Before you read: an updated review based on the actual premier (and not the dress rehearsal) can be read HERE.
Also: All about the red carpet that night are HERE.
As you are reading this Disneyland is preparing and going over final details for tonight’s premier of World of Color. And as many of you know, I have seen the show in dress rehearsal. I have already talked about the best ways to view the show here.(add’l photos there too) But my actual show review has been ‘embargoed’ until today. Please note my review is based on the dress rehearsal performance only. I will be in attendance at the big fancy red carpet premier tonight as well- so I will have more to say (and video) some time tomorrow. Check back!
The show itself is a water show. You all know that. But it also includes last minute addition of lasers as well as disc like thingies that rise from the water to accept additional projection. The show starts strong with an Ariel sequence (of several characters) and followed by Wall-e and a Toy Story sequence.
The appearance of Zurg worked well to build drama. And for some reason made me smile.
The UP! section is dramatic giving us a full view of the balloons and house as they rise to the top. All of this being projected on a WALL of WATER.
It runs nearly the length of the lagoon (in a small arched shape)…and if you are standing in the right spot (more on that later) it is impressive. Aladdin and yes, the Genie make a big appearance. By far, the most impressive projection is for the Pocohontas section.
It creates a full wall of forest complete with waterfall. I was sorta falling in love with the show at this point, until JOHNNY DEP appears and just ruined it for me.
The whole Pirates section felt corporate influenced. I could just hear someone big sayin ‘The Pirates franchise made us a lot of money. And it HAS to be in the show’. It was weird too- since it is the only NONanimated character to appear. Ugh. Bad bad bad creative choice, in my opinion.
Now we are at what I guess is perceived as the ‘climax’ of the storyline. Introducing FIRE. Big, hot GIANT bursts of fire. I could feel it from very far back. I imagine if I was standing any closer, it would be just amazing (or holy terrifying to a toddler) And on this same note, you should know the ‘spray zone’ for the show is LARGE. If you are standing within the first 5 yards of the show you will, without a doubt- GET WET. Not enough to change my clothes, but enough to cover my camera…and I was pretty far back from the lagoon edge (as you can see by the photos).
For me, the strong part of the show was Lion King followed by a oldies mashup with Bambi and other classics. Tinkerbell marks the beginning of the ending, which is a rainbow of colors including the World of Color logo displayed.
Over All: It is an ambitious and unique performance. And I kinda love it. I think you will love it too. And it might just be the show that helps California Adventure break out of the shadow of its big brother, Disneyland.
Best Aspect: The music and sound system. It is just booming. And just crystal clear. Not to mention well edited. Bravo on that. And it would be wise to have the sound track available for purchase.
Disappointments: I wanted, expected and did not get the voice of Walt in the show. I am not sure why, but it seemed that Walt should have had a tiny, small part. After all it is his world of color isn’t it?
What you might not know: Nearly every single piece of animation in the show was RECREATED for the show. Let me repeat. The segments had to be RE-ANIMATED completely. This was explained because older films were not created in ‘layers’ or digitally, and in some cases (Toy Story) the scene they selected was not a wide shot, it had to many POV changes and it wouldn’t work on the water. So they went to Pixar and others to start from SCRATCH to reanimate the images. The show has undergone huge huge changes over the course of its development.
My concerns: Crowds. Disney is expecting to accommodate about 4,000-6,000 people in the viewing areas. That is A LOT of people. The issue is, there are not that many places to see the show well. Disney creators very confidently explained that the show is enjoyable and could be viewed from ‘anywhere around the lagoon for a totally different experience’…but I am just not so sure. I was standing in one of the more desirable locations, and I was permitted to move around as well. And even I had a hard time getting a good view. Too far one way and images distort. And too far another and your view is obstructed by these ridiculous projection light towers. No doubt that play an important role in the show, but they are ANNOYING (see photos). And the super oversized finial post lights. If you are shorter than 5 feet (and um, last time I checked many of Disney guests are) the show will be ruined with these in their way. Take them out Disney. And that gazebo trellis thingy too.
Future: Disney has plans to create holiday themed shows (ala the seasonal firework shows at Disneyland). I can not wait to see what they come up with…Halloween? Christmas? Oh it is sure to be just delicious.
Information based on interview time with:
Director Steve Davison and Producer Sayre Wiseman.
Who by the way are super nice people. And super tired. For the last 17 weeks they have been working nights (and some days too) to perfect the show.
The other 2 gals in this photo….(we are ‘Disney-ournalists’) are Lisa and Suzanne .
And they both will have their personal reviews up about WOC today as well.
Go ahead and pop over and see what they had to say and look at their photos….
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
GREAT REVIEW, MARCY!!!!!! Very well done. Can’t wait to see you tonight! I’ll be the one in ALMOST all black. :)
You know what the best thing about a Marcy review is? I know I can believe it. You are straight-up honest and it’s worth a LOT. Nice job!
I think my favorite part was the Pocahontas portion and the Little Mermaid. I think it’s the music that really pulls me in, so those were the strongest parts for me.
Your photos turned out great.
You are right about the under-5-feet-not-being-able-to-see thing. We got fast passes for the show last Saturday Night & although the crowd was pretty well handled, we were in the center back section(which was not sloped at all) behind tall people & my 7 & 10 year-olds could not see at all. They are too big to be held & are not allowed on shoulders (blocks the view for those behind us.) I would have rather seen the show distorted from a non-designated viewing section, than not be able to see at all where we were. Bummer. :(
Great Review! I agree the design of the viewing area is terrible! I was in the middle section about half way back and had a really hard time seeing the show and I am 5’8. The concrete is NOT sloped at all. Each viewing tier should be sloped to allow everyone to see,or they should make the people in the front sections sit like they do in the Fantasmic viewing area at Disneyland Park. I can’t imagine how terrible the view is near the Zephyr or on the back side of the bay:( Very poor viewing area due to lack of good design.
{ 1 trackback }