Originally Posted By sjhym333 According to Kevin Yee over on Miceage, the promised return of Spectormagic has been shelved because the floats, which seem to have been left outside, are so deteriorated that they are no longer usable and are being destroyed. I guess the Main Street Electrical Parade will remain a permanent fixture at the MK. Now that Disney is redoing the afternoon parade, it would be nice to see them invest in a first class evening parade. Technology has come such a long way since the Electrical Parade began (which I love), it would be great to do some really spectacular.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm not entirely surprised that the SpectroMagic floats were left outside, since MK has 2 other parades running daily that need to be kept up for their ongoing performances, in addition to all the extra floats that are used for the seasonal nighttime parties. That just doesn't leave a lot of space for an extra parade's worth of floats. (I should note that MK's main float storage has a roof, but no walls, so all of their floats are subject to the elements) While I don't know about the majority of the floats, some were seen lit up as recently as the Wine & Dine Half Marathon in November, where they were placed along the course. I didn't run it myself, but have seen pictures from various friends, and several different units were on display for the nighttime race. Personally, I saw SpectroMagic in 2005, and was underwhelmed. I think that the Electrical Parade is a much better production (at least it was when I last saw it in DCA on its closing night). Yes, some memories will be lost along the way, but that's part of the 'problem' with continually updating the entertainment; one that I'll gladly accept for a fresh product. There have been rumors for a while about DL getting a new evening parade, and it seems like it might be coming next year or the year after (for DL's 60th). If this is the case, it might make sense for them to build two copies fo the parade, one for each coast, like what was originally done with MSEP. Many of the MSEP floats are nearly 40 years old, and I'm sure have some rather difficult maintenance issues. Although the parade got a nice refresh about 4 years ago, I would bet that the maintenance on it is still more difficult and expensive than a new parade of similar caliber would be. Of course, I would hope that they would raise the bar with a new parade, having nearly 40 years of new technology, but that's a different issue.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Terribly disappointing. I LOATH the Electrical Parade and was hoping to see Spectro at least once again.
Originally Posted By dagobert I've never seen MSEP. In Paris they showed Fantillusion and at WDW I've seen SpectroMagic, which was a disppointment compared to Fantillusion. But I didn't like any of the WDW Parades in 2008.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I have fantastic memories of the parade from the first time I saw it 20+ years ago. The last time I saw it, I was disappointed... it seemed well past it's prime. My favorite Disney parade ever was the Tapestry of Nations. Wish they would come up with something like that again. The twinkly lights thing has become so common... even at relatively minor theme parks.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: So, this is the same rumor my sisters had heard last June in 2012 and now it has been confirmed. It's very disappointing to learn that Disney management would just allow parade floats to deteriorate outside the way they did. It's as if they deliberately chose to let Mother Nature destroy something that could have been protected. It makes you wonder why they waste so much money without lifting a finger to maintain things better. (sigh)
Originally Posted By magic0214 <<Terribly disappointing. I LOATH the Electrical Parade and was hoping to see Spectro at least once again.>> Couldn't agree more. I want to hear Jiminy introduce to me the parade just once more. Also, the score for MSEP has NOTHING on Spectro. Gorgeous.
Originally Posted By leemac It has always puzzled me how polarising Spectro is - I've never understood it at all. I've always preferred Spectro for the music and the final float but it is still just a cavalcade of different floats - pretty but vacuous. Even TDL's Dreamlights suffers from the same problems - although it is technically spectacular it is still lacking an engaging narrative.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "So, this is the same rumor my sisters had heard last June in 2012 and now it has been confirmed" Sounds like WDW management never intended to bring the parade back, or at some point last year decided to permanently shelve it at keep the MSEP. I personally don't see this as a loss since there is still an exclusive nighttime parade at the MK. Yes, it's time way past time for the MSEP to retire, but at least there's something running on Main Street after dark in Florida as opposed to California where there is nothing.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I have just finished reading Disney U by Doug Lipp. It is a book about training and the Disney University. It was an ok read. More interesting as an ex-CM I think. Anyway. The one thing I did walk away with was the insistence of quality in everything that Disney did. He writes about a time when I was still working for the Mouse. It is unfortunate that Disney soooo counts money that they cannot see beyond the ledger books. The Main Street Electrical Parade is a classic and a parade that I have always loved but it really is time to retire it. The lack of vision for anything special for a night time parade is terrible. Spectromagic was never a great parade in my opinion, but it did show a time when Disney tried to do something more. They just don't seem to want to anymore.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "They just don't seem to want to anymore. That's a pretty broad statement. Things have no doubt changed over the years, but I wouldn't say that Disney no longer tries to do "something more". Like attractions parades and shows at the parks come and go. Think of how much more WDW is today than it was when the MSEP first debuted there in 1977.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip What is ironic is that they all wish for the Age of Eisner. While it is popular for Disney Fans to hate the Big E, there was always something new happening in the parks when he was at the helm.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: Not so, Road Trip, duckling. At least not all of us wish for the days of Mr. Eisner to return. It was during his reign that things deteriorated in more obvious ways. The current management is merely continuing to deteriorate. My sisters and I understand what you're saying sjhym333, duckling, and we agree with you. Disney isn't Disney any more. Most of what we have left are fond memories of the past and a film library of classic Disney films. There are still a few good things happening at the parks--such as Mystic Manor in HKDL. But it will be interesting to see what good that does for the theme parks in America.
Originally Posted By Disneydanny as a fan of the Main Street Electrical Parade I was THRILLED that Spectro's return was axed and that parts from it's floats were being salvaged for the Main Street Electrical Parade. I gave Sectromagic 2 seperate chances ('96 & '02)to win me over and it failed. imo WDW would have been better keeping THEIR MSEP and sending Spectro to Paris instead.(i suspect that MSEP was sent to france for 2 reasons 1. it;s composer is French and 2 Disney wanted to say :thank you" for supplying the fabric for the costumes.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Is WDW's version the one that ended up in Paris? Or was that Tokyo's version? I know that there were 3 versions of the parade at one point, and we've mysteriously been reduced to 1, and another made its way to France, but I'm not sure which is which
Originally Posted By Mr X Fantillusion went to Paris from Tokyo - that was an entirely different parade, a pretty cool one (much cooler than Spectro, I'd say), nothing to do with ELP.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 The Swan unit from TDL's original Electrical Parade did end up in Paris, but I believe the rest of the floats were WDW's.
