I considered putting this in the Disney Dish thread, but decided to start a new thread. When I searched the forum I found a thread where thoughts on the video were shared. Now that many have had a chance to see it in person, thoughts?
Yesterday I watched a video to see if I was wrong about the show. I happened to watch the GMA version and I noticed they did not show many of the projections. I will try to find a version that shows those.
While watching Enchantment from the hub last month there was at least one point in the show that I turned to future DIL and asked her āwhy are they projecting those characters with this songā? Maybe it was not lined up right, but it seemed, at times, to be random and somewhat bizarre. I also honestly feel no connection to the music.
That being said, I watched the crowd and people around me seemed to love it and applauded at the end. What am I missing?
Have you seen the Clifflix version? CLIFFLIX - "Enchantment" - Filmed in 8k - YouTube .
I just watched this a couple minutes ago. Iād seen his HEA video recently, and a couple things struck me about Enchantment: I found the projections to be more difficult to see whether because they were paler or had less contrast or were smaller; I had a tougher time trying to identify all the characters maybe because they were so brief or small or just silhouettes; some of the animation style of characters was more stylized and not the original style so again, harder to recognize. The various songs each certainly had a whole montage of characters with themes, such as magic users or people having a very bad day.
I have not seen Enchantment in person, it will likely be a few years, so I rely on videos to do the home version.
It just doesnāt move me, and I expect WDW fireworks shows to make me tear up at some point. Iāve seen it 3 or 4 times now, and while I thought some of the projections were cool, I didnāt feel an emotional attachment to it. I took a one-night trip in November to attend a Christmas party and was oohing, ahhing, and crying at different points during Minnieās Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. Enchantment just left me annoyed that Iād stood in a crowd for so long.
Personally, unless my son insists (he was not with us) I will never watch from the front of the castle again. For fireworks, I like behind the castle, or a view from a resort.
To me the projections are not nearly is integral to the story as they were with HEA. They just seem to be there, but not add value really. The biggest issue to me is the soundtrack just seems random and doesnāt ebb and flow and climax like it should to get an emotional response out of you. And I think it ends kind of abruptly and at a strange point where you go āwas that the end?ā Which is a phrase Iāve heard a few times when Iāve seen it in person. Itās all just a big no for me.
Iāve been trying to figure out how to respond because my opinion might be controversial. But first I will say, Iām not really a fireworks person. My favorite view is from BTMR, but I will watch them from wherever DD wants whenever she wants because she loves them. So here goes.
I donāt really see a whole lot of difference between Enchantment and HEA. There I said it. They are both shows with Disney music, projections and fireworks. I never really noticed the story that everyone talks about HEA having. They both had sections of music for heroes with all the characters they can think of on the screen and a villainās section. Then there might be a friend section or a love section. I feel the instrumental section in HEA is just wild, skipping from song to song before you even realize what song is playing.
Maybe it was just where I was for my most recent viewing of E (dessert party garden view) But I feel like the projections are cleaner and much better then HEA
I also enjoy the lights in the trees. Dumb maybe, but I like how it pulls you into the action.
So thatās my opinion. Also my favorite show of any kind in all the parks Iāve been to is the original WOC at DCA, so I can understand how if they change your favorite thing you might not like the new version as much
I donāt think youāre missing anything. I donāt find Enchantment that moving. I would cry with Wishes and HEA but Enchantment does not invoke those kind of feelings for me.
I found them very lacking but I liked Harmonious. Iām emotional and have a strong early musical background and whoever made Enchantment had neither of those things. They were all about the effects which are cool and zero about musical and emotional continuity.
They were only slightly better because of the fireworks addition to me than the animation show at DHS which is the worst nighttime show Iāve ever seen.
I loved HEA, it made me cry, but I didnāt see a storyline either. Iāve only seen Enchantment on a video and it left me cold, but so did HEA till I saw it in person.
I have not seen Enchantment from in front of the castle where you can see the full projections. Itās just too much of a hassle. I have seen it from Poly, from the ferry, and from the entrance to Adventureland, and I have watched the full show on YouTube.
Positives:
I love Angela Bassettās narration. Very rich voice of the type that really sells a show like this.
I like the āYou are the magicā theme and the way it is worked into the show.
The fireworks are pretty good. Overall the show is fine.
Negatives:
The mass of people in front of the castle is prohibitive for me. A dessert party would help, but I would literally be doing it for the reserved spot - I hate the desserts they serve there.
The music and story is lacking. Doesnāt pack a punch like some other shows have.
Overall, I would rather watch Harmonious every night than invest the time and energy to see Enchantment. Harmonious is really good, IMO, and can be seen last minute a lot more easily.
This is what I took from Enchantment - The initial song is about beginning a journey, with the intent of accomplishing something wonderful, because āyou are the magic.ā It introduces a bunch of movie characters with clips showing them at the beginning of their journeys. Then we have Angela Bassett sounding like the wise oracle in some epic fantasy series doing a voiceover. Then I think the other songs that follow are all about the journey to greatness. There is Be Our Guest, which makes sense b/c people need to eat on these journeys. Then Under the Sea and Nemo, obviously b/c you will also need water with your food, duh. You Got a Friend in Me is a reference to needing friends on your journey. Then we haveā¦. You Can Fly from Peter Pan??? And we go from literally Dumbo into an epic heavy metal rendition of Into the Unknown and things get kinda dark. The castle is melting and there are lasers. It is like a five minute Mannheim Steamroller concert.
But then the story does make sense again b/c it shows beloved characters as they progress on their journeys, followed by huge setbacks and adversity. They feel all hope is lost, they feel like failures, then they get their butts into action, b/c THEY are the MAGIC! And boom, except there are like 3 more minutes of singing that sounds like screaming.
Yeah, this show makes no sense. I have a strong suspicion the people who designed it either did a massive amount of drugs or pasted together from 5 different storyboard ideas and just went with it.
I am with you and @Jeff_AZ on this. Harmonious is a great show (although I still canāt forgive the tacos & stargate ruining the water view during the day) and Iād always prioritize watching it over Enchantment. Itās also a much less claustrophobic viewing experience!
Iām thankful for the various viewpoints here. If Enchantment is still on whenever I next visit WDW Iāll likely watch from the Poly cuz Iām all about the fireworks. My favorite hands down has been Hallowishes.
If I must watch inside MK, behind the Castle is my choice.
