Epcot’s Upcoming Disney themed Nighttime show, is that a final straw?

mergatroid

Well-Known Member
I don't mean to derail this thread, but how did you break your nose at EPCOT???

I didn't. Many years ago a well known poster in here made a thread bragging about breaking some guys nose in Epcot and how it wasn't his fault. I decided to create a new thread 'pretending' to be the guy who'd had his nose broken and tried to imply that the guy who'd done it was a bit of an idiot in a humorous way. It became quite a popular thread but was one of those 'you had to be there moments' really.
 

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
I didn't. Many years ago a well known poster in here made a thread bragging about breaking some guys nose in Epcot and how it wasn't his fault. I decided to create a new thread 'pretending' to be the guy who'd had his nose broken and tried to imply that the guy who'd done it was a bit of an idiot in a humorous way. It became quite a popular thread but was one of those 'you had to be there moments' really.

Ah, that's good. For a moment I thought this was another family fist fight like what happened in ToonTown at Disneyland the other day :)
 

Amidala

Well-Known Member
You may not like the content on the globe, but low tech it isn't.

Low tech is a little much, but I do think it's kind of insufficient. Projections work well on facades like the castles, but to project on something so small...at least in my exp. it's harder to make out than it should be, and this coming from someone who loves Illuminations & likes the projection "downtime" a lot in theory.
 

danyoung56

Well-Known Member
Not that it really matters, but the is not projection technology - it's a totally custom built video display, with multiple computers controlling the content of the display, the movement of the barge, the rotation, the opening of the globe, the raising of the column in the middle - pretty tech-y stuff!
 

Amidala

Well-Known Member
Not that it really matters, but the is not projection technology - it's a totally custom built video display, with multiple computers controlling the content of the display, the movement of the barge, the rotation, the opening of the globe, the raising of the column in the middle - pretty tech-y stuff!

Interesting! I wasn't aware of any of this. But the intent is similar enough to a projection show that I think the point stands...it's a very small sphere in the middle of a huge 360° showcase. It's hard to make out properly at the best of times, at least IMHO.
 

danyoung56

Well-Known Member
I agree that that part of the show is a little slow. I still really love the current IllumiNations show, though, and will be sorry to see it go.
 

Amidala

Well-Known Member
I agree that that part of the show is a little slow. I still really love the current IllumiNations show, though, and will be sorry to see it go.

Me too. Easily my favorite fireworks show currently at WDW, and I usually enjoy the globe section in spite of that complaint. Thinking the tech for the new show will be fantastic, it's mostly the content I'm concerned about.
 

Dizknee_Phreek

Well-Known Member
My goodness, people sure have gotten cynical around here. Why do some people think that to love something, you have to love every single thing about it. If you complain about anything, clearly you don't love it and should never go back 🙄
I agree with the original post. Epcot was and is far more than Disney characters. That's not to say characters can't have their place there. In fact, I really enjoyed when the "main" characters (ie Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, etc) represented the WS pavilions in traditional garb. But even as a kid I liked that Epcot was mostly its own entity outside of Disney animation. But I was one of those kids that actually liked edutainment. I'm disappointed in the choice to use characters in the permanent Illuminations replacement. If done correctly, it could be a nice show. But considering Disney's recent choices, particularly IP, I have a bad feeling I will be underwhelmed. I have a feeling they will mostly focus on more recent hits that will become outdated quickly instead of classics that have proven themselves. I could be wrong, and I hope I'm actually impressed with it. But if it's another Happily Ever After (which, unpopular opinion, I do not like at all) it will be a skip for me.
Epcot Forever on the other hand sounds quite delightful and actually slightly softened the blow of losing ROE for me.

As for the Illuminations haters...yes the technology doesn't quite match up to other shows. It is 20 years old after all. When it debuted though, it was an absolute marvel. A nighttime spectacular unlike any other at WDW. And it told a story...a beautiful story that celebrated the new millennium and the coming together of people around the globe to celebrate our future. A story that told us, deep down, we are all one. Of course, that was pre-9/11. To me the show became even more important and impactful after that. I feel like in the current world with its polarizing politics the story has lost something. Maybe on a personal level I felt more sense of hope in 1999 as a naive high schooler than I do now as a 30-something adult. I don't know. But what I do know is that, especially under current management, I don't expect any show in the near future to stir my emotions like ROE has for the past 20 years. And I for one will miss that.
 

Amidala

Well-Known Member
I have a feeling they will mostly focus on more recent hits that will become outdated quickly instead of classics that have proven themselves.

Agree w/ a lot of what you've said here, but I do think focusing on recent movies more than classics would actually strengthen this show...at least, if it still intends to draw on the themes of World Showcase. Some of the classics are attached to specific locales, but it's usually incidental to the story (think Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland in the UK, Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp and others in America, etc.) while others are vaguely European. Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are said to take place in France because they're based on French fairytales, but there's nothing, like...distinctly French about either movie? Modern movies like Ratatouille (France), Coco (Mexico), Brave (Scotland), Lilo & Stitch (Hawaii), etc. feel a lot more rooted in their respective cultures IMO. Some Renaissance movies like Mulan and Hunchback would also be good candidates, but I don't know that many classics would... Some obvious exceptions, like the Three Caballeros movies, but I can't imagine them getting much attention in a contemporary nighttime show.

As for the Illuminations haters...yes the technology doesn't quite match up to other shows. It is 20 years old after all. When it debuted though, it was an absolute marvel. A nighttime spectacular unlike any other at WDW. And it told a story...a beautiful story that celebrated the new millennium and the coming together of people around the globe to celebrate our future. A story that told us, deep down, we are all one. Of course, that was pre-9/11. To me the show became even more important and impactful after that. I feel like in the current world with its polarizing politics the story has lost something. Maybe on a personal level I felt more sense of hope in 1999 as a naive high schooler than I do now as a 30-something adult. I don't know. But what I do know is that, especially under current management, I don't expect any show in the near future to stir my emotions like ROE has for the past 20 years. And I for one will miss that.

I don't know that I would say Illuminations has lost anything. People were still pretty politically divided in the 80s and 90s (Cold War, AIDS crisis, etc.) and I think Illuminations has always been a kind of naive, Disneyfied take on the relations between the U.S. & other countries. That doesn't mean it lacks value, and I think it deserves credit for telling this cool, aspirational story about international unity...like I said, sort of a lofty goal for a theme park attraction (especially one restricted by the Disney brand) which feels really fitting for Epcot. Definitely agree it feels unlikely this new show will go as "deep" as ROE did (even the same concept would be cheapened a bit w/ the inclusion of music & scenes from Disney movies) but would love to be proven wrong.
 
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Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Frankly, never been an Illuminations fan, so I am pleased to see something else coming. At the moment, anything else is better. To me, Illuminations is just a bit of fireworks with a multi-colored ball spinning in the middle of the lake. Have never been able to see anything else there.
Question:

When was the first time you saw it? And at what age?
The loss of RoE feels like the final stake in the heart of EPCOT, yes. For me too. EPCOT Forever is really just the funeral music they play as we watch the coffin being lowered into the ground. Songs the departed loved.


Walt Disney: "In fact, the heart of what we will built will be beergardens and rooftop cocktail bars from where the parents can watch their kids in the Moana splash & pee zone"
Lol...you’re a bit harsh here...but I can’t not laugh at the zinger 😂
Maybe look into some actual quotes by Walt Disney. He spoke a lot about growing, changing, evolving, and creating new paths.
Yeah...bit of a cherry pick. Walt Disney was long dead before Epcot center got off the page. It wasn’t his vision. It was card walker and donn Tatum. I’m ok honoring their vision...it wasn’t broke.

I agree that it’s impossible to reasonably judge a shows merits before it exists...

However here’s what we do know: if they play hakuna matata and let it go during theses shows - they don’t belong.

No real way to spin that. Hopefully they aren’t that stupid.
 
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HoldenC

Well-Known Member
This is why I hate excessive use of abbreviations and acronyms. What are "ROE" and "HEA"? Can we not spell out the name of a single park, attraction, show, resort, meal or event on this website?
It really boggles my mind that people moan about using short hand on a discussion forum. How out of touch with the cyber world do you have to be to not understand that is a typical way to communicate on a forum? Perhaps if you're so furious over this, start corresponding by hand written letters so you can fully spell out your precious words.
 

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