roy are talking in the background. Even better, while listening to Walt & Roy, the projections in certain portions of the show display on the castle & Main St at the same time. So that way, it'll have the people watching up & down Main St feel included in the Magic of the show. I would end the show with two of the most important aspects of Disney World, the CMs & the Guest. Simply project small video clips of some families over the last 50 years enjoying certain rides, images of kids seeing their favorite Disney characters, listening to them talking about their Disney World experiences. I'd have emotional music playing in the background & fireworks going while all that is being shown. Nostalgia is such a powerful aspect of human emotion. This portion of the show would have guests thinking of their own Disney World experiences when they were kids & growing up loving Disney World. And the show can end by showing video images of CMs talking about how they feel working there & how they bring the magic to all of us everyday & night. One of the original songs can be dedicated to the CMs & the guest, not the IPs and can be played as the very last song of the show. Hell, I'd make that song the official theme song for the 50th. While that last song is playing, we have the most breathtaking, explosive fireworks finale worthy of 50 years of Magic. That finale can also be a way of saying thank you to the CMs & Guests who made Disney World magical for the last 50 years & will continue to do so for the next 50 years & beyond. I wouldn't even call it Enchantment, I'd simply call it the Magical Journey to Fifty. After all, its been a journey for Disney World to go 50 years providing magic to the young & young at heart.

Point blank, if you make the human experience as powerful, affordable & memorable as possible, the profits will come over time. For me, with my idea of a 50th anniversary fireworks show, my goal would be to see to it that there's a lot of hearts melting, excitement expressed & one or two happy tears trickling down on a lot of people who's watching. Sorry that this posting is long guys, I'm just a passionate Disney Fan like you guys.

 

[Minniemoo15]

The fact that even certain vloggers, who are usually always so positive about everything disney, are saying both shows are blah is concerning.

On the plus side I can continue watching the MK fireworks from the comfort of our own resort (Poly beach). We were going to making the trek in to MK to see the projections but now I don’t think we will bother.

 

[Lop460]

I was writing my thoughts in this long drawn out post. But honestly with Disney, I’m just not caring about it anymore. Chapek is a cancer on the Disney company and nothing will get better until he’s gone. This and Harmonious are simply cheap garbage. It looks like the overall goal was to save 50% on pyro. These shows aren’t even worth a 30 second look as you’re walking through the park. The only positive is the area around the castle will no longer be crowded during fireworks. Although that’s bad news for those who liked to slip onto the less crowded rides during the show. Once again, with every new change, Disney World is less and less worth the cost of admission.

 

[DisneyDad1736]

I didn’t find this good either. I have no idea why they didn’t put it more wdw history and nostalgia in the shows for the 50th. This is supposed to celebrate the 50 years of Disney. Very disappointing imo. Was there anything giving tribute to Roy at all? Anywhere?

 

[smoaT]

For point #1--we've had Disney+ since launch, now this may just be my kids, but I'll try to encourage them to watch some of the older classics (Cinderella, Dumbo, Snow White, Jungle Book, Peter Pan, etc), and they don't. Maybe it's the way the animation style is, or it just "looks" old, but they just are not that interested. Little Mermaid is probably as far back as they'll go. They absolutely love the newer stuff though.

The thing is that I was born in 89 and you can bet I wasn't around when the classics came out and I still saw them.
But putting aside whether or not Disney should only take IPs from the 2000s and on for the new generations, the point is that the problem with Harmonious and Enchantment is not only the IPs, but the whole show in general. There is absolutely no story or writing for these shows. They are not telling a story, there is no connective tissue between the first clip to the last one. For a company that prides itself about caring first and foremost about the story they tell, it is puzzling that these marquee shows for the 50th anniversary have no reason to be. Using newer IPs shouldn't be anathema, but that's all Disney is using of late. Take Fantasmic. They updated Disneyland's version with new IP's, but it works there because the show as a whole is telling a story. You understand why The Lion King is there or why Tangled is there or why Pirates of the Caribbeans is there. They are telling a story, they are tied together by something. Even as new IPs, they fit in the show's story. Not here. Plus they took the most underground songs and movies to do the 50th anniversary show. I like The Hunchback of Notre Dame but for the love of God I don't understand why 1/3 of Harmonious is about the Hunchback. For a 50th anniversary you need to honor the past, the rich history behind you, while aknowledging the generation that is coming. You need to bring both together. These shows don't even care to attempt that. Hell, they don't even attempt to tell a story and that's the biggest problem, regardless of what IP's they use. It's a mashup of Disney's IPs and not a very good one at that.

Disneyland shows how to make a proper anniversary show. Remember, Dreams Come True is the perfect 50th anniversary show. You have Walt's words, Walt's vid, they tell a story. They take you around Disneyland, because you hop in into the Railroad. You see a tribute to the attractions because you are "traveling" around Disneyland. You get a shout out to the Main Street Electrical Parade, you even get a freaking shout out to the classic Public Safety recordings on the rides for crying out loud (which is a nice touch because it is part of the experience). They honor the attractions that actually make you come back to the park.
Even for the 60th anniversary show, Disneyland Forever, which wasn't as well regarded as the one for the 50th, they take you to the orange groves where Disneyland stands today. You hear Walt's words and in the end you see Walt walking hand in hand with Mickey. That is a proper tribute. You honor the past and the park that you are celebrating. This is not a Walt Disney Company anniversary show, it's a WDW anniversary show. Enchantment and Harmonious are the signs of what's to come and that Disney might enter a new Dark Age. People are catching on and noticing what the new company philosophy is. With the new changes with Genie + and now seeing what kind of shows and attractions are being offered, many are rethinking their trips. You can see it in the comments of the official accounts on Youtube. The one for Genie + has so much hate there and the one for Harmonious is surprisingly full of disappointment too. Suprising because I didn't read a single positive comment for the show. That's not hyperbole. Go and read the comments. There is not a single positive comment

All in all, returning to the original critique... the shows are bad not because of the newer IPs (though I case can be made for Moana, Brave, The Hunchback and... Soul?), they are bad because they didn't bother with their cardinal rule: you gotta tell a story.

 

[DisneyDad1736]

Well said. I’ve said this before here, but wdw is about to get the “Paul pressler” treatment that Disneyland got. We’ll still probably go on a Disney cruise or Disneyland for a few days, but we’ll stay away from wdw for the time being

 

[PaladinButters]

But do they still know who the blonde in the blue dress is? The guy in the green tights? The lady in the blue and yellow dress? My point was that they're at least exposed to the characters and thus their inclusion wouldn't be lost on them.

Difference between "I've seen the guy in the green tights before - he's the one from the ride" and "OMG that's my favorite princess I've seen her movie 72 times!!!! **begins to sing along**" - there's just not the same connection (and we are talking about the kind of shows that are ALLEGEDLLY trying to connect with the audience).

 

[wov305]

As had already been said, the IP used is not the biggest issue. Even the songs used are not the worst part, but the lack of connective follow through brought everything down.

For those that like the new shows, I am happy for you and hope it continues to meet your expectations. For Disney's sake I hope there is enough of you to carry them through because I am going to be looking to other entertainment options moving forward. I will cherish the memories but I won't feel that pull to show much monetary loyalty to the brand.

 

[mshanson3121]

Whelp.... The kids will enjoy it

I'm one of the oddballs that actually really preferred HEA to Wishes. But this new show I find really lacking. The narration is blah, the music was so so and the projections aren't nearly as good as HEA. I'm assuming though thats due to having to work around the decorations on the castle for the 50th. Overall, I'm disappointed. But, as I said, the kids will like it.

 

[igrsod]

Well the good news, can enjoy the fireworks portion from the backside of the park and not have to be in the hub/main street crowd to enjoy the best part of the show. I am also really glad we did not try and get a dessert party for our early November trip.

Our family said the exact same thing. We used to stake out our favourite spot for HEA an hour before. Now we will just ride rides, and see the fireworks from where ever we are standing in the park. And no need to waste money on a dessert party. Hopefully the next show will be better, or bring back HEA after the 50th celebration is over.

 

[OhThePain]

...Chapek is a cancer on the Disney company and nothing will get better until he’s gone. ...

Let's be honest, that has been the plan since the start of the pandemic. Let Iger step aside with a more favorable public opinion after Disney+, bring in Chapek, who has no personality and is basically as un-Disney as you can get to cut all the costs he can and increase revenues as much as he can and just be the villain to all the guests that helped get Disney to where it was while making the shareholders happy and then when his work is done, bring in someone everyone likes who doesn't have to implement all these atrocities but also won't change them, but since they will be well liked the negative push back they are getting now will just disappear.

 

[erin1715]

A reminder what a REAL 50th anniversary firework show should be like...

Wow! I had never seen that. We were at DL for the 60th which was incredible too. But that was how a 50th show should be!

 

[Tonyz]

Perhaps having a paid actor (such as Ronald Regan) help with the intro

Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you regarding Regan…

 

[tinkerhon]

ETA: People are very, very upset about this, and I think I'm learning it is best to not engage because I don't think I'm helping like I thought I might.

Just speaking for myself--- I wouldnt consider myself as being "very, very, upset". Its not really the end of the world. Like I mentioned in another post, "shocked and confused" better sum up how I felt after watching it. I just think this could have been SO much better, and it would not have taken much.

 

[erin1715]

One positive for me is I have a child who is too young to be in the parks that late to catch a nighttime show. Maybe in a few years when she’s ready they’ll have changed them again. What a sad state Disney is in right now.

 

[GreyStr0ke]

I think the entire Imagineering department might need some reevaluating.