News EPCOT's Harmonious to be replaced with new nighttime spectacular Luminous

cookiee_munster

cookiee_munster

Well-Known Member
In essence, the tech of the tacos (and star-gate) is impressive. It's a shame they couldn't be utilised elsewhere on Disney World property, somewhere that wasn't so offensive for them to be in view 24hrs a day. There's that large lake just next to the entrance to Hollywood Studios. They'd obviously have to be out of the way due to boat traffic, but they could show all kinds of adverts for stuff on Disney+ on them. It's the right kind of park to see that kind of stuff.
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
To be honest, I'm not sure why people want Disney to preserve the tacos. I'm sure the technology is impressive, but the design is awkward and unattractive and they must cost a fortune to maintain. Due to their size, they're not very versatile in terms of being able to easily move them around. They are also only viewable from two sides, hence the need to put 4 in WS lagoon.

They have created moving barges with video screens for their Tokyo DisneySea shows that would probably be more suitable for, say, a DAK show as they could at least bring them to and from the lagoon every day and possibly house them protected from the elements when they're not being used. The are also completely wrapped in video screens so you don't need to duplicate them to be visible from right around the lagoon.

Honestly, Harmonious as a whole just seems badly designed however impressive the tech may be.

Here's a look at what I mean from Tokyo:

 
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D

donaldfan

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
To be honest, I'm not sure why people want Disney to preserve the tacos. I'm sure the technology is impressive, but the design is awkward and unattractive and they must cost a fortune to maintain. Due to their size, they're not very versatile in terms of being able to easily move them around. They are also only viewable from two sides, hence the need to put 4 in WS lagoon.

They have created moving barges with video screens for their Tokyo DisneySea shows that would probably be more suitable for, say, a DAK show as they could at least bring them to and from the lagoon every day and possibly house them protected from the elements when they're not being used. The are also completely wrapped in video screens so you don't need to duplicate them to be visible from right around the lagoon.

Honestly, Harmonious as a whole just seems badly designed however impressive the tech may be.

Here's a look at what I mean from Tokyo:

Click to expand...

Imagine if they had done some like that and had the characters use a boat to journey around the world (showcase) and then showcase each of the pavilions… sorta like the original illuminations …. So bring in some characters but also be authentic to the various cultures…
 
mysto

mysto

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
Due to their size, they're not very versatile in terms of being able to easily move them around.
Click to expand...

Right, they may have been built at the backstage dock because they had to be. They couldn't just build in a vacant lot then drop them in there. Moving them would require at least partial disassembly.

Regarding drones; if they start with 50 they will probably start to lose them right away. We fans will be counting how many are working each night in some kind of 'drone watch' thread, maybe titled 'how low can it go?'
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
donaldfan said:
Imagine if they had done some like that and had the characters use a boat to journey around the world (showcase) and then showcase each of the pavilions… sorta like the original illuminations …. So bring in some characters but also be authentic to the various cultures…
Click to expand...
Indeed! I was more open than many people to them using the IPs to create some sort of journey around the world, particularly when they mentioned using different languages and I think there is a version of what was originally pitched that could have worked even if I would prefer an IP-free show. Creatively, though, the show was poorly thought out on every level. Nothing from the technology to the pacing and selection of music seems well-chosen for the context in which the show was supposed to take place and all present obvious problems that no-one seemed to attempt to resolve. I really hope questions are being asked internally about how this went so wrong.
 
C

Comped

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
To be honest, I'm not sure why people want Disney to preserve the tacos. I'm sure the technology is impressive, but the design is awkward and unattractive and they must cost a fortune to maintain. Due to their size, they're not very versatile in terms of being able to easily move them around. They are also only viewable from two sides, hence the need to put 4 in WS lagoon.

They have created moving barges with video screens for their Tokyo DisneySea shows that would probably be more suitable for, say, a DAK show as they could at least bring them to and from the lagoon every day and possibly house them protected from the elements when they're not being used. The are also completely wrapped in video screens so you don't need to duplicate them to be visible from right around the lagoon.

Honestly, Harmonious as a whole just seems badly designed however impressive the tech may be.

Here's a look at what I mean from Tokyo:

Click to expand...

OLC has always been willing to pay more for technology, and keep it up, than Disney ever has, at least domestically, particularly when it comes to entertainment.
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Comped said:
OLC has always been willing to pay more for technology, and keep it up, than Disney ever has, at least domestically, particularly when it comes to entertainment.
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I'd be interested to know if the costs are really that different between the two shows. I'm sure the Harmonious tech was also very expensive and generally Disney projects in the US have astronomical budgets these days. To me, it seems more an issue of bad decisions being made at every step along the way.
 
J

jrhwdw

Well-Known Member
Comped said:
OLC has always been willing to pay more for technology, and keep it up, than Disney ever has, at least domestically, particularly when it comes to entertainment.
Click to expand...

Sir_Cliff said:
I'd be interested to know if the costs are really that different between the two shows. I'm sure the Harmonious tech was also very expensive and generally Disney projects in the US have astronomical budgets these days. To me, it seems more an issue of bad decisions being made at every step along the way.
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Do we know if TDS got everything brand new? Or did TDS reconfigure the F! Barges????
 
C

Cliff

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
To be honest, I'm not sure why people want Disney to preserve the tacos. I'm sure the technology is impressive, but the design is awkward and unattractive and they must cost a fortune to maintain. Due to their size, they're not very versatile in terms of being able to easily move them around. They are also only viewable from two sides, hence the need to put 4 in WS lagoon.

They have created moving barges with video screens for their Tokyo DisneySea shows that would probably be more suitable for, say, a DAK show as they could at least bring them to and from the lagoon every day and possibly house them protected from the elements when they're not being used. The are also completely wrapped in video screens so you don't need to duplicate them to be visible from right around the lagoon.

Honestly, Harmonious as a whole just seems badly designed however impressive the tech may be.

Here's a look at what I mean from Tokyo:

Click to expand...

Wow,...that Tokyo show looks REALLY cool...and expensive!

So,..hmmm,...at a time when Disney is EXTREMELY "tight" on it's spending, I wonder how much money they green lit for this new Epcot show. Look at D23 announcements, much of what they said was already in production or was very low cost "meet and greet" stuff.

Of course, all the "what if" Blue Sky water color paintings were just a day or two salary cost for the painters....and Josh's 1.5 hour wage to talk about it on stage. "What if....." sentences don't cost much.

Yes, Happily Ever After is back but that's already on the hard drives of the playout servers. Yes, they can rework the content but that is just easy and low cost projection stuff. So how much is this new Epcot show getting? Judging from the blistering speed at which it's going to be installed?....I can only wonder if the cost was extremely high or low.

Admin,....can you give us just a little more info? ;-)
 
VJ

VJ

Well-Known Member
Figments Friend said:
'Wonders of World Showcase' ( 'Wonderous' ) would be a fitting name.

Or hey, why not another chapter in the 'Illuminations' history?
Who says there cannot be a new version?
Hard to top 'RoE' but as Steve mentioned there are plans afoot for a improvement in presentation.

Hopefully they move forward in a positive direction....starting with removing the 'burnt tacos' and 'stargate'.
That would already make it a better show in just itself.

-
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IllumiNations: World of Wonder?
IllumiNations: Wondrous World?
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of IllumiNations (ok, that one's a joke)
 
VJ

VJ

Well-Known Member
brb1006 said:
For those curious, RoE was composed by Gavin Greenaway.
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And Harmonious arranged by Mark Hammond, who also did shows like World of Color and Happy HalloWishes and many, many parades (Flights of Fantasy, Mickey's Soundsational Parade, Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams, Festival of Fantasy, Jubilation!, Happiness is Here, Dreaming Up and many more).
 
J

jrhwdw

Well-Known Member
VJ said:
And Harmonious arranged by Mark Hammond, who also did shows like World of Color and Happy HalloWishes and many, many parades (Flights of Fantasy, Mickey's Soundsational Parade, Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams, Festival of Fantasy, Jubilation!, Happiness is Here, Dreaming Up and many more).
Click to expand...
Looks like he has a good track record..........just not in WSL..........
 
Soccerbrad

Soccerbrad

Member
Cliff said:
Wow...I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall in those board room meetings. Wow....
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I’ve often wondered this-in all seriousness how high level do decisions like this go? Is the board really a part of this? Would this be Chapek? Josh? Or do we just always assume high level execs make these decisions? There’s a part of me that assumes, with how important parks are, that these decisions must be life or death ones made at the highest levels of the company but then the other part of me wonders if any execs even pay attention and are just approving numbers on a spreadsheet
 

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