Disney Parks Blog: I can hardly believe it’s been a year since we shared with you the first details about “Celebrate the Magic,” the spectacular nighttime projection show at Magic Kingdom Park that transforms Cinderella Castle with unforgettable moments of Disney imagination and storytelling. Since that time, the show has been enhanced with the inclusion of special sequences celebrating winter holidays and summer vacations. Today, I’m thrilled to give you a sneak peek at the next seasonal update for “Celebrate the Magic,” just in time for Halloween.
19 comments:
This is UNREAL. Walt Disney World has done it again! This projection show is one of the biggest scale, and most amazing I have ever seen, (and I haven't even seen it live!). 'Celebrate the Magic' at Magic Kingdom is sure to be a huge hit. The thing that interests me the most is the fact that they can project images that large and make them so clear! As someone who is very interested in media, I would love to see what they are using to make the image this clear and this large. With technology progressing at the speed that it is, I should not be surprised by the fact that Disney can do something like this.
Walt Disney has put together some of the most spectacular shows and here they go just adding another thing to the list. With the use of media and lights and they will turn Cinderella's Castle into multiple villains veil lairs. This show will go through different villains and tell a story all through the use of projections onto the famous castle. Disney will always be a front runner when it comes to new medias and new shows that make audiences excited. This special will unfortunately only last for a couple of months but I'm sure Disney will have a new and brilliant idea for the next show.
Being an Orlando native, I've seen Celebrate the Magic several times and can say that I am impressed every time. Now that I am looking at the show from a production point of view and not just as an audience member, I have to say the show must be quite an accomplishment for their technical team. While villains will be exciting, I think the most interesting sequence is when they project an exact image the size of the castle onto the castle and then make the image dance and bounce. Every time I am convinced the building is actually moving. I think projecting images onto the surface of buildings is likely one of the most interesting ways to do media.
Having seen the Celebrate the Magic show several times, I can honestly say that it is one of the most innovative and technologically sophisticated use of projection technology that I have ever seen, and I think adding the villains to the show for the halloween season will make it even more special. The projectors must be a least a quarter mile away and they are perfectly mapped to the castle. The animation also includes a speculator use of augmented reality and character involvement. I've always thought that disney should do a villains nighttime show (other than fantasmic), and I think this show is a step in the right direction. I also have always loved the magic of when the show starts, how the entire park is controlled. All at once, the castle lights up, the lights on mainstreet dim, the speakers change the music, the projection starts, and an initial firework goes off. The scale of the show control in the disney parks always amazes me.
I have seen several images of media that has projected onto the Disney castle and some of them are a hit or miss. This new images are the same for me. I really think that working in media is strongly dependent on the surface area and work space you are using and while some of these images play into the story well and add to the story, many of these seem to be altered canvases,which is just as painting a painting then cutting up the canvas to fit it to a size not related to the image. Now although these new media projects Disney are working on look great they still have some way to go until the the projects reach their full potential.
It is incredibly amazing how far projections have come! Although these images seem very clear and crisp in photo, I can't help but wonder how well they transition and move in real life. I have faith in Disney that it is highly impressive and groundbreaking, but considering other large scale projections I have seen in the past I worry that it might not be as magnificent as it seems.
Disney has done it again! Let me start out with the shear genius behind creating a show entirely based on the villains! This paired with the stunning magic that the Disney Imagineers make on a regular basis by innovating the way we look at live projection design on such a large scale. This is a perfect example of the rapid growth that has been occurring in theatrical projections. After seeing this it is clear to see that disney is spearheading the efforts to make media a larger part of theatre. With this in mind I'm excited to see the next amazing thing that Disney will unleash, and maybe even be involved with the production of this magic.
This is a fantastic example of Disney monopolizing on every special occasion or event they can, which is ridiculously smart from a business perspective. Sure, it takes time and money to put together new versions of a show for different holidays, and to put on some shows that are strictly performed during certain holiday seasons, but it's obvious that the time and money is worth it for Disney. People will go to Disney World multiple times a year, especially those who live close, especially if there will be something new and different there each time they go. The idea of taking holidays and other special occasions into account is incorporated into season planning by many arts organizations, but I know of many companies who would benefit greatly form starting this practice or doing even more of it. (Seriously, think about how many ballet companies make most of their money doing "The Nutcracker".) I understand that this can be restrictive to some artistic endeavors, but in the end arts organizations need to make enough to sustain themselves, and using the opportunity to bring people in with holiday programming, such as this example from Disney World, is a great way to do that. As always, Disney knows how to make money!
This has me so pumped. I've never known Disney World to disappoint and just from the pictures, this looks like something of huge scale. It almost looks like another version of Fantasia but revamped and with the budget increased 8 fold. I can't even imagine that this will fail, and I am now considering taking an early trip home just to watch this production.
This summer I had the pleasure of visiting Disney World with my friends, and, let me tell you, it was as magical as it had been as a kid. The show that they put on at Cinderella's castle took my breath away. Throughout the week, the technical expertise at Disney World was top notch. Everything was perfectly designed and executed, and I'm not just saying that because I love Disney World. Over the course of the week, I tried to find technical imperfections within the magic, but no such luck. I'm sure that this new show will shape up to be as magical as ones in the past. From a media standpoint, lighting a 180 ft tower much be a lot of work. I applaud the Imagineers for bringing this fantastic showcase to life.
I've seen celebrate the magic several times and other firework and media shows that use either Cinderella Castle or Sleeping Beauty Castle as backdrops. I think its a fabulous showpiece that will draw people from all over the park. The castle is at the heart of The Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Resort; to use the castle as a backdrop for an exciting musical and projection show is a brilliant move. It will act as a beacon projecting Disney's magic all throughout the park. I'm sure this new installment will be a hit that will draw people from all over the country!
This looks just as it's named, magical. I love Halloween and Disney's villains are so stereotypically spooky without being overwhelmingly terrifying, that it's the perfect mix for a Halloween celebration. The use of the castle as the background is a really innovative use of space and can cast some really interesting shapes and shadows on the projection, hopefully making it look even more spooky. I wish I could be there to experience it.
This is incredible! First off, when I was in Disney last spring break I got to the "normal" media show on the castle. I was breath taken, at one moment the castle looked the same as it did during the daylight, but then looked like the building from Wreck It Ralph. Then the characters from the movie came on, and started play video game on the castle. It was so cool! The villains are some of Disney's most magical characters, so I bet that they are going to pull out all of the stops. It is also nice that there will be something in the parks dedicated to these characters because they are very important elements to all of the stories, and tend to get left off.
What a great idea, incorporating the villains of Disney into the park. When people visit the Disney parks they are surrounded by upbeat people who will always have a smile on their face. The cinderella castle is probably the most common thing people say that represents Disney. Its the bright castle image you see in the beginning of Disney movies. By projecting something that is creepy (villains) on to the castle its also changing its reputation from innocent and happy to a somewhat scary place. If I was a child and saw that the pretty castle where the princess lives looked like something out of a nightmare scene, then I would be scared for my life and not want to go visit Disney ever again. Its just interesting that they chose to include this, but at the same time is a work of art. To me, projections are mind blowing and I envy those who contain these skills. I wish the designs they chose were more stereotypical villains, rather than villains you wouldn't typically think of. Ursula was a good choice, but the other two could be much better. Scar from the lion king would have been a much better addition or Jafar from Aladdin. The concept is interesting and will most likely create some interesting discussion, but overall a clever idea that would have used some more brainstorming.
Being interested in Computer Science and Robotics as well as theatre, I am drawn to the Walt Disney company and their fabulous blending of the two disciplines. These projections are a fantastic example of this idea, they have used technology to turn their traditional set piece, the Cinderella Castle, into a movie screen which counters the entirety of the set's original design. Morphing it from cheery and happy to dark and evil.
I some how managed to not hear about the Celebrate the magic show and so this is the first time I am hearing of it. Its a great opportunity to bring in projection mapping to a practical and obviously well received setting. I feel though I must pose the question, will this not scare the piss out of the young audience members? I understand that it will "have a happy ending" but no matter how happy the ending is the kids won't be able to notice since they will be too busy crying from being terrified by the 50' tall Ursula. I can not be the only one to worry about this.
Disney really is the "most magical place on Earth".
These people take art and entertainment really seriously.
Innovation is always a big part in every Disney project.
Disney world just encompasses all that, from the design of their rides to apparently the design of their castle.
It really looks like some amazing lighting and media designs are being projected on the Disney castles for Halloween.
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