[FAQ/DL] Light Magic @ Disneyland v1.2 (1/2)
Frost1313
Light Magic - Disneyland's New Night Time Streetacular (1/2)
A Frequently Asked Questions and Answers List
Specially produced by 1313 Harbor Club
and Indigo Online Productions
Issue 1.2 -- June 26, 1997
Maintained and Copywritten by John Frost (fros...@aol.com)
*** WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS ***
If you want to remain surprised read only part I.
Part II will contain many spoilers.
****
What's New:
6-27 Mused about viewing distance, added some merchandise, added
an entry to the history of the show, changed 1 pixie name,
6-10 New fact about props; viewing strategy; changed history about
choreography; added bit about losing money to history; New
Website.
6-4 Pixie Names, Some New Merchandise, Changed viewing suggestions
slightly, show description improved, Disneyland Press Releases,
more complete lyrics, added one website.
Things I'm looking for:
Descriptions of the costumes to go with the Pixie names.
Other Misc. Facts about Light Magic
Merchandise comments and suggestions
Show reviews.
-= Contents =-
Part I
Light Magic Facts
Viewing Strategies
Merchandise Report
Existing Merchandise
Suggested Merchandise
Part II *** contains spoilers ***
Show Description
History
The People of Light Magic
Reviews
Extras
CM Handout
Lyrics / Script
Press Releases
Websites
Legal Stuff
-= Part I =-
----- ----- -----
| Light Magic Facts |
----- ----- -----
Light Magic Fun Facts from Disneyland Today:
o Light Magic features more than 125 performers and crew members
including 32 classic Disney Characters and 64 pixies.
o Each rolling stage is filled with approximately 750 miles of
fiber optic cable creating 250,000 end points of light.
o Light Magic is the first street show to utilize robotic lighting
o This light and sound experience is also the first street show
to project film onto rolling stages.
o 210,000 fiber optic end points of light are embedded in the
Main Street building facades.
o 45,000 fiber optic end points of light enhance the area structures
in Small World
o The Light Magic soundtrack combines classic Disney music with
an original theme song.
More Facts from Press Kit and other sources
o Show Length: approximately 20 minutes.
o Rolling Stages: Four identical 55,000-pound rolling stages,
each 80 feet long, 11 feet wide, and 25 feet high.
o Effects:
o 4,500 miles of fiber optics which will create more than one
million points of light.
o 1,520 strobe lights
o 132 robotic lights
o smoke effects
o 185 air cannons for confetti blasts
o Technical: Controlled by 23 computers. An original digital control
system was created for the fiber optic light projection.
o Costumes: 18 basic Pixie designs and 6 color schemes create 102
individual pixie costumes. 32 Character overdressing costumes
were created
o 228 Hand-help props are used in the show.
o Performers: 32 Classic Disney Characters and 64 Pixies bring each
performance to life. 160 total performers, 96 on any given night or
approx. 24 a float.
o Pixie Names: Dew Drop, Glitter Wing, Penny Whistle, Merry Bella,
Huckle Web, Tumble Web, Bumble Drop, Tickle Top, Snuggle Bud (or
Sniggle Bud), Peri Twinkle, Whipper Snap, Pepper Pop, Katydid,
Wiggle Wink, Petal Skipper, Cricket, Piper.
o Rejected Pixie Names: Wiser Bud, Sleepy Pal, Blowup Bud,
o Pixie Descriptions (from various sources):
Each Pixie has 6 color variations, but the basic design is constant.
GlitterWing: Ponytails in loops and knee high boots.
Petal Skipper: Two thick shoots of hair pointing skyward. Wears
an apron with an oversize tie thing hanging down the front. Is
always running from place to place and has a kind of naughty
personality.
Sniggle Bud: almost upside down tulip as a hat. Pointy toed shoes.
Katydid: flaps of cloth on her tulip shaped hat. Always primping
her hair
Pepper Pop: Hair pokes through at the top and is always twirling it
around her fingers. The sides are flaps that hang down on the side of
her head
Tumble Web: starts sleeping on the rear of the sage.
o How to spot one particular Pixie: I have looped yellow pigtail
braids, lime green knee high boots, a little purple dress and a
fuscha untiard. I also have a flower on my head.
----- ----- -----
| Viewing Strategies |
----- ----- -----
On the average summer night, you have four opportunities to view Light
Magic: twice from the Small World viewing area and twice from Main Street.
The prime viewing areas (in front of a screen) for LM are much more
limited than any recent night time Disney production (except maybe the
Candlelight Processional). With the Main Street Electrical Parade it was
almost always possible to find a good spot in Town Square less than 30
minutes before parade time. With LM that will not be the case as the show
is dark as it passes through Town Square.
-=o Advantages to the different viewing areas o=-
Small World has more available seats in the prime viewing areas because of
the terraced area on the Tomorrowland side of the route. You should be
able to sneak up in this terraced area 45 minutes to an hour before the
show and find room for 2 or 3 people. Remember, when people stand up you
can squeeze in behind them. During the week the 2nd show has been empty
enough where you can walk up and see the parade.
Main Street is the more beautiful of the two viewing areas due to the
fiber optics in the buildings. However the sidewalks on Main Street are
only so deep, if you're more than a few people back in the crowd you'll
end up straining your neck to see the show and miss some of the street
level dancing (that's where the kids are, real cute).
-=o Where the screens are? o=-
Most of the dancing occurs in the middle of the float which is also where
the screen appears. If you're sitting more than 20 degrees to either side
of center your view of the screen is limited. This also happens to be the
area with the brightest and best fiber optics on the float. It's all
concentrated in that one area. Approximately 50 percent of the audience is
outside of this prime viewing area.
How do you make sure you can see the screen? You have to know where the
projectors are. In the Small World area it is easy. Look for the 3
brightly colored, boxy towers (two on the Tomorrowland side and one near
Storybook Canal Boats). You'll either want to be directly beneath these
towers or directly opposite them. In each case, I suggest you try directly
beneath them first (as the viewing space is limited opposite each tower).
On Main Street you have to look for specific shops. Starting near town
square be in front of, or opposite of: The sports shop, the Disney
Clothiers, or the Candy Palace (actually just toward the door of
refreshement corner is better). There is a fourth float on Main Street
(between the two Plaza restaurants) and the good viewing areas are right
where the cross walks for the parades normally are. On the Adventureland
side sit between the two show lighting poles or sit directly opposite that
area. (However, you miss out on the fiber optics in the buildings if you
sit near the hub float.)
-=o Three suggested strategies for finding good Light Magic spots o=-
1. Catch the second LM Main Street show. The period between when the
first Main Street show finishes and the second one is scheduled
to begin is only about 40 minutes. This is the least amount of
time you'll have to wait for a show.
On the Adventureland side of Main Street work your way into the
shop near the spot you want to sit (see "where the screens are")
just after the music from the Baroque Hoedown starts. You'll find
some doors closed and others open. They will open as the first
show lets out. Wait till the Cast Members start to take down the
walkway rope then move in directly behind the spot you want to sit
at. Work your way forward and find a good curb or second row seat.
I've changed my mind about curb seating and think it is just fine.
On the Tomorrowland side of Main Street wait till the Cast Members
start to take down the walkway rope then move in directly behind
the spot you want to sit at.
2. The viewing areas between the two Plaza restaurants are 'sitting
only' from the curb back to the fence area. Guests have been
allowed to stand in the grass areas (although this may not be
the case on the night you're there). This seated only policy
provides you with a good view as far as 20 feet back from the
street. If you're looking for a seat for the first Main Street
performance and the rest of Main street is filled to capacity,
look here. But be careful not to get a seat too close to the hub
as you'll really be at a bad angle to see the show. If you're late
for finding seating for the second show this area is the last to
fill up. It also happens to be the easiest to escape from after
the show is over.
3. To see the second show in the Small World area take the train to
the Fantasyland/Toon Town station just as the first show is
starting. As the first show ends and the floats move toward the
Matterhorn make your way across the street to the terraced area.
Aim for the second (middle) tower and find a spot on the stairs
directly below it or on the curb. This puts you close to the floats,
but elevated over the guests in front of you. The railing areas
directly to either side of the stairs are good locations too. The
stage manager calls the show from underneath the tower behind this
location. (This also happens to be Mickey's float.)
Some people recommend you watch Light Magic from farther back, like at the
Plaza Inn. They give two reasons. It's easier to escape the crowds and you
don't get confetti tossed all over you. That's fine, but if you want the
full experience of the show, I recommend you try and get as close to dead
center on a float as possible. Either curb or first row standing. Don't be
afraid to clap along or wave back at the pixies either. They respond to a
good audience.
-=o Wheelchair Viewing Areas o=-
There is one viewing area for wheelchairs on Main Street and two at the
Small World location. Both of the Small World locations are smaller, but
provide excellent views of the show. The Main Street location is between
two floats, I recommend you don't watch from there. If you do make sure
you are as close to the castle as the available space will allow.
To find the wheelchair viewing areas you can always ask a guest control
cast member who should be more than happy to help you. In the Small World
area the first wheelchair area is directly opposite the central show
tower. These are great seats, but it's a real small area and will probably
fill up early in the evening. The second area is on the top level of the
terrace on the Tomorrowland side. To reach it, go all the way around the
terrace toward It's A Small World and take a right at the second ramp.
Park facing between the curio kiosk and IASW if possible. The Main Street
wheelchair area is in its traditional location near the Photo shop.
-=o Crowds from LM & Fantasmic and how to deal with them o=-
One of the major problems with Light Magic is a basic design flaw. A show
that only stops four times in two of the most heavily congested park areas
and closes off the main thorough fares Main Street, Matterhorn Way, and
Small World Mall, is bound to create a guest control nightmare. For
example, unless timed exactly right the LM and Fantasmic crowds are both
trying to get out of the park at exactly the same time. I've read stories
of guests being trapped in Tomorrowland during and after the show in It's
A Small World, although this won't be a problem during the summer.
To compensate for the lack of walking space Disneyland has been opening up
backstage areas to guests. Only the Small World/Big Thunder Trail passage
is wide enough to handle the crowds from the viewing area. The
Adventureland side of Main Street is passable through a backstage alley.
The only access to this alley before and during the show is through the
Refreshment Corner and Plaza Pavilion eating areas. Not a pleasant
experience for the guests eating there and difficult at best to navigate a
huge crowd through. Then there is the cattle like herding of guests down
Main Street. The sidewalks are impassable due to guests waiting to see the
second Main Street show, so everyone is stuck on the street. This creates
real havoc for a good 15 minutes as 5,000 people from the first small
world show and 11,000 people from Fantasmic mix in with the 4,000 guests
who just experienced LM.
Instead of trying your hand at the fine art of maneuvering your family
through this mess, I recommend you duck back inside any of the Main Street
shops and spend a few minutes either getting some dessert at the Gibson
Girl Ice Cream shop or oogling the collectibles in the Disneyana shop. In
ten to fifteen minutes navigating the street will become much easier and
safer for the children and you.
----- ----- -----
| Merchandise Report |
----- ----- -----
-=o Existing Merchandise o=-
Light Magic memorabilia may be purchased at the following locations:
Main Entrance: Newsstand
Main Street USA: Guide I, Emporium
Fantasyland: Le Petit Chalet, Tinkerbell's Toy Shop
Tomorrowland: Alpine Gardens
Outdoor Vending: along parade route
Disneyland Hotel: Mickey's Corner
Disneyland Pacific: The Disney Touch
Merchandise will include souvenirs, glow, wands, toys, apparel, hats,
pins, jewelry, candy, collectibles (lithograph), watches, and a
commemorative passport. Specific items carried will vary according to
location and availability. Availability cannot be guaranteed.
o Most items can be found at the Emporium and at Mickey's Corner
o Outdoor Vending will offer 'glow' only.
o Watches will be offered at new Century Timepieces
o The Disney Gallery and Disneyana will only carry collectibles.
-=o Merchandise price list o=-
o Black baseball cap with Light Magic logotype on front with
Disneyland below logo. Cost: $16.00
o Black baseball cap with pixie dust design and Light Magic logo
on front. Pixie dust design lights up at night with fiber optic
sparkles. Cost: $35.00
o Blue denim jacket with pixie dust design and light magic logo on
back. Pixie dust design lights up at night with fiber optic
sparkles. Cost: $200.00
o LED Blinking Light Magic Button. The design is similar to the
picture inside the Disneyland Today (but a little more cartoony).
Cost: $5.00 (Including tax)
o The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Has the
Light Magic Music on it. Cost $18.98
o T-Shirts, Adult sizes are $18.00
o Commemorative Passport. Cost $36 unframed. $200 framed and signed
o [ More items to be added later ]
-=o Suggested Merchandise o=-
"Some of those child shirts have pretty cute designs on them and would be
great if they were available in adult sizes too." - heard in line at the
Emporium
I suggest they get rid of the glow paint sticks before some kids use it to
tag the inside of dark rides with grafitti.
Bring back the polo style shirts.
If you have other merchandise you would like to see for Light Magic please
email me at (fros...@aol.com) and I'll include it here. If we get our
suggestions in early enough we might see some of it before the years out.
---- ---- ----
| The Legal Stuff |
---- ---- ----
This document, including but not limited to its format, layout and text,
is copyright 1997 John Frost (fros...@aol.com) and 1313 Harbor Club
except where copyright is retained by the original author (i.e., Press
Releases and guest writers). Light Magic, Disneyland, attraction names and
other phrases are trade or service marks of the Walt Disney Co. No
infringement is intended from their use in this document. Distribution of
this document is limited to standard USENET propagation. Wider
distribution or archival of this document must be cleared with the
copyright holder (fros...@aol.com) first. This is mainly to ensure that
I can list archive locations and access in the FAQ.
There is no way I can warrantee that all the information in this FAQ is
correct or complete. However, I have done my best to pull this information
together from a variety of reliable sources and don't expect there to be
too much wrong or missing.
continued in part 2