Tokyo Disneyland
Topic: New Soarin' attraction at Tokyo DisneySea?

#	Author	Message
41	Jim in Merced CA Sat 2/3/2007 11:53a	I think having Disney animated characters everywhere is a strange phenomenon. And it wasn't always like that. Heck, when I first went to Disneyland in 1969, I was 7 years old, and the characters were most definitely a secondary part of the overall experience. You'd see them walking around and wave at them, maybe go up and say hi, but it wasn't the intense 'I have to meet Mickey Mouse' routine that so many families seem to have developed into their vacation plans. Back at Disneyland in the 70s, areas like New Orleans Square, Bear Country, Tomorrowland and even Adventureland dealt with other subject matter than just the Disney animated characters. Sure, they had walk-around Disney characters but attractions weren't centered around them. For me, that's what made the Disneyland experience of the 70s so rich -- that it was Disney doing something other than fantasy-based animated character stuff. Like the 'I'm no Fool' cartoons in Health Class, or the 'TrueLife Adventure' series, Disney was creative in other areas, not just cartoons. Which is why I think my first visit to EPCOT Center in 1986 blew my mind. Attractions like 'The Living Seas' 'Symbiosis' [that great film in 'The Land' pavilion], 'Universe of Energy' were not based on Simba, or Sully, and it added a wonderful level of sophistication to the goings-on. It wasn't all about Iago and Zazu arguing in the Tiki Room. [and making fun of the original 'Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Room' song - ugh!] World Showcase -- I don't remember seeing any Disney characters at all in that part of the park. Now, you have Mulan, Pinocchio, Belle and the Beast et al... I read that the new 'it's a small world' in Hong Kong Disneyland will feature the Disney animated characters along with the 'standard' dolls from around the world. I'm stunned that it took Disney this long to do that. And frankly, while it might be 'consumer driven' to add Disney Animated Characters to every attraction, the whole experience feels a bit dumbed down to me.
42	The Goddess Mara Sat 2/3/2007 11:55a	I found Mythica to be boring, and I got sidetracked on MiceChat before getting to explain why. And this affects all water shows like this: they're pagents rather than parades, yet Disney puts them together as if they are parades. Parades function differently because they come slowly into view and then pass by, revealing something new as you turn back to see what's coming. Mythica just brings all the stuff onto the water and it kind of sits there--UNTIL the mythical creature barges come out later in the show. That was very good. But, again, once they're in view and sitting there, it's a problem. Guys tooting around on jetskis don't interesting me--they don't create real excitement, but a false excitement based on superficial kinetic activity. I could go on about this, but the end result is the same, and all the water shows at DisneySea have left me cold.
43	Jim in Merced CA Sat 2/3/2007 11:55a	Anyway, back to Tokyo Disneyland Resort and everyone's favorite park Tokyo Disneyland Seas.
44	TDR_Fan Sat 2/3/2007 12:25p	<<I could go on about this, but the end result is the same, and all the water shows at DisneySea have left me cold.>> Maybe for you, but I think Legend of Mythica is the best daytime parade ever produced. I also adore BraviSEAmo, and would rank it apar with Fantasmic. I just love the musical score and how touching and romantic the story is.
45	SuperDry Sat 2/3/2007 12:44p	<<< Like the 'I'm no Fool' cartoons in Health Class, >>> I must have missed that one, but it does give me an idea for something else educational they could do: they could take the infamous Driver's Ed film "Red Asphalt" and adapt it into a Test Track overlay.
46	leemac Sat 2/3/2007 12:48p	<<Mythica just brings all the stuff onto the water and it kind of sits there--UNTIL the mythical creature barges come out later in the show.>> I'm sure that the cast (that work their butts off with very energetic choreography) must love to read that they just "sit there".
47	SuperDry Sat 2/3/2007 12:57p	<<< I also adore BraviSEAmo, and would rank it apar with Fantasmic. I just love the musical score and how touching and romantic the story is. >>> Wow - we all know how much you like TDS, as do I, but even I think this is quite a stretch. I would put F! right up there with MSEP as things that were "instant classics," were very unique at the time they came out, and can potentially be kept in the parks indefinately if they are updated from time to time. I don't pan BraviSEAmo as much as some do, but I certainly wouldn't put it on the same level of F!. I do very much admire what they were trying to do with it, even if it didn't come off quite right. There definately seems to be a recurring theme to a lot of what goes on at TDS in that they try to play to the female market, especially using romance. I certainly wouldn't say that TDS itself has a high degree of romance built into it, but the special events often do. Although the result of it is that many of these things don't end up speaking to me (for example, I have no interest in seeing Season Of The Heart that's going on now), I can appreciate how they're trying to go after a different market than TDL (which might be characterized as going after families with children as well as the adult "ultra-fan" markets).
48	leemac Sat 2/3/2007 1:02p	<<Wow - we all know how much you like TDS, as do I, but even I think this is quite a stretch. >> It should have been so much more too. Unfortunately OLC gave too much leeway to an avantgarde French director rather than listening to the DCE creative director. The project just ran away from them (as did the project hence why TDS is stuck with it now). I find BraviSEAmo a tremendous bore (even in its shortened form) and the conceit is just about the visual - the firebird is impressive but once you have seen it sway and shoot off gas it gets tiring. And the nymph just shuffles backwards and forewards. Plus that awful curly-haired Mickey drives me insane. The only other positive for me is the score which is excellent.
49	TDR_Fan Sat 2/3/2007 1:51p	Yes, the score is what makes BraviSEAmo a favorite for me. Without it, I wouldn't have the same feeling for it. But I do enjoy the elegance and grandeur of it. Although the scenes are a bit long, this makes it a bit easier om the eyes compared to the constantly changing sets of Fantasmic. IllumiNations also does a great job of letting your eyes rest during the globe sequence.
50	SuperDry Sat 2/3/2007 2:05p	<<< IllumiNations also does a great job of letting your eyes rest during the globe sequence. >>> If I'm remembering IllumiNations correctly, what I didn't like about it was the same thing I didn't like about the previous TDS nighttime lagoon show: I find those floats that have water shooting out in every direction along with uplighting and those plussed sparkler rockets on spinning wheels near the end to be so "textbook" - it just bothers me for some reason.

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