Spending a day in a theme park is my favorite thing to do on any given day, but any day in any theme park needs the proper sendoff. Most theme parks end their day with fireworks or similar shows of lights and music, like Disney's classic Main Street Electrical Parade, and right now one of the best nighttime shows around is CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular at Universal Studios Florida.
Unfortunately, right now CineSational is just that little bit less spectacular because the show has suspended the use of drones following an incident in Orlando just before Christmas. While the decision is the right one, I hope that it’s fixed quickly, as the best part of the entire show requires drones to be properly experienced.
Universal Studios Florida Has Stopped Using Drones In The CineSational Spectacular
On Christmas Eve, Universal Orlando Resort announced that it was “suspending” the use of drones in its nightly show CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular. The show pays tribute to movie music through the use of water effects, fireworks, projection mapping, and, until now, drones lighting up the sky.
While no official reason for the suspension was given, the announcement followed an incident in Orlando last weekend when a holiday drone show saw some sort of malfunction that resulted in a drone crashing into the crowd. A seven-year-old boy was injured and required open heart surgery as a result.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the incident, but it seems Universal likely decided to put their drones on hold as a precaution. Whatever the cause of the accident, Universal certainly doesn’t want anything like that to happen to their show, so they may be waiting until the investigation is complete in order to be sure their own show is safe before continuing.
Drones Are Key To CineSational’s Coolest Moment
I am entirely in favor of Universal halting drones temporarily. However, I certainly hope the issue is resolved soon and the drones can return to service, because CineSational is absolutely one of the best nighttime shows at any theme park right now. It's also one of the best attractions at Universal Studios Florida, but its best moment isn’t the same without the drones.
I got to preview CineSational over the summer when the show opened alongside the opening of the new Dreamworks land, and I was absolutely blown away by a single moment. During a sequence of Back to the Future music, the show’s different elements combine to create a racing DeLorean projected on a screen of water, while drones form a bolt of lightning that strikes a projection-mapped clock tower and explodes in fireworks.
I’m sure this sequence works OK without drones, but it’s going to be a lot better with them. Drones have added a new facet to nighttime shows that we didn’t have just a few years ago and they truly elevate the experience. Disney World briefly added a drone show over the summer as well which was a highlight.
I certainly don’t want to see people get hurt, so I’m not arguing drones should be reinstated before they’re ready. I just hope they’re ready soon so as many people as possible can see an incredible show the way it was meant to be seen.
