Media: Originally, performances at Disney's Animal Kingdom from 2017-2018. Now, recorded performances viewable on YouTube. (Do be aware that they retooled the show at one point to take out the human performers, which made it more lame, and then made it even lamer by adding Disney IP stuff. This is about the superior original version.)
Approx length: 15 minute "preshow" (very boring to watch, unless the video manages to interact with the performers as they enter the amphitheater and light the lanterns) and 15 minute show itself.
What is it, in summary?: A sadly now-discontinued "evening spectacular" at Disney World's Animal Kingdom that never quite lived up to the high-tech pitch.
What do you love about it?: The original concept, that the park visitors are attending a lantern festival and hearing a story told by the local storytellers, is SUCH a good one. On nights when all of the effects worked correctly, it was MAGICAL to see images appear to leap from waterscreen to boat and back again. The lasers, especially when the smaller lotuses are shooting up irregular streams, looked so freaking cool and really did look like the Aurora. Plus the music makes me FEEL EMOTIONS.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?:Man, I would love to know what exactly the story being told is. I'd love to know why the shamans/acolytes ended up in charge of this storytelling. What do they do the rest of the day? Is this festival a once a year event? Do the storytellers live on their boats? Honestly, I just want to know more about the whole thing.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?:The whole of canon is fairly short, but there are also some additional materials from Disney that help enhance the story. (And have close up photos of the INCREDIBLY DETAILED costumes.) Costumes post is here.Behind the scenes sneak peak is here.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Intense clip in the middle section of a lion chasing a mama cheetah (from the Disneynature big cats film) but mama cheetah reunites with her babies unharmed.
Rivers of Light (Disney Parks Attraction)
Media: Originally, performances at Disney's Animal Kingdom from 2017-2018. Now, recorded performances viewable on YouTube. (Do be aware that they retooled the show at one point to take out the human performers, which made it more lame, and then made it even lamer by adding Disney IP stuff. This is about the superior original version.)
Approx length: 15 minute "preshow" (very boring to watch, unless the video manages to interact with the performers as they enter the amphitheater and light the lanterns) and 15 minute show itself.
Where to find it: Video of part of the preshow and the whole show, as viewed from audience right, high up. (Start at 9m44s if you want to just watch the show itself.)
Video of a sliver of the preshow and the whole show, as viewed from audience right, up front.
(There are also oodles of other videos, but some are of nights when not all of the effects worked, or the music cuts out, or the videography is terrible.)
What is it, in summary?: A sadly now-discontinued "evening spectacular" at Disney World's Animal Kingdom that never quite lived up to the high-tech pitch.
What do you love about it?: The original concept, that the park visitors are attending a lantern festival and hearing a story told by the local storytellers, is SUCH a good one. On nights when all of the effects worked correctly, it was MAGICAL to see images appear to leap from waterscreen to boat and back again. The lasers, especially when the smaller lotuses are shooting up irregular streams, looked so freaking cool and really did look like the Aurora. Plus the music makes me FEEL EMOTIONS.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?:Man, I would love to know what exactly the story being told is. I'd love to know why the shamans/acolytes ended up in charge of this storytelling. What do they do the rest of the day? Is this festival a once a year event? Do the storytellers live on their boats? Honestly, I just want to know more about the whole thing.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?:The whole of canon is fairly short, but there are also some additional materials from Disney that help enhance the story. (And have close up photos of the INCREDIBLY DETAILED costumes.) Costumes post is here. Behind the scenes sneak peak is here.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence):
Intense clip in the middle section of a lion chasing a mama cheetah (from the Disneynature big cats film) but mama cheetah reunites with her babies unharmed.