Actually, KiteTails is Good?
We love Weird Disney World. Watching old YouTube videos of things from Walt Disney World’s first three decades is a passion, especially short-lived shows and things that are quirky and bizarre. Things like Daredevil Circus Spectacular, Totally Minnie, Splashtacular, and more–but not the Barbie show.
So much of this is enjoyable unironically, as it brings together talented performers with an endearing, rough around the edges oddness. Younger or newer fans probably don’t realize it, but everything hasn’t always been so polished and carefully calculated. Walt Disney World has done a lot of peculiar stuff over the years.
When watching this eccentric entertainment, there’s also the sense that “this could never happen at today’s Walt Disney World.” In this overproduced era, everything is crafted by committee and sculpted by synergy–there’s little leeway for something fun but funky to slip through the cracks. It would seem that Disney KiteTails did exactly that…
While we had a lot of fun with KiteTails and think it deserves way more credit than it is getting, I’m slightly hesitant to write a positive review of the show. It feels like a future bad take or opinion that could age poorly if the show is overhauled or cancelled.
Over the course of just a few days, KiteTails has had several issues–big problems that we’re not trying to diminish. Its centerpiece kites have crash-landed into trees and along the shore, jet skis have flipped, and multiple performances have been cancelled. (To that point, it took us several attempts over a couple days just to see KiteTails.)
There’s also the possibility this review comes across as contrarian. Disney KiteTails has become fodder for memes and is already being dunked on by fans as an unmitigated disaster. Anything this unpopular is bound to see a backlash to the backlash, with some liking it just to be edgy or hip. No one has ever accused me of being either of those things, and I can assure you I’m not trying to start.
My perspective on Disney KiteTails is a bit more complicated than that. Despite the title, I don’t think it’s unequivocally good–nor is it so bad it’s good. Rather, it occupies this weird space in between, being a little good-good and a little bad-good, if that makes any sense whatsoever.
Part of the appeal of Disney KiteTails for me is the surrounding circumstances. It debuts alongside Harmonious and Disney Enchantment, two nighttime spectaculars that epitomize the “modern” Walt Disney Company. Both suffer from too many chefs in the kitchen and were undoubtedly created with content mandates from on high to ensure they promoted the hot intellectual properties on Disney+ and toys being sold at Target.
Harmonious and Disney Enchantment were likely developed over the course of several years, by teams numbering in the hundreds, and were meticulously and formulaically engineered to “perfection.” They’re a bit like a Marvel movie, except neither of those nighttime spectaculars ended up being perfect–or anywhere close to it.
By contrast, Disney KiteTails is like an odd concoction cooked up late one night while raiding the fridge. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the impetus for KiteTails was someone in entertainment noticing they had some unused jet skis and kites leftover from Epcot Forever, and wanting to figure out how they could be repurposed. Then at about 2 am, they saw a competitive kite contest on YouTube, and boom, KiteTails was born.
There’s also the reality that KiteTails isn’t meant to be a “spectacular,” so the expectations are different. (Walt Disney World is calling it a daytime activation; we’d consider it a diversion since we’re not robots.) Regardless, it’s not intended to be a daytime equivalent to Harmonious or Enchantment. It’s smaller scale, and was put together by a tighter team with far fewer resources.
KiteTails also almost certainly cost very little to develop and bring to fruition.
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the total budget for Harmonious exceeded $100 million. It also wouldn’t surprise me if KiteTails cost $100,000. (If it’s later revealed that KiteTails has been secretly in development since 2007 and Disney spent $150 million on it, I’ll definitely be “rethinking” this position.)
The big things that KiteTails gets right are tone, atmosphere, and energy. Everything about KiteTails feels natural and pure.
The movies used and characters featured are present because they’re good fits for the show, not because the company needs its new kite show to convince people to watch these movies on its streaming service to hit some random metric for success. That might seem like an obvious, low bar to clear–but it’s one that not every recent production manages.
Before KiteTails, Cast Members get kids involved in the fun, bringing out little turtle puppets to parade through the stage. The theater is decorated with vibrant lanterns and banners, upbeat music plays in the lead-up to the show, and the colorful character puppets are a delight.
Nothing is elaborate or over the top, but it’s colorful, enjoyable, and pretty. All of this could fairly be summed up as cute and charming–with a dash of controlled (sometimes) chaos. It’s fun to watch and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Just a good time all around.
Then there are the performers. These Cast Members are clearly giving it their all, putting their hearts into the performances. This encompasses everyone involved in KiteTails–from the band playing music on a flotilla to the in-theater puppeteers bringing life to their animals to the jet ski duos who end each show with enthusiastic waves and smiles on their way out, despite merciless mocking online.
When it comes to these Cast Member performances, we should note that we are not grading on a curve given the negative online response to KiteTails. All of these accolades are merited given the effort–they’re just doubly impressive in light of the internet reaction.
There’s also a very different response from guests who are actually in Animal Kingdom and at KiteTails performances. While we wouldn’t say we’ve heard many guests (or any, for that matter) loudly gushing about KiteTails, people in the park do seem to be generally enjoying it.
It’s also undeniably exhilarating. Every time one of the big balloons makes a turn or approaches shore, there’s an audible reaction from the crowd. Whether intentional or not, these character balloons are performing thrilling aerial acrobatics with some near misses as they dive from high in the air to grazing the surface of the water. Admittedly, this is one of the things we like most about KiteTails. Those portions are much more exciting than I’d expect watching kites to be.
With that said, Disney KiteTails is not perfect. This should go without saying, but this is not meant to be read as a rave review lavishing praise on KiteTails as a masterpiece of Walt Disney World entertainment. It most definitely is not. However, it is better in person–it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that static photos don’t do it justice. Baloo doesn’t actually look like he’s planking in midair nor are these like Macy’s balloons–they dart around pretty quickly.
KiteTails is only a few days old, and has already had a bunch of problems. We didn’t experience any of that during our viewing, but we also missed several shows because of those issues–so it’s not like we’re denying their existence. The show will probably be modified at some point in the future as a result.
Beyond that, there are the obvious issues that could’ve been anticipated even before Disney KiteTails debuted. The amphitheater is unshaded, so you’re going to want to arrive at the last possible minute to avoid roasting in the sun. Kites are wind-dependent, and that’s going to cause cancellations or modifications even after KiteTails hits its stride.
Personally, I’d love to see an evening version of KiteTails. I joked in a past post about lighting the kites on fire, but in all seriousness, it would be awesome if Disney did exactly that. (Probably getting a bit ahead of ourselves suggesting fire be added to an already uncontrolled show!)
It would also be cool if the larger kites were somehow illuminated, or if there were more puppeteers weaving through the audience. Suggesting the scope and scale increase may also be overzealous at this point, though.
Finally, I’d love to see Disney lean into the chaos and absurdity of KiteTails, making it even more over the top rather than toning it down. KiteTails is at its best when its energy collides with its frenzy, and its kites almost collide with the water. The entertainment team should find ways to guide the pandemonium a bit better, while also enhancing and even amplifying it.
Ultimately, it took us a few days after Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary started to see Disney KiteTails. During that time, we found ourselves bombarded with memes and scathing online criticism that lowered our expectations and had us dreading another disaster on this cursed lagoon. A show so bad it shouldn’t have left the drawing board and needs to be cancelled immediately is not what we experienced.
Rather, we found Disney KiteTails to have heart. It’s a fun and enjoyable experience thanks to charming and colorful puppets, buoyant music, daredevil giant balloons, and a chaotic energy in the best way possible. To be sure, KiteTails is not a perfect show–but it’s not an unmitigated disaster, either. It’s entertainment that’s in need of some tweaks, but a show with potential, personality, and pluck. As we left the amphitheater, Sarah turned to me and said, “actually, KiteTails is good?” Yeah, it sorta is. We were as surprised as anyone by this, but also very relieved coming on the heels of Harmonious and Disney Enchantment.
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Your Thoughts
Have you seen Disney KiteTails in person? If so, what did you think of the show? Have you seen the photos, memes, or fails? Do you agree or disagree with our review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I thought the exact same thing about the full sun on the bleachers. We sat on the opposite side of the lagoon at the Flame Tree BBQ area. Lots of shade. It was very “Epcot 1985” inspired and we had a good chuckle watching the kites flip around and the handlers struggling to hold onto them in the wind. Baloo snapped off a big tree branch at one point. Glad we saw the very first incarnation because you know it won’t be the same for long.
Tom, you are a delight and a bright spot in my world. Thank you for the laughs in this, and I will be putting Kite Tails on my agenda for our November trip.
KiteTails is definitely a product of Entertainment (read: not Imagineering…. though Imagineering is not exempt from wacky ideas), and I would certainly bet that a major incentive to producing this show was that they realized they could repurpose the jet skis, puppets, and kites.
My teenager just walked by me, as I was chuckling and reading this post. I showed her a couple of your photos, and said it was a new show at Animal Kingdom… where kites kept crashing into trees and the jet skis were getting flipped. She says, “What’s wrong with that? I wanna see that! Those balloons do kinda look like they’re from the dollar store, though.”
🙂
I thought it was great! There were no issues at all in the performance I saw on Sunday, 10-3-21. The crowd was into it, singing with the songs and the performers seemed to be having a good time. It felt like an actual magical Disney experience, supported by a great crowd. In general, the parks still feel lifeless and lacking that Disney magic, but this show was a reminder what a Disney park experience can be.
I’m glad to finally see someone else agreeing with me! I saw it in person and enjoyed it. Although I believe I only saw half the show, as it was only the Lion King (I think Jungle Book was out of commission at that point). But the music is great, the kites are very cool looking, and it’s just a fun vibe. Not everything has to be a huge spectacular. I personally am really glad to see something additional in Animal Kingdom that you can throw into your day but don’t have the plan the entire day around. You don’t need to camp out for an hour for a good seat, you can just go 5-10 minutes before the show, enjoy some fun music and cool looking kites and fun performers, and then continue on with your Animal Kingdom day. I think there’s a lot to be said for that!
And I would plan our day to see Kite Tails. It sounds fun, sporadic and whimsical. I only hope it isn’t cancelled before our trip in May. Last year, we hung out on the bleachers in December and watched the AK flotillas. When Santa Claus finally came, he and my daughter called back and forth to each other. It was natural and fun! (Those bleachers really do need some shade in the summer though. It would give people a place to rest, eat, watch shows without being roasted.)
Just want to chime in with appreciation for how well-written and evocative this post is. I’ve been reading your blog for years to feed my Disney addiction, and this post is downright poetic. Keep up the good works, Mr. and Mrs. Bricker.
1st kite was a no show. The boat came out but zasu had stage fright refusing to leave the pier. Simba is up next but took an immediate dive into the lagoon to cool off. Kids! The show must go on so they played out the music while several boats got the little tykekite ashore
The audience cheered and laughed when he crashed 50 feet from the pier. After that Pumba successfully flew around then King Simba made a successful flight. The music is GREAT! The show is fun. They should crash a kite at the start of every show. The warm up band did a good job getting the crowd involved and into it.
I truly enjoyed Kite Tails today! It’s not something to plan your day around though…
7 minutes to kitetime. Should be on the road to NY but the lure of kites crashing into each other and taking a nosedive into the lagoon is too tempting to pass up. Plus if this show folds in a month you know the legend will grow and who doesn’t want to be able to tell their grandchildren “I was there and it wasn’t terrible.”
Hey Tom,
Loved your review of KiteTails, especially the late night inspiration for the show! We’re heading down to WDW the third week in October and I’m definitely going to check it out. I was wondering, you noted that the amphitheater is not shaded…would sitting at a table at Flame Tree BBQ give you any view of the show that would make it worthwhile to sit there?
I haven’t seen it yet in person, but my first thought from the photos was that they looked hilarious. And fun. And whimsical. And while it seems like the production value could be improved (perhaps significantly improved) in various ways, if it brings cheer and joy to adults and kids alike, then how could the addition of this new entertainment (without also losing something in value) be a bad thing? I think your categorizing it as part of “Weird Disney” is a great one. I’m not absolutely certain it “fits” into Animal Kingdom — I’d rather see more likelike or fantastical creatures/animals as opposed to cartoon ones as the kites, but all in all, still seems fun and funny and enjoyable. What’s life without whimsy?
Couldn’t agree more with Jared L. – I remember I was hesitant to view “Happily Ever After” because it seemed that reviews were leaning more towards “It’s certainly no Wishes…” than looking at it for what it is. I was completely blown away by HEA…as were many others, and I wondered what happened to the whiff of “disappointment” that seemed to accompany its debut now that everyone is devastated to see it go. I think we are living in a time where a majority of online discussion and social media reaction tends to be initially negative, especially for something that has taken time to debut, or has replaced a legacy show or attraction… Maybe over time people tend to look at something more favorably than when it first debuts – I certainly feel that’s what happened to HEA, and could happen to KiteTails and other entertainment for the 50th.