We are descending from the blue sky and starting to dig some dirt. That was the jist of the Disney Experiences Showcases at D23 this year, which was titled Horizons. The journey was billed as a musical journey around the world, which it was. The anchor was a large fantastic orchestra that played songs from Disney’s past and present. There were also musical performances by some big names — but the true star of the show were the announcements being made and the concept art that was being shown.
There were no blue sky projects nor new restaurants coming to Downtown Disney this year. Everything being discussed at any length was a major project. It is just too bad it took forty minutes to start to get to them. There will be time to analyze the projects and the strength of the Disney Experiences business in the days to come, but my purpose now is to review the show that was delivered to us at the Honda Center.
The show began with a performance by the Mad T Party band. While a fun throwback, people grew antsy when it started to eat into the time allotted for the main show. They would have been much better utilized as a true pre-show instead of an often cringe-worthy warm-up crew that could learn a lot from the folks that do Star Wars Celebration. It was also noticeable that the reaction to Josh D’Amaro’s entrance was much more muted than the response to Bob Iger, as if the audience felt he had something to prove. But in my humble opinion, by the end of the night, he delivered.
The live performers that have a connection to Disney, such as John Stamos, Susan Egan, and Billy Crystal really resonated. You could sense the emotion emanating from the former Uncle Jesse, and Egan’s unique take on “I Won’t Say I’m In Love” showed why she has had so much success with her concerts. The consummate showman Billy Crystal demonstrated his comedic timing and talents that made him such a classic Oscar host. Otherwise, the show took the form of an announcement followed by a song from the franchise performed by a recording artist. While some of the performers were good and others were not, it did feel a bit like filler, which was frustrating when D’Amaro kept saying they have so much to announce and they don’t have time for it all even after the show ran long.
Other performance highlights included the Darren Criss and Skylar Astin numbers as well as anytime Deadpool was onstage. Their humor, oftentimes self-deprecating, was fun while also letting us know that the Disney Experiences business is not ignoring what the fan community has to say. They know how we feel about broken yetis and burning dragons. I heard many folks mention that it made them feel that this is a new Disney that understands its past mistakes and current shortcomings, and that they appreciate the self-awareness. In fact, just as Deadpool is billed as "Marvel Jesus" and his new film is helping right the course for the studio, the character’s appearance here seems to attempt the same magic for the Parks.
There were many smart choices in how they presented things. For example, quickly ensuring we know that Mr. Lincoln will continue, and tying their Epic Games project to Disney Cruise Line as an example of how they can find success by entering a new business. The only tweak I would have suggested would have been not to end the Anaheim located presentation by specifically calling out the large investment you are making at Walt Disney World.
But in terms of showflow, unlike the Studios the day before, Disney Experiences stuck the landing. After saying they were ending the show with Deadpool, the Magic Mirror was summoned to reveal the Disney Villains land is actually being built. This particular project got the most rapturous applause. The mirror particularly called out that D’Amaro had omitted a project he had previously promised during the “blue sky” fiasco of last year. It was as if it hit home that those projects discussed last time as nebulous are all coming to life in one form or another. Perhaps this will give Disney fans a bit more patience next time Disney has the guts to reveal an early look behind the curtain.
D’Amaro hit it home that these projects will be coming to life over the next five years. The presentation, which was the largest in scope Disney Experiences has ever done, was befitting the large Honda Center venue. While not perfect, there is no doubt this show “won” D23. And as they showed this year, they learned from previous iterations. I can’t wait to see what they deliver next time.