2017 Holidays at Universal - New Wizarding World Holidays

[JungleSkip]

Maybe they're waiting to get the rights to classic Christmas characters next year. Island of misfit toys and rudolf would make great floats

This is a VERY good point that I totally forgot. Once those characters come over to Uni's control UOR is gonna be a Christmas powerhouse.

 

[Andysol]

This is a VERY good point that I totally forgot. Once those characters come over to Uni's control UOR is gonna be a Christmas powerhouse.

Did they get them already? Or did Seaworld just not renew yet?

You’re right- that would be an incredible boom. Frosty, Rudolph and the Like. I’m surprised Grinch wasn’t a part of this at all.

Overall, I like it a lot. I may have liked the old one better as I love the Generic ole Macy’s parade balloons but this is clearly an upgrade with floats and performers and music. I will say that I’m not a fan of the static characters on the floats. The snow angel minion was great- I wish they all moved (and pigs, etc on other floats) even just a little. Donkey was the clear standout (and I loved the dragon smoke effect)

Can I mention one glaringly worse aspect of this parade? No Rockettes. They were certainly the highlight of the old parade, and it sucks they aren’t in this one.

 

[Teebin]

I feel like I’ve asked this before, but where do they get all the performers from? Are they from other entertainment departments and they designed those schedules around the parade?

 

[JungleSkip]

Did they get them already? Or did Seaworld just not renew yet

Uni owns the characters through the DreamWorks deal. I’d imagine even if SeaWorld wanted to renew that Uni would have no desire to do that

 

[Legacy]

I feel like I’ve asked this before, but where do they get all the performers from? Are they from other entertainment departments and they designed those schedules around the parade?

A lot of them are "seasonals." They'll get cast for HHN (which is the easiest to get into), then audition for Macy*s, then audition for Mardi Gras, then audition for HHN. Once your in that side of Entertainment, it's fairly easy to roll from seasonal event to seasonal event.

HHN is, in a lot of ways, THE best way to break in to Universal. They hire so many people just based on a look then everything after that is requesting department transfers.

 

[quinnmac000]

Those little floaty dress ladies, is there someone underneath the dress driving them or are they part of the wireless design like the floats?... Which I believe are wireless or I guess part of an automated system.

If it works like the other dress floats that other shows have used, the performer themselves drive it like those hoverboard scooters.

 

[King_K.]

Really fantastic holiday offerings this year.

Pairing up these new experiences with the already popular Grinchmas and having it included with daily admission is really impressive.

 

[captainmoch]

Seeing both of these tomorrow. Crowds will probably be bad but I don't plan on riding anything, just doing some Christmas shopping and checking out the new entertainment. Gonna not watch YouTube videos until after I see it but I am excited to see both of them and am glad they're being reviewed well.

 

[darkridelover]

The parade is the best Universal has ever done in the States. And I expected to get expanded in the coming years. It's a million times better than the Macy's parade ever was.

 

[Miketheboss]

Color me impressed with the Potter show, which is the first nightshow I've seen from Uni that I'd call Disney-caliber. Gives me hope that maybe the new version of Cinespec won't be a tire fire.

Parades just aren't my deal, so I don't have much to say on it other than it looks like an improvement, and that they really need to use more of the puppet tech seen on the Shrek float here and the SLoP float in the main parade. It's legitimately mesmerizing.

Need to watch the new Potter stage shows now.

Who actually creates these projections for Disney? During the Mike Aiello interview, he said the Hogwarts projections were created from a company, not Universal.

 

[Andysol]

The parade is the best Universal has ever done in the States. And I expected to get expanded in the coming years. It's a million times better than the Macy's parade ever was.

I agree, except... #SaveTheRockettes

 

[Alicia]

Who actually creates these projections for Disney? During the Mike Aiello interview, he said the Hogwarts projections were created from a company, not Universal.

Universal still designs it and creates the animatics. The outside firm is hired to do all the “math” to make it work in reality.

Edit: And my guess is Disney does it all without outside help. Given their experimenting with mapping over the last decade or so.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Universal still designs it and creates the animatics. The outside firm is hired to do all the “math” to make it work in reality.

Edit: And my guess is Disney does it all without outside help. Given their experimenting with mapping over the last decade or so.

I’m pretty sure Disney uses outside help too.

 

[epcyclopedia]

I’m pretty sure Disney uses outside help too.

It's very flexible - there's some freelance folks, there's some employees of each company who work project to project, some who are always there (Aiello is that sort of position).

The average time in a creative/artistic position in a theme park is only 6 months. Why I always joke when Disney does their WDI talkiing-hea videos and people talk about the joy of working for WDI... Many of those people are only there for that project and only for their 3-10 month phase of that 3-5 year plan.

 

[Frank Drackman]

I'm avoiding photos and you tubes for the moment. Man, you lot are getting more excited than I had been. Hey, it's Friday and work is done and I have time off in my future! Hopefully I will get to see the parade a couple of times. Anyone know if the area's schools have the whole week off for Thanksgiving?

No matter I imagine, I'll be on vacation!

 

[epcyclopedia]

Debating if I want to go see it tomorrow just to see the crowds and excitement or if I’ll wait a bit.

 

[chewbacca1995]

There's a lot of potential for a Universal parade with one float per IP.

1. Despicable Me
2. Secret Life of Pets
3. Sing
4. Madagascar
5. How to Train Your Dragon
6. Kung Fu Panda
7. Trolls
8. Shrek
9. The Simpsons
10. Transformers
11. Classic Hollywood (Marilyn, Lucy, Chaplin, etc.)
12. Back to the Future
13. Classic Monsters
14. E.T.
15. Woody Woodpecker

 

[Andysol]

There's a lot of potential for a Universal parade with one float per IP.

1. Despicable Me
2. Secret Life of Pets
3. Sing
4. Madagascar
5. How to Train Your Dragon
6. Kung Fu Panda
7. Trolls
8. Shrek
9. The Simpsons
10. Transformers
11. Classic Hollywood (Marilyn, Lucy, Chaplin, etc.)
12. Back to the Future
13. Classic Monsters
14. E.T.
15. Woody Woodpecker

That’d be cool. The last 5 would not get their own float though. Maybe just 11. Classic monsters and Christmas don’t go that well together

It would be cool to have all of the “2nd tier” characters on a large float at one point a la the finale boat on fantastic. But I doubt they can fit a large float with the turn they have to make.

 

[epcyclopedia]

So did Hollywood get the same show and did it get the pyro?

Anwered my own question:



And we're not allowed to complain about our giant owl boxes, as Hollywood didnt even try to hie their lighting rigs.

 

[tielo]

For me the highlights are the beautiful christmas decoration in the Wizarding World, the projection show and the christmas numbers by Celestina Warbeck. The parade is a nice improvement. Only complaint is some static smaller floats where others had an amazing Donkey on it. Also didn't like the static Marty and Melman. And yes please bring back the rockettes.
However love the christmas offerings very much.