Has Disneyland's entertainment and shows gone downhill?

[DodgerGirl]

When I first started going to Disneyland in 1991 Disneyland was known for amazing entertainment and great shows and parades but if you have gone to Disneyland lately you'll notice that the entertainment and shows have gone downhill and I can't figure out the reason why? Because Disneyland shows and entertainment were really great and the parades were fun to see. But when you go to Disneyland today and see a show or parade you'll notice the quality has gone downhill? Is it because Disneyland makes huge money in the entertainment department and gives huge money to each performer or dancer who performs in the shows? Or is it because Disneyland has always tried to have a huge impact with exciting shows and parades to keep bringing more money and profits to the park? Take for instance when I have seen shows on Youtube I've noticed that Disneyland has started to make some of the shows like school plays and Disneyland was known for outstanding shows that people would see again and again. Take for example when Disneyland debuted Snow White An Enchanting New Musical in 2003 in Fantasyland Theater many people thought it was gonna be a hit but when I saw it the Snow White show reminded me of a children's play that you could see in kindergarten or a preschool and I can see why Disneyland missed the mark on this one. A second show that looks promising but I wasn't impressed with was Tales Of The Lion King and when I first saw it on Youtube it reminded me of a high school play. I mean where are Disneyland shows like The Spirit Of Pocahontas or Beauty And The Beast Stage Show? We need to see those type of shows return to Disneyland because they were awesome. A second thing that I noticed that Disneyland is focusing a lot on are shows like Fantasmic that use a lot of special effects and I consider these shows are what they are trying to appeal to a new audience rather than parades because it is what people are attracted to. Finally I think the reason why Disneyland has no plans in the works to bring daytime parades since the pandemic is because I think Disneyland wants to focus on other types of daytime entertainment and it seems that nighttime parades are their biggest successes and when you throw in a fireworks show it makes it more successful. But I can't figure out why they have parades that are destined to be huge then retire them like they did with Main Street Electrical Parade but if they added more awesome parades it would be a huge hit for Disneyland. But if this is the new way of Disneyland entertainment now for the foreseeable future I doubt the traditional style of Disneyland entertainment will make a comeback

 

[starlite_]

How old were you on 1991? Our perception of things changes as we grow older. That's why nostalgia is so big in the entertainment industry. Also, DLR already announced it's bring back a daytime parade.

 

[DLgal]

Are you ACTUALLY going to see these shows or just watching You Tube Videos of them?

I promise you, the shows have only gotten better over time, when you see them in person.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Well...
The Alladin show in DCA was pretty good - almost always played to a completely full theater (and that theater is HUGE!). Frozen I thought was straight-up bad, though it did have it's fans - I never saw the theater full for that one. But even that is better than the nothing that is there now.

Edited - just noticed this is specific to DL

 

[DizMe]

Well...
The Alladin show in DCA was pretty good - almost always played to a completely full theater (and that theater is HUGE!). Frozen I thought was straight-up bad, though it did have it's fans - I never saw the theater full for that one. But even that is better than the nothing that is there now.

Edited - just noticed this is specific to DL

I assumed OP meant "Disneyland Resort". I was thinking of both parks as well.

 

[KPeterso]

I agree with an above comment. Have you actually gone to the park to see any of the shows recently?

Tale of the Lion King was wonderful in person. Very powerful. Parades have been announced to be returning, so those should be back soon. They did have the Christmas one last year. We love some of the Street type shows (Spiderman in DCA, other Avengers in DCA).

The nighttime shows are all amazing. If you have never seen World of Color in person, nothing on You Tube will ever show the magnificence of the show. Yes, there are special effects (pyrotechnics, water projections, other projections), but otherwise it would be a show in the dark and you would not see much at all. Same with Fantasmic. Admittedly, I am not a huge fireworks person, but I even appreciate the beauty of the Disneyland fireworks!

I do miss both the Aladdin and Frozen shows at DCA. I hope a new show will go in there some day soon. And Mickey and the Magical Map was another great show that we miss (Tale of the Lion King is in that location right now).

 

[dieumeye]

I like Tale of the Lion King. I think the performers are great.

 

[DLgal]

There was a previous version of Tale of the Lion King performed on a makeshift stage near Paradise Bay in DCA.

That is NOT the same show as the one being performed now at the Fantasyland Theater. Just wanted to clear that up.