I know one of the driving factors to changing the BPB parade was cost and injury, but this is a disappointment. Recycled everything from costumes to floats was bad enough, but having the performers walk holding the props from the former parade acting like “oh it’s so much fun to hold a ball and a hula hoop” along with the loop of two poorly chosen song selections left the crowd as bored as I was sitting at home watching it. And what was the point adding a Ratatouille section to only have Remy standing on a cheese print float without dancers or anything else specific to this property. And the characters don’t even talk. I feel very negative.
Yes, in my opinion. I personally don’t like parade stops. And I agree that this isn’t a street party… another reason I enjoyed it. If only it were a few floats longer with movie-inspired music, then it’d be great!
Highly disappointed! I want the old parade back. BPB had up-beat songs that everyone no matter of age could get up and moving to. The same song over and over with the same steps throughout the parade was nothing but boring. You let me down Disney!
This is the first positive thing I have read about the new parade, and I have to say I couldn’t disagree more.
This parade was a huge disappointment and looks almost amateurish compared to other Disney productions. The article says it was about 8 minutes, however the video runs only 6:50, and includes a fair bit of lead time before the parade even reaches the camera viewpoint so I’d say 6 minutes is closer to the mark.
The stops and interactivity of the BPB were some of its strongest assets in my opinion. If you see parades as interrupting your day in the parks, then it’s simply a great opportunity to ignore them and take advantage of reduced crowds at the rides. I, on the other hand, love the parades and thought they had a real winner with BPB. In fact, I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed it until I saw this train wreck.
The music was less upbeat and engaging, there was virtually no interaction with the kids because the darn thing moved so fast plus the abundance of character dance moves, the floats are simply recycled from BPB and those that are repainted are done to their detriment. Just not fun in any way, shape or form.
Next week, I’m off to WDW for my fifth visit in a year, and am beyond disappointed in this new parade. Bring back BPB!!
I realize I am in the minority on this – by far. But I have never been a fan of Block Party Bash, not at Hollywood Studios, and not when it was at California Adventure. I don’t like parade stops or street parties. So for me, this parade took everything I didn’t like about BPB and left the characters (plus some). I don’t like the music in this parade at all, as it still has the street party vibe, and would greatly prefer movie-inspired music. But short of that, I liked watching this cavalcade of characters.
I’m not saying this parade is great, but I always found BPB to be obnoxious. This, at least, is only a little obnoxious.
Anyone who liked Block Party Bash will *hate* this parade. But anyone who hated Block Party Bash will feel like this is a relief from all the yelling.
Ha! Well… if I had to choose between no parade and either this one or BPB, I’d choose no parade. But if there’s gotta be a parade, I’d rather have one that has a bunch of characters for a short amount of time. Add Cars and Wall-E and let ’em fly. Then I’ll happily head over to Magic Kingdom to enjoy the Main Street Electrical Parade for the billionth time!
The music is reused from DCA’s Pixar Play Parade. However, there the countdown is the only common element between each unit. BAng on the Drum is with Monster’s Inc (sure Todd Rundgren is enjoying the checks). There are lots of other songs mixed in to varying success in my opinion. “bugs just want to have fun” not as good as the implementation of “Yummy Yummy Yummy” (Ratatouille), and “Don’t Stop Me Now” (The Incredibles).
Disney has a long record of reusing floats. Many of the floats used in the Halloween parade I recall seeing in different configurations over the years… lots of years. The Hades float in the Hercules parade was Mickey’s float in Mickey Mania. The “barn” that Clara Cluck rides on in the halloween parade parade is very old. I have pictures as a firehouse in a Dumbo’s circus parade from the early 80’s. The gazebo that leads the halloween parade with some of the key characters was used in the first parade I saw in 1977. Long time. Jack Sparrow’s rocks I remember from the 15 years parade (Chip and Dale were indians). The 2 level float that contained inhabitants of Agrabah in the Aladdin parade was first used for the Dinosaurs show.
I’m not going to even go into reused costumes because that happens too even though it isn’t always as blatent.
With that said, it does look like they really did this more on the cheap than was done in older parades. Blocks are blocks regardless of the paint job on them. I do wish they had done a little more with that, but without new floats being used, 2 weeks to do a quick paint job is understandable.
I personally hate show stops. It makes the duration of the parade longer, but I always feel that I’m missing something because it is impossible to see all of the show stops in one viewing. Really, if a parade stops for a performance, it really isn’t much of a parade to me. I didn’t consider HSM a parade and I don’t consider the Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it, one either. “Parades” with show stops are just bigger versions of these things.
To me, this is an improvement over block party bash, but I don’t like it as much as other parades that have traversed Hollywood Boulevard. Aladdin and the Toy Story parades are still my favorites from that park.
It seems to me that they sucked all the energy out of the Block Party Bash and turned it into this parade. I personally loved the stops, even if I couldn’t see everything that was going on. It was easy to ask castmembers what area was a good spot to stand to see the characters that I wanted to see.
I know that the parade cast members and characters are constantly in motion since this parade doesn’t stop but without all the dancing and upbeat music this parade just seems lifeless.
There is no entertainment value. Why even have those cube floats when they they are so under utilized. What happened to all the dancers, the energy! The Incredibles rising from the top. Its disappointing as it was not designed to simply pass by, it was a moving interactive stage show… Sad times 🙁
Comments for Video: Pixar Pals Countdown To Fun Debuts At Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Courtney
I know one of the driving factors to changing the BPB parade was cost and injury, but this is a disappointment. Recycled everything from costumes to floats was bad enough, but having the performers walk holding the props from the former parade acting like “oh it’s so much fun to hold a ball and a hula hoop” along with the loop of two poorly chosen song selections left the crowd as bored as I was sitting at home watching it. And what was the point adding a Ratatouille section to only have Remy standing on a cheese print float without dancers or anything else specific to this property. And the characters don’t even talk. I feel very negative.
Lart
Fun parade, but so short.
Cam
And it was a bad thing that BPB hogged the parade route? This parade is just pathetic, it isn’t even close to a “street party”
Ricky Brigante
Yes, in my opinion. I personally don’t like parade stops. And I agree that this isn’t a street party… another reason I enjoyed it. If only it were a few floats longer with movie-inspired music, then it’d be great!
Victoria
Highly disappointed! I want the old parade back. BPB had up-beat songs that everyone no matter of age could get up and moving to. The same song over and over with the same steps throughout the parade was nothing but boring. You let me down Disney!
Salinger
This is the first positive thing I have read about the new parade, and I have to say I couldn’t disagree more.
This parade was a huge disappointment and looks almost amateurish compared to other Disney productions. The article says it was about 8 minutes, however the video runs only 6:50, and includes a fair bit of lead time before the parade even reaches the camera viewpoint so I’d say 6 minutes is closer to the mark.
The stops and interactivity of the BPB were some of its strongest assets in my opinion. If you see parades as interrupting your day in the parks, then it’s simply a great opportunity to ignore them and take advantage of reduced crowds at the rides. I, on the other hand, love the parades and thought they had a real winner with BPB. In fact, I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed it until I saw this train wreck.
The music was less upbeat and engaging, there was virtually no interaction with the kids because the darn thing moved so fast plus the abundance of character dance moves, the floats are simply recycled from BPB and those that are repainted are done to their detriment. Just not fun in any way, shape or form.
Next week, I’m off to WDW for my fifth visit in a year, and am beyond disappointed in this new parade. Bring back BPB!!
Ricky Brigante
I realize I am in the minority on this – by far. But I have never been a fan of Block Party Bash, not at Hollywood Studios, and not when it was at California Adventure. I don’t like parade stops or street parties. So for me, this parade took everything I didn’t like about BPB and left the characters (plus some). I don’t like the music in this parade at all, as it still has the street party vibe, and would greatly prefer movie-inspired music. But short of that, I liked watching this cavalcade of characters.
I’m not saying this parade is great, but I always found BPB to be obnoxious. This, at least, is only a little obnoxious.
Anyone who liked Block Party Bash will *hate* this parade. But anyone who hated Block Party Bash will feel like this is a relief from all the yelling.
Salinger
To be honest Ricky, had you asked me a couple of weeks ago if I “loved” BPB, I’d have said no. But after seeing this debacle, I long for it. 🙂
Ricky Brigante
Ha! Well… if I had to choose between no parade and either this one or BPB, I’d choose no parade. But if there’s gotta be a parade, I’d rather have one that has a bunch of characters for a short amount of time. Add Cars and Wall-E and let ’em fly. Then I’ll happily head over to Magic Kingdom to enjoy the Main Street Electrical Parade for the billionth time!
Coby Stump
If you ask me they should’ve just kept the Stars and Motorcars Parade.
Alexis G.
The music is reused from DCA’s Pixar Play Parade. However, there the countdown is the only common element between each unit. BAng on the Drum is with Monster’s Inc (sure Todd Rundgren is enjoying the checks). There are lots of other songs mixed in to varying success in my opinion. “bugs just want to have fun” not as good as the implementation of “Yummy Yummy Yummy” (Ratatouille), and “Don’t Stop Me Now” (The Incredibles).
Disney has a long record of reusing floats. Many of the floats used in the Halloween parade I recall seeing in different configurations over the years… lots of years. The Hades float in the Hercules parade was Mickey’s float in Mickey Mania. The “barn” that Clara Cluck rides on in the halloween parade parade is very old. I have pictures as a firehouse in a Dumbo’s circus parade from the early 80’s. The gazebo that leads the halloween parade with some of the key characters was used in the first parade I saw in 1977. Long time. Jack Sparrow’s rocks I remember from the 15 years parade (Chip and Dale were indians). The 2 level float that contained inhabitants of Agrabah in the Aladdin parade was first used for the Dinosaurs show.
I’m not going to even go into reused costumes because that happens too even though it isn’t always as blatent.
With that said, it does look like they really did this more on the cheap than was done in older parades. Blocks are blocks regardless of the paint job on them. I do wish they had done a little more with that, but without new floats being used, 2 weeks to do a quick paint job is understandable.
I personally hate show stops. It makes the duration of the parade longer, but I always feel that I’m missing something because it is impossible to see all of the show stops in one viewing. Really, if a parade stops for a performance, it really isn’t much of a parade to me. I didn’t consider HSM a parade and I don’t consider the Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it, one either. “Parades” with show stops are just bigger versions of these things.
To me, this is an improvement over block party bash, but I don’t like it as much as other parades that have traversed Hollywood Boulevard. Aladdin and the Toy Story parades are still my favorites from that park.
MichelleW
It seems to me that they sucked all the energy out of the Block Party Bash and turned it into this parade. I personally loved the stops, even if I couldn’t see everything that was going on. It was easy to ask castmembers what area was a good spot to stand to see the characters that I wanted to see.
I know that the parade cast members and characters are constantly in motion since this parade doesn’t stop but without all the dancing and upbeat music this parade just seems lifeless.
daniel John Williams
There is no entertainment value. Why even have those cube floats when they they are so under utilized. What happened to all the dancers, the energy! The Incredibles rising from the top. Its disappointing as it was not designed to simply pass by, it was a moving interactive stage show… Sad times 🙁
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