Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS I think they can keep ElecTRONica fresh if they'd just keep having different acts on the stage. You know, mix it up a bit? The interaction with the light up frisbees seems to always be a hit for the kiddies, so that seems to be working. They need to ditch the TRON preview 3D thing, and try something else. More interaction will keep it fresh.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I agree that there are things that they can (and should) do to keep it fresh. I think that interaction is a big thing, like 999 pointed out. Part of what was so fun about Glow Fest was doing the same dance moves with the dancers on the various platforms and in the audience. While the ElecTRONica dancers perform at a much higher level, it removes the audience from the event. Instead of participating in it, there are a lot of people just standing around watching. I also agree that they need to swap out the preview for something else. It seemed kind of strange to see it while the film was in theaters, and it will be even more strange 6 months later. I don't really know what they should do, but there's plenty they could do with that venue (perhaps an all new 3D movie on the scale of Muppets or HISTA? or is that too much?) While financially it makes sense to reuse the infrastructure they have, it also makes sense for them to keep it fresh. It looks like many people here, including myself, are just kind of burnt out on ElecTRONica. It was neat, but it just isn't as exciting as Glow Fest was. It's much more serious and less approachable, and not as fun to hang around for a long time. On the bright side, it looks like I'll be saving a bit of money this summer, since I won't be having quite as many glowjitos (even though they now cost $1 more than they used to, for no apparent reason). Glow Fest pulled me and my friends (and our wallets) into the parks at least once a week last summer. An extention of ElecTRONica will have to do something pretty incredible to convince me to make that drive that often again, so that they can profit from my dinner and drinks. I'm sure there will still be plenty of folks there, including tourists who haven't had a chance to see it yet, but it does seem like every time I visit ElecTRONica there are fewer and fewer guests and the lines at the bars (which translate directly to revenue for Disney) are shorter and shorter.
Originally Posted By fzzybddy Well, it looks like no DCA this summer for us. Other Southern CA parks will get my cash. Without GF, with TRON, it's a no-go. I can't believe there were NO negative comments on TRON wasting away the summer. After 40 years, bye-bye Disney. ......for now....
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt On second thought, if you've been going to DLR every summer for 40 years you probably should take a break.
Originally Posted By phruby Maybe they could show the entire movie instead of just a sneak preview trailer? They could say the ticket to get into DCA was for seeing Tron. That would raise it's box office and get us a Tron ride.
Originally Posted By fzzybddy Well, here's what un-named sources say...Glow Fest was an outsourced operation created to split up crowds as fireworks and Fantasmic running together do in DL. The concern was WOC would be choked with crowds. Since dancers were not Castmembers, total Disney control was not there. So, it was decided that since Tron was so "successful", the PR was put out that elecTRONica was a bigger success than imagined and it would stay. Economics played a big part. In my opinion, the ghost of Eisner invaded their thought process. Repeat guests will get over it and newcomers will be none the wiser. Eiger has done extremely well so far so I guess this fropah will be forgiven. I still prefer Glow Fest returning. As with People Mover, memories will last forever, thanks to YouTube. The End
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Glow Fest was an outsourced operation ...Economics played a big part. In my opinion, the ghost of Eisner invaded their thought process. Repeat guests will get over it and newcomers will be none the wiser.<< I know that everybody sees the big difference as Glow Fest being outsourced, but Disney could do their own version of it. I would assume they made accomodations for that in the contracts. They're running ElecTRONica right now, which is basically a different version of the same thing. No reason that Disney couldn't run an event that captured the spirit of Glow Fest just as well as an outsourced company. They just want to push the franchise-property as much as they can. >>Iger has done extremely well so far...<< Well, he's good at pushing franchises, spin-offs, derivative experiences and existing content. I have yet to be impressed with his ability to inspire the company to create new stuff in the same way that Eisner could do. I've had about all the Iger magic I can stand, but I guess I could see how some people might still like what he's pushing for. It just doesn't seem to be a very good long-term business strategy, and he's been around long enough that the short-term stuff is starting to grow stale and start to bite him in the butt.
Originally Posted By DBitz2 >>I know that everybody sees the big difference as Glow Fest being outsourced, but Disney could do their own version of it. I would assume they made accomodations for that in the contracts. They're running ElecTRONica right now, which is basically a different version of the same thing. No reason that Disney couldn't run an event that captured the spirit of Glow Fest just as well as an outsourced company. They just want to push the franchise-property as much as they can.<< On the plane ride from LA to Orlando for my recent trip to WDW in March, a guy sitting in a seat in front of me was looking at something on a laptop that grabbed my attention. It was some guys in costumes that looked kind of "Tron-ish", but, with colors reminiscent of GlowFest. I only got a quick peek, but, it looked like maybe it was some kind of dance group. I made a note of the name that was on the screen on my iPod, the only thing I had to take notes on, so that I could look it up when I returned from my trip. Interestingly, I have found absolutely nothing on the Internet as far as any performance group goes with that name. Makes me wonder if the guy worked for Disney (or another theme park brand) and was working on a future entertainment endeavor. The similarity to GlowFest at DCA certainly jumped into my mind. It will be interesting to see what shakes loose after ElecTRONica completes its run.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "On the plane ride from LA to Orlando for my recent trip to WDW in March, a guy sitting in a seat in front of me was looking at something on a laptop that grabbed my attention. It was some guys in costumes that looked kind of "Tron-ish", but, with colors reminiscent of GlowFest. I only got a quick peek, but, it looked like maybe it was some kind of dance group. I made a note of the name that was on the screen on my iPod, the only thing I had to take notes on, so that I could look it up when I returned from my trip. Interestingly, I have found absolutely nothing on the Internet as far as any performance group goes with that name. Makes me wonder if the guy worked for Disney (or another theme park brand) and was working on a future entertainment endeavor. The similarity to GlowFest at DCA certainly jumped into my mind. It will be interesting to see what shakes loose after ElecTRONica completes its run." I know I'm convinced.
Originally Posted By fzzybddy Howdy folks! Yep, still around. Not completely over GlowFest but getting there. Took cruise on Disney Wonder end of March to Key West, Nassau, Castaway Cay. Very well done. Private island something to see. Bathroom/shower way too tight but all else typical Disney. Maybe GlowFest could work on cruise ship? Any thoughts?
Originally Posted By TP2000 I have to admire your perseverance in keeping Glow Fest alive. But I doubt they'd try it on a cruise ship. Heck, they haven't even tried anything remotely similar to it at WDW, where they have LOTS of opportunity to improve the nighttime vibe and showmanship of several theme parks there. If Glow Fest were to return in some format, I would think WDW would be the place to kick off the "street party" concept there at DHS or Epcot. But all they can do at WDW is hire out of work wedding reception DJ's from Tampa to play sanitized pop songs while Stich or Chip N' Dale attempt to do year-old Korean dance crazes for sweaty Soccer Moms and their whiny toddlers. Not exactly the same scene as Glow Fest, or ElecTRONica, or Mad T Party. Stay classy, Orlando!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I think a Glow Fest-type concept would be tough to do on a cruise ship because of all the manpower it requires. I suppose they wouldn't need as many crowd control CMs, but with bartenders and dancers, you end up with a pretty large cast that is only needed for a few hours of the ship's total voyage. Yes, they could double up on other duties (perhaps shut down the adult district in favor of an on-deck party), but it's still a tough personell issue As for WDW, I'm not sure how successful this sort of event would be there. I frequented Glow Fest (and to a lesser extent ElecTRONica) because it was a great event, but I was also a local who could easily spend a few hours in the park on a Friday evening. WDW draws much more on tourists with families, as the nearby population is much smaller. Additionally, many more of the WDW visitors are families with small children, who are hardly the Glow Fest demographic; DL seems to have a lot more families with older children and young adult groups visiting. Also, WDW's parks tend to close much earlier than DL's, leaving little time after dark for the party to really get rolling That said, I don't think anybody considers WDW's dance parties much fun, yet they continue to pop up all over the place. They really should try the Glow Fest concept to a certain extent, as it gives them the possibility to profit from the food and drink sales that the existing concepts don't do.
Originally Posted By TP2000 Agreed that WDW's dance parties are not much fun. Quite honestly, they are cheap and embarrassing to watch and do more to damage the Disney park brand than they do to improve it, but apparently the Orlando management doesn't understand that. And with the dearth of fresh night entertainment in WDW parks, the dorky wedding reception DJ from Tampa in the middle of Tomorrowland playing Gangnam Style for the 800th time is better than... nothing?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Is it really better than nothing? Like you said, it's just kind of embarassing. It seems like very few guests actually stop to partake in the parties, and most just roll their eyes as they walk past. I agree that they should have some sort of entertainment, but I don't see it as a necessity for every part of every park at all times. I'd rather have one event that's really unique than half a dozen of the carbon copy, uninspired DJs that they have now, that are no different that what you'd find in the real world (other than occasional characters awkwardly dancing/mingling with the crowd)
Originally Posted By fzzybddy Yes,ship too small.However,they do Pirates Night (at least on Bahama/Carribean cruises) which is characters on stage with a human "host" leading mostly kids in GlowFest type activities. It pales in comparison. The demographics between WDW & DLR is accurate. And with trolley tracks in the street, it will pretty much be a fond memory at DCA. The thing about GlowFest for me was it had no direct Disney apperance while still staying within the Disney boundaries of good taste. And I watched people of ALL ages participating and having fun, which was keeping in line with Walt Disney's original concept for DL....."where children and parents could enjoy an experience together". I will always remember that feeling while thinking back on GlowFest 2010.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >> And with trolley tracks in the street, it will pretty much be a fond memory at DCA.<< I'm not convinced that the trolley tracks are an issue. They shut it down for parades during the day, so why couldn't they stop it for parties in the evenings. In DL the Main Street vehicles never run after dark, since crowds assemble in the hub for fireworks, and the area sees a lot of traffic as guests exit the park. The tracks themselves were in place along the main drag for the duration of Glow Fest, so it doesn't appear to be a major safety concern. >>The thing about GlowFest for me was it had no direct Disney apperance while still staying within the Disney boundaries of good taste<< I agree. I certainly enjoyed that it was friendly and approachable (I've never gone to a club, and have no intention to change that, yet I loved GF), and kept the Disney-branded stuff to a minimum. There were some details in the decorations that were based on character designs (Abu and Dory both come to mind immediately), and they had the songs made from sound bites from various movies, but it was definitely neutral overall. The more recent versions have focused so heavily on franchises that it really loses a lot of the spontaniety and block-party-type fun of the original. Sadly, it seems that this type of move, replacing a high-quality but unbranded experience with one that's marginally less good but character-related, is becoming increasingly common in recent years
Originally Posted By fzzybddy Maybe that permanent performance stage area newly installed in Downtown Disney could be used for something similar to GlowFest?
