Fantasmic! DVD?

[Fantasmic!Guy]

Hi,

I'm sure most of you will agree that the Fantasmic! show in Disney/MGM Studio's is one of, if not the best show Disney ever came up with.

If Disney were to make a DVD of Fantasmic!, what would you like to have as features? And if out, would you buy it?


Fantasmic!Guy

[Ludwig Von Drake]

Welcome to the Forum, I was at disneyworld almost a decade ago and I don't remember, if I went, what the fantasmic show is like.

[enjoy]

Wow yes I would buy it, that show was absolutley AMAZING!!! I saw it two years ago and I remeber it very well. I hope im able to see it when I go to DisneyWorld in 2 weeks!!!

[Mr. Toad]

I absolutely love Fantasmic but I just dont see how it would translate into DVD. It really does not rely on close ups in a number of parts. Instead there is a wide array of things happening at once, of which you choose to conentrate on one.

I have captured it on video a couple of times but it really does not come across properly.(Not that I am a great videographer)

[Owlzindabarn]

No. No way would this work as a dvd. You absolutely cannot capture the whole effect of that live show. How are you going to get it to look good? It had pyrotechnics, floats, video images projected onto waterjets. There's no way it would look 1/10th as good as it does live. It's a live, multi-media event show that has multiple points of interest running simultaneously. It has to be viewed live.

[AwallaceUNC]

I love the show... hands down the best at WDW (and I'm told it's 10 times better at DL). I agree, though, that it wouldn't work on DVD. They could, however, possibly adapt it into a film, as we've discussed before. As for features? A behind-the-scenes, making of, commentary, concept art, etc would be cool.

Welcome to the forum!

-Aaron

[mvealf]

How does Fantasmic compare to Illuminations at Epcot? I have seen and filmed Illuminations, and it came out pretty well. It is also a big elaborate show with images in water, fireworks, etc.

I have never seen Fantasmic because it requires you to sit outside and wait for 2 hours in order to see it. You can't just come up and watch it. I never wanted to spend that much time not doing something at the park, but I would love to see it.

[AwallaceUNC]

Well they aren't really all that comparable. Fantasmic is a stage/stunt show that utilizes fireworks, lasers, pyrotechnics and explosions, water effects, audio effects, video effects, animatronics (well I don't think they are exactly AA, but I don't know what you would call them), parade floats, and a variety of other Disney equipment and techniques. There's also a lot going on at once. The lighting or set-up isn't condusive to video-taping, and there are a few other things that would make it very difficult, but I don't want to give them away.

You should definitely make time for it on your next visit! I've gone to Fantasmic with only a 45 minue wait before, so it depends on the day of the week and the time of year. One option you might want to pursue is the Fantasmic Dinner Package. You can have an early lunch/dinner at Hollywood & Vine, Mama Melrose's, or the Brown Derby and get priority seating for the Fantasmic! show that night! The whole thing ranges from $22 to $35 a person, depending on the restaurant you choose (I named them from cheapest to most expensive). You can take the voucher they will give you to the show no later than 35 minutes before it starts and completely skip the line and go straight to the priority seating section! I've never done it, but hear it's a very good deal. The show is definitely worth even the longest wait.

Also, for nights that it rains, they have started a scaled-down version of Fantasmic that is basically just the fireworks. It won't be the full experience, but it will also come with smaller crowds. It's brand new, so I haven't seen it.

-Aaron

-Aaron

[pinkrenata]

Welcome to the Forum, I was at disneyworld almost a decade ago and I don't remember, if I went, what the fantasmic show is like.

<i>Fantasmic!</i> would have been at Disneyland 10 years ago, but it hadn't yet come to Walt Disney World. And if you had seen it, you would have remembered it.

[Kram Nebuer]

You should definitely make time for it on your next visit! I've gone to Fantasmic with only a 45 minue wait before, so it depends on the day of the week and the time of year. One option you might want to pursue is the Fantasmic Dinner Package. You can have an early lunch/dinner at Hollywood & Vine, Mama Melrose's, or the Brown Derby and get priority seating for the Fantasmic! show that night! The whole thing ranges from $22 to $35 a person, depending on the restaurant you choose (I named them from cheapest to most expensive). You can take the voucher they will give you to the show no later than 35 minutes before it starts and completely skip the line and go straight to the priority seating section! I've never done it, but hear it's a very good deal. The show is definitely worth even the longest wait.

I've never done it before, but it is a good deal for a WDW dinner and a show. But since the show is very popular and showing up only a half hour before it starts to a priority seating section, you are likely to not get the best of seats. I think one reviewer or guidebook or magazine article said you were seated all the way to the side. But it still is a great since you get dinner and guaranteed seating.

mvealf - If you don't choose this dinner package, do come early! When we first saw it I only remember waiting about 45 minutes, and we still had good seats! We weren't in the front, but we were in the middle-back section in the center, which was better than the front since there is som much to see that the front is waaay too close. But if you do want the front, definitely go like 2 hours early. I think the only plus to this is front seats to the funny preshow and chances of getting sprayed by water. Also you're closer to get pictures of the characters as they float by. Another plus to coming early is that you're seated early so you can rest your dogs after a long day at the parks rather than stuck standing in line waiting to seated. In the end though, the show is definitely worth the wait!

Annnnddd...don't get out of line once you're in there! The Cast members become disappointed in you and have to constantly yell to the crowd not to because they see someone trying to sneak back in and usually they don't let people back in so then people are pissed off and seaparated from their families and then the kids are crying for their dad since he went to get popcorn and then you have an angry complaining father and then the cast member feels bad and wants to let him back but can't because then he'll/she'll have to let all the fathers go back and get popcorn or soda and that wouldn't be fair at all. With all this shouting and arguing, there is more negative energy at the 2nd happiest place on earth and ruins the evening for everyone else patiently standing in line. So don't get out of line! And also, there chances are slim of finding your family again in the mob once you've returned.

EDIT: sorry! I got off topic! I agree that a DVD of this show wouldn't be very good. It's like DVDs for the Broadway shows. THey're just not the same as the real thing. How can you get the same effect of a firework sitting at home rather than right under it? If there is a DVD, I would like to see a feature comparing the Disneyland and WDW versions and promotional art would be cool too. I've seen a few promo art of villains against Sorcerer Mickey that are really awesome!

[Eeyore]

Come on guys. They made an elephant fly. They could easily film a show for dvd.

Many of these technical problems are easily overcome. Shoot day for night. Use the underused multi-angle feature to allow you see a wide view, or closeup on certain elements.

No, the reason they won't do it is not for technical reasons. If you could see it on dvd, you might not go to see it at the park.

It is a fantastic show, anyone who hasn't done it really owes it to themselves to do so.

[Joe Carioca]

"Fantasmic!" is a great show and yeah, it would be wonderful to have it on DVD. I know it could be difficult to shoot it in the proper way, but there are lots of tricks they could use - multi angle features, as it has already been said and maybe a 3D version as well (providing 3D glasses inside the packaging).

While we don't get the DVD (and I think we never will), I made a VCD from I video I got from the Internet and it's pretty watchable. At least I can watch it on my DVD Player.

[AwallaceUNC]

I've never done it before, but it is a good deal for a WDW dinner and a show. But since the show is very popular and showing up only a half hour before it starts to a priority seating section, you are likely to not get the best of seats. I think one reviewer or guidebook or magazine article said you were seated all the way to the side. But it still is a great since you get dinner and guaranteed seating.

Well, the good thing about the Fantasmic theater is that you get almost the same view from any section of the theater, which is in a semi-oval shape (left-to-right, that is). Of course, proximity (front-to-back) does make a difference. I've viewed it from several location, and up close is by far the best, imo. It's so much more breath-taking and intense... you can feel the heat! I didn't have a problem with seeing anything, either. Of course, were were like 4 rows back, not the front row. As for the priority seating section, from everything I've read, it doesn't make much difference that it's located on the side (and I've walked over there in the theater, and agree). However, the earlier you arrive at the PS section, the better selection you'll have of front, middle, back, aisle, etc. It comes down to 35 minutes of sitting versus 2 hours of standing (and even then, you'll still probably end up on the sides or in the back, as there are more of those seats, obviously).

Eeyore- you're right about that. Even if the show did work on film, Disney wouldn't sell it, and I can't say I blame them. But I still insist that it wouldn't work on film. Of course you can capture everything with the camera (though some of those wide angles will have to very wide at times), but my point is that it won't translate well onto DVD. Not only will you not be getting the full experience- you'll probably be bored. I think it would come off as very plain and not worth watching in your home theater. But then, people buy DVDs of fireplaces and turn up the heat in their homes.

-Aaron

[dizfan]

The one at Disneyland is the best show Disney has created, the Disney-MGM one...not as great.

I guess they could make a DVD, but that's really a show that is meant to be seen live, it wouldn't be as spectacular on a TV.

[Ludwig Von Drake]

Hopefully I will go again and see it.

[Kram Nebuer]

The one at Disneyland is the best show Disney has created, the Disney-MGM one...not as great.

I'm curious to know what is the difference between the two? Isn't the Disneyland version on the Rivers of America?

[Mr. Toad]

Kram - yes it is on the Rivers.

[stlewis75]

I've seen Fantasmic at both parks several times, and I think the one at Disneyland is a hundred times better. The seating for Disney World's show is better, but the setting isn't as good. The finale at Disney World has a little, temporary-looking boat with about ten characters on it. At Disneyland it's the Mark Twain with closer to 50. Disney World's show doesn't have the grand scale of the Disneyland show. They're both a lot of fun, but in my opinion, DisneyLAND's Fantasmic is the best show created for Disney's parks.

[pinkrenata]

Also at Disneyland is the awesome Peter Pan and Captain Hook battle scene on the big "pirate" ship (S.S. Columbia, is it called?), while the Disney World edition takes advantage of its larger space to create a much less awesome Pocahontas scene, featuring a miniscule John Smith (because he's so far away) swinging from a fake mountain.