Feb 22, 2026
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Drone Displays Go Monumental
by Karl F. Cohen
Massive drone display takes over sky over Shanghai for New Years. photo: courtesy Shanghai Tourism PLEASE support our GoFundMe campaign to cover research expenses for our articles and rebuilding the cineSOURCE site.
THE SHANGHAI DRONE SHOW ACHIEVED
official Guinness Book of World Records record with 65,000 drones in January, 2026, and will undoubtedly best that on February 17, the Chinese New Year. The enormous show includes dragons, tigers, a flying eagle, a walking elephant, and other impressive images. The video captures the full scale of the largest aerial display ever attempted (see The Ultimate Shanghai Drone Show).
Shanghai will have to best that since 85,000 drones already graced the skies of Paris – see the official footage of the Guinness World Record breaking spectacle where an unbelievable fleet of 85,000 drones took over the skies above Paris in 2026.” see Official Guinness World Record: 85,000 Drones in Paris
China welcomed the New Year with incredible drone shows all over but especially Shanghai, a world record event. This is a Collectionof impressive footage from various events (not one show) edited together, but what is the official record? The text includes a “Disclaimer: this video is a cinematic visualization created for artistic, cultural, and inspirational purposes only. It does not depict a real or officially recorded world record event.”
“China celebrated 2026 like it's 2050,” according to one wag on December 31, 2025. Indeed, Chongqing deployed 8,000 AI-controlled drones in a flawless 23-minute New Year's show that felt like a glimpse into the future. Dragons swam through the sky, phoenixes rose with flapping wings, and massive 3D countdown numbers hung in the air with shocking precision. Meanwhile, Times Square dropped a ball and swept up confetti”. Search the headline to see the video.
Paris hits 85,000 drones. photo: unknownThat is a rather snide comment and frankly, while drone animation is amazing to look at, it is superficial eye candy, no more meaningful than what happened in New York.
I’m highlighting these four videos because they are amazing looking displays of new technology. They are also eye candy—impressive looking but void of serious content.
I see the eye candy as a reaction to the world we are living in. We have too much to think about if we follow the daily news so many of us welcome a chance to escape into a world that doesn’t require us to be serious thinkers. Instead, relax and be amazed!
But are the above-listed record-breaking headlines true facts or BS? The four headlines about the drone shows were copied from the internet. Why is it that there was a record-breaking massive light show featuring 11,787 drones, on July 16. 2025 in Chongqing, China (and dozens of previous records have been broken with fewer numbers of drones), and suddenly record-breaking numbers a few months later are 65,000 and 85,000 drones on the same night? Were the number of drones exaggerated?
Were the claims about them being official entries in the Guinness Book true? They were posted just a few days after the event so did the book people certify them as true that quickly? Also, the headline of one video suggests we will see footage from a record-breaking show, but actually it is from several event (note different backgrounds if you look at it again).
I suspect the texts include a lot of hype, perhaps to make the accomplishment sound superlative, perhaps to justify the costs of creating the works and to please the financial backers.
We go through life hearing about lies. A film festival director told me he once had to invent an official sounding fake award for an Iron Curtain film director coming to his event. The man would have been in serious trouble if he returned home without a prize.
When I was in China years ago, my wife asked a sales clerk in a government-run store if the inexpensive jade chopsticks were real jade. She replied “the government never lies!” Gosh, neither does our president. I believe exaggerating information is becoming too common.
And how are these incredible drone shows created? Search: “How to create drone light shows with thousands of lights Amazing Aerial Drone Show Technology”
Karl F. Cohen is an animation scholar, author and longtime cineSOURCE contributor who can be reached . Posted on Feb 05, 2026 - 05:13 PM
by Karl F. Cohen
Massive drone display takes over sky over Shanghai for New Years. photo: courtesy Shanghai Tourism THE SHANGHAI DRONE SHOW ACHIEVED
official Guinness Book of World Records record with 65,000 drones in January, 2026, and will undoubtedly best that on February 17, the Chinese New Year. The enormous show includes dragons, tigers, a flying eagle, a walking elephant, and other impressive images. The video captures the full scale of the largest aerial display ever attempted (see The Ultimate Shanghai Drone Show).
Shanghai will have to best that since 85,000 drones already graced the skies of Paris – see the official footage of the Guinness World Record breaking spectacle where an unbelievable fleet of 85,000 drones took over the skies above Paris in 2026.” see Official Guinness World Record: 85,000 Drones in Paris
China welcomed the New Year with incredible drone shows all over but especially Shanghai, a world record event. This is a Collectionof impressive footage from various events (not one show) edited together, but what is the official record? The text includes a “Disclaimer: this video is a cinematic visualization created for artistic, cultural, and inspirational purposes only. It does not depict a real or officially recorded world record event.”
“China celebrated 2026 like it's 2050,” according to one wag on December 31, 2025. Indeed, Chongqing deployed 8,000 AI-controlled drones in a flawless 23-minute New Year's show that felt like a glimpse into the future. Dragons swam through the sky, phoenixes rose with flapping wings, and massive 3D countdown numbers hung in the air with shocking precision. Meanwhile, Times Square dropped a ball and swept up confetti”. Search the headline to see the video.
Paris hits 85,000 drones. photo: unknownI’m highlighting these four videos because they are amazing looking displays of new technology. They are also eye candy—impressive looking but void of serious content.
I see the eye candy as a reaction to the world we are living in. We have too much to think about if we follow the daily news so many of us welcome a chance to escape into a world that doesn’t require us to be serious thinkers. Instead, relax and be amazed!
But are the above-listed record-breaking headlines true facts or BS? The four headlines about the drone shows were copied from the internet. Why is it that there was a record-breaking massive light show featuring 11,787 drones, on July 16. 2025 in Chongqing, China (and dozens of previous records have been broken with fewer numbers of drones), and suddenly record-breaking numbers a few months later are 65,000 and 85,000 drones on the same night? Were the number of drones exaggerated?
Were the claims about them being official entries in the Guinness Book true? They were posted just a few days after the event so did the book people certify them as true that quickly? Also, the headline of one video suggests we will see footage from a record-breaking show, but actually it is from several event (note different backgrounds if you look at it again).
I suspect the texts include a lot of hype, perhaps to make the accomplishment sound superlative, perhaps to justify the costs of creating the works and to please the financial backers.
We go through life hearing about lies. A film festival director told me he once had to invent an official sounding fake award for an Iron Curtain film director coming to his event. The man would have been in serious trouble if he returned home without a prize.
When I was in China years ago, my wife asked a sales clerk in a government-run store if the inexpensive jade chopsticks were real jade. She replied “the government never lies!” Gosh, neither does our president. I believe exaggerating information is becoming too common.
And how are these incredible drone shows created? Search: “How to create drone light shows with thousands of lights Amazing Aerial Drone Show Technology”
Karl F. Cohen is an animation scholar, author and longtime cineSOURCE contributor who can be reached . Posted on Feb 05, 2026 - 05:13 PM
