Maybe I've not seen what's out there now, but I have yet to see a 3-D movie that comes even close to how well-done this is. We went twice to see it - and my entire family (wife, kids 10 and 13) all loved it both times. I'm not sure how there could be better 3-D movies available - show 'em to me and I'll believe it. Tip - sit mid-way or near the rear of the theater for full effect. And if a huge person sits in front of you (they should require anyone over 5'8" to sit in the back row), ask them to move.
I absolutely loved Mickey's Philharmagic. The journey is fun, the 3D has a lot of neat gimmick screen movement (the corks still get me jumping every time) and the 4D effect with the water and smells is great. My only complaint is that because it's so old, the 3D really looks dated compared to what you see in theaters nowadays. I'd love to see a new story with updated animation and technology, but it's still fun as-is.
not sure when this attraction arrived at the Mk, but it is great. even when I was at the park at 1 AM and my feet were tired and my belly was full from delicious, salty popcorn, I loved this. I laughed and overall acted like a 6 year old does when he/she sees Mickey for the first time in Judge's Tent. The 4-D effects(splashing water, scent of mouthwatering food, etc.) are great! I love this attraction and it does not need to be replaced. Maybe some renovations, MAYBE. But no TRUE NEED. Disney lovers-take your kids. heck, take the whole family!
looks good sounds good smells good end of story its a great ride show
this show was perfect disney magic, great music, great visual effects. we loved the show so much we attended it twice. do not miss this one.
Back in 2003 I kept seeing advertisements of this little 3d show that had replaced the Lion King show in Magic Kingdom. Each advertisement feature various Disney characters flying out of the screen towards the audience and spreading the magic. I kept hearing people talk about the show and when I finally went to visit I was amazed, to say the least. Upon entering the building you walk through a fairly small queue featuring posters of various productions put on by Disney characters, each with a hilarious spin on their show. The entrance line is immediately relaxing and calm and really sets the stage for the attraction. The theater, to be honest, is huge. There is the main screen and two hidden screens that "appear" during the show. The film itself is a humorous journey though several films with a multitude of sights, smells, sounds, and action. The in theater effects are groundbreaking as well. Overall I had more fun than almost any other attraction in the park. One show which won't become outdated any time soon. For Kids- 10/10 Pre-teens- 9/10 teens- 9/10 adults- 10/10 seniors- 8/10 Overall- 9.1/10
This was my favourite 3D show, really utilized the 3D well and there was an interesting and funny story. Having Donald Duck as the star was great too. Really really loved this show. Another bonus, we went at a really busy time and the lines were never bad.
This is by far the most magical 3D show disney has. Everything about this attraction is fantastic. Its great for all guests and will leave everyone with smiles. Its a must see!
This is the best new attraction in years! Walt would be proud. The 3D is top notch, I try to go a few times each trip.
Usually I perfer not going to Fantasyland on my WDW trips as nothing there really appeals to me but this is an AMAZING show! I wouldn't mind watching it several times in a row. The special effects are great and make it worth seeing. It's really just a great show. Worth seeing if only for a little break from the heat.
I did this last year- When you fly over Big Ben in 3-D- amazing! very well done, I also liked it when you went for the magic carpet ride through the streets ,almost makes you a little dizzy but this attraction is a BLAST don't miss it!!!
That was the first thing I saw waiting entry to the show and it cracked me up! The show is simply amazing and very well done. DD and I were reaching up trying to grab everything, including Donald!
Unlike most 3-D shows, this one is soft and warm so it won't scare the bejeebers out of little kids. Several effects include wind, the smell of yummy French food, and a spritz of water. Though the images are very stylized, when Ariel throws her gems into the audience, I find myself reaching for them I'm so consumed in the realism! (For clarity, the story is that Mickey is an opera conductor who uses his sorceror's hat to conduct. But Donald gets his hands on it and it sends him rocketing through musical scenes of Disney's most popular animated movies of the late 80s through mid 90s.)
Great show. The MK needed an attraction like this...
The waiting line and space before the show is very clean looking but could do with a sort of preshow like many other shows. The show itself is great. It involves many of the Disney characters in Donald's misadventure with the sorcerer's hat. It involves smell as well as other sensory feelings in the performance. It is done very well and you must see it if you can get in. The wait is often quite long.
I finally saw Mickey's Philharmagic for the first time several weeks ago. One word... amazing. I have never seen so many beloved characters and moments all integrated into one seamless package before... Mickey's Philharmagic is a masterpiece, and the best 3D show on property. My only complaint is that the ending of the show is a little abrupt, as there is no real conclusion from Mickey himself (but the Donald AA is hilarious). A very pleasent surprise, especially after all the poor attractions Disney has added over the past few years.
I have to agree with another poster that the building is cheap, but the movie is wonderful and more than makes up for that. The last few times I've gone, the line has not been too long, and you get to be inside with air conditioning, which is great on a hot summer day. Perhaps a good juice and snack break for your kids, if you're going to be inside waiting for a bit? And at night, there's hardly much of a line. I think this is probably the best 3-D show on property, and people of all ages will love the classic Disney characters. Don't miss it!
I love how they incorporated different Disney movies in this attraction!!! It\'s really fun, and great for all ages! A must see!!!
This really is one of the best 3D (4D?) shows on offer. The scree is enoooooooooormous and the fact that you can smell whats in front of you is awe inspiring. Don't miss it!
I love this film. It's light on 3-D effects and big on story and love of Disney animation. It takes the some of the best segments of Disney films and ties them together with the thread of Donald searching for a very important missing object. They could have done a bit more with the design of the actual theater and the queue however. I also wish they'd have animated this with hand drawn cells instead of computer. But I suppose if Disney is switching to computers only these days, then the truth is they've done a pretty decent job on this one. This is one of their best recent efforts.
It's a great ride. If you want a thrill you won't get one. It's 3D, but if you don't like 3D you don't have to keep your eyes open all the time. Very interactive as the characters come out to you. Definetly a Disney Classic.
An amazing 3D adventure, with all the faviorate disney Characters: Mickey, Donald, Ariel, Simba, Peter Pan, Aladen, Jasmine, Beauty and the beast's luminare and friends. And the best part of the show is when they Make the whole theatere smell like fresh bake pie!
This has quickly become one of my favorite attractions at Magic Kingdom. FINALLY, Donald Duck gets an attraction where he's in the center of it all. Please don't let the Mickey in "Mickey's Philarmagic" fool you...he's only in the beginning and the end...and I love that! Donald is adorable and funny in this attraction! The animation is very nice and it never ceases to amaze me when everyone (kids and adults) reaches out to grab some jewels or apple pie lol. Speaking of apple pie, keep your noses alert for that delightful smell. My only problem with this attraction is that it's too short. It felt like we were being rushed through each movie, with Peter Pan getting the shortest amount of time in the attraction. Seeing as how this attraction is extremely kid-friendly, a longer movie would have been great. Anyway, this is not to be missed at Magic Kingdom. Don't miss it!!!
It's nice to see that everyone's favorite cranky duck finally gets his very own show. It's just kind of a bummer that it's so, well, derivative in theming and execution. First there are already three very popular 3D shows on property: It's Tough to Be a Bug, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and The Muppets. All of them are superior to this one. Philharmagic doesn't really add anything to the 3D attraction experience. The pre-show area employs the same "posters already used in ITTBAB. There is no great video to keep the waiting crowds entertained, ala Muppets. The exterior of the attraction looks like it was just thrown together quickly to have something there. I enjoyed the movie, but it was just a montage of great Disney animated songs with the addition of Donald interacting with the characters. After viewing Philharmagic twice, I got the feeling that this attraction is just filler. And that's a shame.
I was shocked at how cheap and tacky the building is for this attraction. It was clear that management said to make the building as cheaply as possible. Putting such a poor exterior in with the beautiful medieval architecure on the surrounding older buildings borders on criminal. I can't believe nay imagineers designed this building. It must have been an outside company. When you are standing in line look at the tower on the right end and compare it to the old german tower on the building directly behind it. The new building tower looks like it cost about $100 to build and the old tower looks like a work of art. Look at the cheap plaster work and the running paint on the new tower with a couple of stones stuck in the plaster in a cheap attempt at detail. And cheap 1x4 boards for trim work. Look at the "stones" on the front walls of building - nothing but flat white fake looking rectangles of stucco - no detail -no varition - no artistry. I've seen shopping centers that were better built - seriously. The first lobby is nothing but an empty room with posters on the wall and a mural that looks like high school students painted it. The second lobby deeper inside is nothing but a big warehouse type room with dark blue walls and some plain cheap white plaster columns. The "Chandeliers" look like big aluminum cake pans with one row of those cheap electric candles around the outside that cost $2 at walmart - I'm not kidding. And there is absolutley ZERO preshow entertainment or distractions. The actual theatre where the film is shown is likewise plain and unimpressive except for godd frame around the center screen. Anyone who says this building is attractive must live in a mobile home and have cars up on blocks in the front yard. Disney would have FIRED whoever ordered this cheap, ugly, plain building inserted in one of the most beautiful architecure areas in disneyworld. He's spinning in his grave right now. The 3D movie itself is very good. Lively and action packed with good animation and 3D effects. But after the very long, boring line wait, it dampens your response to the show a bit. Even the attendants were the least friendly, shortest I ran into in the part. You got the feeling they felt like they were herding cattle. B+ for the movie; building gets an F- And again, whatever bean-counter manager(and Eisner who must have approved the cheap budget and plans) who was in charge of construction of this cheap/tacky eyesore dropped in an area of disney beauty should be FIRED. As you can tell, I am rather angry about this descecration of the beautiful architecture of fantasy land.
I was suprised at how good this was. I did however get a little sick of the same smell throughout the entire thing.
This 3D musical show is a great, great addition to the MK ... a multi-sensory experience and a real winner for all ages. I got a big kick out of the champagne bottle effect and the star of the show: the put upon but still ornery Donald Duck.
AFTER HAVING BEEN ON THE OVERHYPED MISSION SPACE RIDE THIS NEW DISNEY ADDITION WAS A PLEASENT SURPRISE. ANYONE WHO LIKES 3D MOVIES SHOULD LOVE THIS. EACH 3D DISNEY EFFORT SEEMS TO GET BETTER TECHINALLY. I WISH THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A PRESHOW INSTEAD OF BEING HERDED INTO A WAITING AREA. A MUPPETS TYPE PRESHOW WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE.
Philharmagic is superb and a great addition/replacement for the Magic Kingdom. Although less technically awe-inspiring than other 3D efforts such as Its Tough to be a Bug with its numerous animatronics and 4D effects, Philharmagic is, as its name implies, magic. From the almost unnoticeable expansion of the screen during the show to nearly surround the audience to the smells of apple pie and jasmine to the very effective lighting design (such as the theater being lite in a yellow/orange as the sun rises on the screen during the Lion King segment), the show is great. Most importantly, not since the Muppets have I seen a 4D show entertain and amaze each member of the crowd from 1 years old and up while not "scaring anyone to tears" in doing so. My only suggestions are to pick your seat carefully and prepare for a confusing line. Although the attraction is still in its infancy, the line is in much needed help. It is almost as if it wasn't designed to hold the crowds that are flocking to it now, resulting in the line clogging up the walkway between the building for the show and the Carousel. Not to mention that walkway was filled with strollers and wheelchairs. Also, for the optimal experience, I suggest sitting about halfway back in the theater as close to the center of a row as you can. Sitting on a far end or near the back takes away a lot of the impressiveness of the show, especially that of being immersed by the "expanding screen".
One of the best. Hope they're able to work the kinks out.
Mickey's Phillarmagic is the newest addition to "The Magic Kingdom." This addition is an extremely positive addition that continues the grand tradition of Disney style stortelling and wizardy. The attraction showcases the many wonderful moments that make Disney so awesome. Although many complain about the line's themeing I think it is very plush and effectivly tells the pre-story with re-creating the theme of an opera house with many Disney touches. Once inside the theatre you find a very plusg looking enviorment with a very detailed prosceium above the stage. Then the show begins. (SPOILERS) The show opens with the red velvet curtain opening to reveal the stage with nothing on it. Donald goes on thev stage and puts on the Sorcerer Hat, suddenly the musical instruments begin to swerve everywhere and a heavy wind blows in your face.Suddenly the theatre goes black and the golden procesium is gone and instead a screen is wrapped around you. The next that follows involes smells, fog, IMAX, the best 3-D effects in a 3-D show, convincing lighting effects that go hand in hand with the action. All of the special effects are done tastefully and are used to compliment the show not to be there (Shrek 4-D does not use the effects to compliment but the latter.) One interesting thing is that in the transformation back to the orginal theatre the golden procesium drops like fabric, which looks awesome when you see this thing fall down that looks like fabric falling bu becomes solid. The show features a tribute to the previous attraction that filled it before the Legend of the Lion King (The Mickey Mouse Revue) playing that famous song (M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E) that is perfectly orchestrated by the Fantasyland Phillarmagic Orchestra. This attraction is an awesome attraction that i could ride over and over. This show really is an awesome showcase of the many moments of magic that we have come to expect from Disney. A hit with me and (judging from the line times) the public. "Mickey's Phillarmagic" is truly magical!
I have to say that I'm getting a little bored of all the 3D shows but Philharmagic renewed my faith. Great sound, great music, great effects and an all round treat. Once the screen stretches round to it's fullest extent the overall effect is dazzling. However, Disney and Universal please note - no more 3D!!
This is a BEAUTIFULLY made showcase of animation. It varies in style from scene to scene, but is never short of laugh or gasp. Do not miss the attraction! Although it's somewhat weak, I believe it's a fair balance of a "Fantasyland Theater" performance and fun-filled artistry.
"Mickey's Philharmagic" is a misleading title, and I'm glad for it. Mickey Mouse, who would have lost his appeal twenty years ago if not for Disney completely inflating his image by stamping his ears upon everything but the toilet paper (then again, it has been awhile since i sat on a disney toilet), has only about thirty seconds in this show. The real stars of this film are the stars we enjoy to see, such as Donald Duck, Peter Pan, Aladdin/Jasmine, The Little Mermaid, and the cast of the greatest music video that never was, "Be our Guest", and a few others that are all very welcome here. The use of space in this, the former building of "Legend of The Lion King" (a puppet show, more or less), is highly impressive. There is a pleasant indoor queue and a unique "lobby" area that keeps the crowds flowing. The absence of a pre-show is unfortunate, however, but I walked right in, so didn't have to worry about it. The theatre itself is pretty, and it somehow succeeds at portraying a classic conert hall despite the fact that most of it is set up by mere lights and curtains. The in-theater effects show the traces of some very intelligent Imagineers at work; Imagineers who know what 4d(3d plus theater effects) shows are all about. They seem to have learned from their other 4d projects and ecompassed the finer qualities of those with some brand new ideas as well. One of the best moments of the film involves in-theater effects, when a 3d apple pie stands right in front of your face and you can actually smell it thanks to some good old-fashioned smell cannons. Excellent. There is only one flaw with this film, but it is an unfortunately reoccuring one that will not go unnoticed. Several of the characters, converted to computerized graphics for the first time in history, look, well, to put it bluntly - they look awful. Aladdin looks like he needs a dentist, Ariel looks like she needs to start trying a new shampoo and FAST, and the actual orchestra that Mickey is supposed to be conducting looks fuzzy at best. Yet at other times, the CG is the best it has ever been, such as in the Lion King sequence, which, if I'm not mistaken, is the first moment in the film where the entire screen is revealed (the world's largest seamless screen, by the way), and, my favorite scene, where we are suddenly flying above the London rooftops with Peter Pan - a truly classic Disney moment that will not be forgotten (but why did Donald need Pixie Dust? He's a duck!). This strange hit-and-miss result with Disney's computer graphics stinks of a hurried project. Some characters look completely unfinished, or at least I hope that is the case, because if the best Disney can do is to make Ariel look scarrier than Ursula, then something needs to change here. Imperfections aside, Mickey's Philharmagic is a truly magical journey through the best of Disney's films. It is well placed and extremely well timed, and quite easily addictive. Perhaps it is because this show is so darn near a complete masterpiece that its flaws stick out like bad teeth on a pretty princess - or prince.
mickey's philharmagic is gonna be the best show in 3D i love it so much so i will see this again in December 10, 2003.
I am a huge Disney fan and I actually chose to avoid reading anything about this attraction until I was able to see it. (Having read various reviews for Mission:Space, my expectations were not met.) Thus, I had no specific expectations for Philharmagic, only that it was a 3-D film featuring orchestrated music. First, the pre-show area is weak. The queue continues once you step indoors, with nothing more to entertain the eye than a large mural and some colorful posters. This area's audio is too low to hear over the talking crowds. I have a problem with the posters in this area. They are attractive and somewhat humorous, but also very misleading. They show "featured" characters appearing "in concert," but the majority of the characters on the posters are not actually in the attraction show. This is misleading and surely generates disappointment when fans of Geni (Aladdin) - who has his own poster in the queue area - is not in the 3-D film. It would have been very easy for WDI to only create posters for characters who are actually in the film. The next room that leads to the theater doors has no theming at all. Granted, most auditoriums don't have "themed lobbies," but this is not a regular auditorium, it's a Disney attraction. Just think about how heavily and cleverly themed pre-show area for "It's Tough To Be A Bug." Philharmagic is the opposite. There is no "actual" pre show, something that the Legend of the Lion King had - and quite an elaborate one. Once the doors open and everyone is seated, we hear some voices talking form "behind the curtain." Minnie welcomes us, and the show sort of "softly begins." There's no real "bang" or excitement, it just begins. The show probably wouldn't have the attention of the audience if the theater lights didn't dim. The "stage" is framed with traditional theater style pillars and arch, which "raise up" revealing the panoramic screen a few moments into the film. When this happens it goes almost un-noticed due to the way the film is edited, it's dark when the frame is lifted. This is a neat effect, or "should be" a neat effect. They should have put more emphasis on the fact that the screen was becoming much larger, and not softly eased into it. That way the "panoramic" view would seem that much more impressive. The film itself - hmmmm, where to begin. The theme is weak. Donald puts on Mickey's magic hat and gets "sucked into" this series of various scenes from classic Disney movies. Mind you, this is all for no particular reason - there doesn't seem to be much motivation. In fact, Donald is asleep when the film begins. Then he wakes up and just feels the urge to put Mickey's hat on. I know they (WDI) could have done better than that. The animation itself is probably my biggest issue with the attraction. The disney characters look quite different from their original - hand-drawn likenesses. In fact, the whole film feels like I'm playing a Disney Sony Playstation 2 game. The characters look horrible. They look "cartoony," with smoothed over features. The characters in Finding Nemo look 100 times better. If we had nothing to compare them too, it might not be as big of a problem, but we do have something to compare them to, the original movies, which many of the audience memebers have seen. I would expect to see characters rendered like this in a video game, but not in a feature attraction. On a somewhat technical note, the "panoramic screen" is really the result of pairs of projectors split into 3 sections. Although the screen is all one piece, there are obvious "seems" between the 3 sections. In some clips they try to hide this by using illustrated dividers in the film, but even then it's still obvious. If they don't currently have the technology to seamlessly blend 3 3-D film sections together, they shouldn't have tried to do so. And with IMAX screens showing 3-D films nowadays, you know the technology is available. They should have either spent the money to do it right, or not have done it at all. The "interactive" special effects are not new. Smells (apple pie), bursts of air, water, and an animatronic are all things we've seen before. They are "fun," not not particularly innovative. Are all of my opinions of this attraction negative? No! The attraction is fun and family-friendly. The best scenes in the film are during the Peter Pan and Aladdin segments (which are sequential in this film) because they involve flying through city streets and because it's in 3-D the sensation of motion is very realistic. I would have preferred that the entire attraction be based on a "carpet ride" through the city streets from Aladdin, as this is the obvious highlight of the film. The animators did a good job rendering the buildings and other exteriors for this section, so why couldn't they put the same effort into the appearance of the characters? Much of the film is static (not much "camera" motion), which makes the flying sections a highlight. The film would be a lot more exciting if they would have done more "flying camera" movements throughout the film. An example of this would be "floating" through the castle from Beauty and the Beast, or "swimming" through underwater caverns before we actually meet Ariel, etc. The humor is a little on the "cheesy" side, but it's pleasantly funny nevertheless. With such a large auditorium they should have done more of a "stadium seating" effect so that everyone would have a good view of the screen. (3-D effects are grossly weakened if you have a large head in the way sitting directly in front of you.) And with a majority of movie theaters going to stadium seating nowadays, there's no excuse not to. The audio system could have been a little bit better. Maybe they need more speakers, maybe they just need to be louder, regardless, it could be a little bit more on the "powerful" side, especially with all that great music. I would recommend seeing this attraction. It's fun and creative. Could the people at Disney have done a *much* better job? I personally think so. After seeing it once, I wouldn't wait more than 30 minutes or so in line to see it again. Muppets 3-D, despite its age, is an example of a 3-D show done "right." It is still impressive even today, and could easily compete with the much newer Philharmagic. Philharmagic makes me feel as though Disney has cut many-a-corner with what could have been a great attraction. Instead they created a "good" attraction, which leaves me wondering "why?" Timekeeper
I was looking to seeing this delightful new Disney 3D musical for a long time…and I love it! It’s very funny, entertaining and one of the few new Disney park attractions to actually have a classic Disney look and feel to it, IMO. The CG renditions of the characters were nicely done and look so real. I find myself laughing when I see this film and sometimes even when I think about it. For instance, Goofy is funny (even though we don’t “see†him here) and Donald’s antics are classic (including his cute interactions with Ariel, which I really like). The animatronic Donald at the end is quite amusing too. The special effects were nice, including the pastry and jasmine scents (wonderful smells indeed). The waiting room reminds me of an actual theater and classic Disney. The air-conditioning inside and the music in both the queue and the show are nice. IMO, a PhilharMagical (and PhilharFunny) new classic. Can’t wait to take in more viewings. The remodeled "Fantasy Faire" shop looks pretty nice too.