Disney's also giving California Adventure's Hyperion Theater top-line billing for this show, reflecting the role that the theater itself plays in this elaborate production. Disney installed a 2,200-square-foot custom, curved video wall to support this production, which also includes more than 100 moving lights, 20 plumes of carbon dioxide, and motion capture technology along with projection mapping. Here's the moment that comes together:
That moment when Disney uses projection mapping *on an actor* to "freeze" Anna. #Frozen #Disneyland pic.twitter.com/ODoPkEvadu
— Theme Park Insider (@ThemePark) May 28, 2016
Of course, the heart of the show remains its live performances, with actors singing live on top of a recorded orchestral accompaniment. Puppets bring Olaf the snowman, the trolls and Sven the reindeer to life - with "The Lion King" veteran Michael Curry behind those designs. The beloved songs by Oscar winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez return, supporting a script adapted by Aladdin scribe and four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin.
The Lopez's music is in its native medium here - playing in a Broadway-style theater, sung live to a wildly enthusiastic audience. The hour-long show does not deviate from the movie, hitting each plot point and recreating each set piece, but there's an awesomeness in seeing those set pieces created as practical effects, in person, that movie animation can't match.
Still, Disney's using plenty of projected animation here, employing that massive screen to add visual depth and complexity to many scenes. The show's opening, for example, plays like Soarin' Over Arendelle, thanks to that screen. But the most amazing mix of live action with animation might be the wolf chase through the forest, leading to Sven, Kristoff and Anna literally taking flight over the audience.
Here are our video highlights:
Overall, the show is a visual delight, demanding repeat viewings to catch all the detail. No, Frozen won't offer Aladdin's ever-changing line-up of pop culture one-liners. But with engaging images, impressive stagecraft and that wonderful music, Disney's Frozen - Live at the Hyperion feels just like what Olaf ordered - a nice warm hug.
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DCA (as some wags call it) was intended to specifically reflect the mind-space of an uncreative Imagineer in the late '90s having a mid-life crisis. That's why it was originally themed to that hip 1990s rock & roll band The Beach Boys, combined with nothing. What is Frozen doing here?! It didn't even exist when I first thought of this park!
MWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!
Somehow Disney doesn't know a good thing when they already have it, they think they have to go with the latest thing. They should have built a Frozen ride in the former Motor Boat Cruise area instead, but I guess Disney can't do too many things (Star Wars) at once.
Remember, Disney does know a thing or two about musicals. Disney's "The Lion King" is the third-longest running Broadway show ever. And, the 27 different productions across the globe have been seen by over 80 million people. All that was accomplished without pop culture one-liners.
This looks awesome, but every time I saw Aladdin, I came out thinking 'This never gets old', in part because of the Genie being able to keep things fresh. Take a look at Mickey and the Magical Map show in Disneyland. It has cutting edge technology, great music and choreography, but it only plays on the weekends. Then look back at the huge crowds that packed Aladdin when it closed.
The reason that the Aladdin show was so good was that the Genie was able to make pop culture references because he as a character transcends time, so it fit the story. If Olaf or anyone else tries to make pop culture comments, it will be sure to elicit groans from the audience, because the story is tied to a certain time.
The continual change up of the Genie's jokes made the show different every time, it wasn't like a stale show that is the same every time.
In Aladdin, Disney finally had a show that was relevant and hip without being dumb, and they got rid of it.
A live stage show has more repeatability simply because of the energy of the live actors. I remember the Beauty and the Beast show and Animazement in Disneyland were great shows that I wanted to see again and again. But Aladdin had that extra special spark of the Genie's performance, which made it fresh and new every time.
On another note, why only three showings a day? Aladdin generally had 4, and I would have expected Frozen to have 4 or even 5 for at least the first few months. Even if it required two casts, I'd think it would be in Disney's best interest to up the capacity of the show than deal with thousands of complaints daily from visitors who can't see it. 6,000 visitors per day is pretty poor capacity for a Disney attraction.
Frozen is "nice" and the special effects are good but it doesn't put a smile on my face the way Aladdin did.
I'm willing to give allowance to the acting, singing and performances, to me they were fine. But the show as a whole seems too melodramatic, and it shows the weaknesses of the movie's plot even more.
The main comic relief was not Olaf, as I would have expected, but rather the Duke of Weaselton, which is not saying much. It was a nice touch to reprise 'Love is an Open Door' at the end, but the final song should have been a reprise of 'Let it Go', not another repeat of 'Love is an Open Door'.
(And yes, I am aware it's a parody account, but just thought I'd remind everyone that Eisner made just as many good decisions as he did bad ones. Have a nice day!)
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