September 13, 2026
By Janis Cole

This is not a critique of the film, it’s a technical post about the Film Concert screening experience. I’ve seen the film a dozen times, a dozen ways, this time it was projected in a venue with over 3,000 seats, filled almost to capacity. The 70 piece Toronto Live Orchestra with conductor Evan Mitchell spanned the entire stage right under the screen to play the film’s entire music score live. The orchestra was lit enough by the screen to be seen without being distracting. Having live music elevated the screening experience, while thunderous applause and loud reactions to the film”s big moments elevated the audience experience. 

Harold Arlen’s original music track on the film was lifted out so the only music was from the live orchestra. The only drawback to the whole experience was difficulty hearing parts of the dialogue. I heard most of it adequately but needed to read the English subtitles in spots, letting me know why subtitles were added. Improving that would make the experience complete.

Meridian Hall  presents Film Concert events several times a year. The performing arts venue is located at Front and Yonge Streets in Toronto, and is the largest soft seat theatre in Canada. Sight-lines are good from most seats. I sat 10 rows from the stage in an aisle seat stage right and would repeat that seating.

A tip on ticket purchases, buy directly from the venue in person, by email or phone, or directly from Ticketmaster. Some people were complaining that the seat they thought they purchased from a third party seller was not the seat they had when they arrived for the performance. How aggravating.

Upcoming film concert events: How to Train Your Dragon 2 in October, Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark in November, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers with choirs added to the live music, in January 2027.