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

Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
MerlinTheGoat said:
Given that the replacement is coming next year, i'm going to assume it will be a very hastily cobbled together swap out of the music and clips, but still use all of the same infrastructure (including the stargate and tacos). I also would assume IP will be included again as well. It doesn't seem likely that they're going to actually address any of the issues people have with Harmonious.
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Wouldn't that kind of defeat the purpose of replacing it so quickly? If they were just swapping out clips and IPs, presumably they would have just announced that Harmonious was receiving exciting new additions, a new plot, or whatever rather than flat out admitting the show was a failure. My impression, at least, was one of the things they finally realised was a mistake was leaving all the hardware sitting out in full view all day.

Vinnie Mac said:
Was thinking a lot about this last night.

If a new EPCOT show didn't have a completely original soundtrack, would y'all accept a soundtrack that takes elements of the cinematic soundtracks for different movies if it is appropriately applied to the show?

Like for example think about the first half of the villain segment in HEA. The music ain't entirely original but it fits very well
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I think a lot of us were begrudgingly willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that if the new show had to feature IP, then a journey around the world highlighting the different cultures that inspired Disney films and including songs in the languages of those different countries might at least be the best spin they could put on it for World Showcase. The problem was that the show itself just ended up being more or less a random collection of clips from different films that occasionally switched into other languages without any real logic. For example, isn't Go The Distance sung in Italian for a little bit but never in Greek? The show, at least for a lot of people, ended up being less than the sum of its parts.
 
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Vinnie Mac

Well-Known Member
MerlinTheGoat said:
Given that the replacement is coming next year, i'm going to assume it will be a very hastily cobbled together swap out of the music and clips, but still use all of the same infrastructure (including the stargate and tacos). I also would assume IP will be included again as well. It doesn't seem likely that they're going to actually address any of the issues people have with Harmonious.
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Do you have any evidence that suggest this or...?
 
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Vinnie Mac

Well-Known Member
MerlinTheGoat said:
Yeah i'm actually only just reading through some of the thread and just noticed his comment. Guess we'll see. I still don't expect them to scrap the stargate and tacos though, they sunk a lot of money into them to just toss them out immediately. I at least wish they'd flatten them out or something though...
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Of course they're scrapping the hardware. This isn't Harmonious 2.0 this is a whole new show otherwise it wouldn't take them until October to debut it
 
MerlinTheGoat

MerlinTheGoat

Well-Known Member
Vinnie Mac said:
Do you have any evidence that suggest this or...?
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No, and I made that post before I saw Steve's comment. But i'd still be very surprised if the replacement show doesn't also use IP. Even if lessened somewhat.

Vinnie Mac said:
Of course they're scrapping the hardware. This isn't Harmonious 2.0 this is a whole new show otherwise it wouldn't take them until October to debut it
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It doesn't seem likely they'll scrap the hardware, at least not entirely. They spent a butt-load on it and they can just swap new projections, music and choreography until the complaints subside. No I don't have any sort of inside information on the matter, it's purely opinion. But it seems like a common assessment from others in this thread as well. Has anyone with actual sources commented on whether they're reusing the hardware? I hope at the very least they trim the stargate and tacos down so they can sit more flat on the water surface and not jut out nearly as much.

As it stands, Harmonious is still out doing shows. The development period on the new show is pretty short compared to their usual pace. Unless the old Illuminations barges still exist and are being repurposed for the new show, it seems reasonable to think it'll be a software swap once ready. Again this is not based on any known info and i'm happy to be wrong.
 
Rich Brownn

Rich Brownn

Well-Known Member
MerlinTheGoat said:
No, and I made that post before I saw Steve's comment. But i'd still be very surprised if the replacement show doesn't also use IP. Even if lessened somewhat.


It doesn't seem likely they'll scrap the hardware, at least not entirely. They spent a butt-load on it and they can just swap new projections, music and choreography until the complaints subside. No I don't have any sort of inside information on the matter, it's purely opinion. But it seems like a common assessment from others in this thread as well. Has anyone with actual sources commented on whether they're reusing the hardware? I hope at the very least they trim the stargate and tacos down so they can sit more flat on the water surface and not jut out nearly as much.

As it stands, Harmonious is still out doing shows. The development period on the new show is pretty short compared to their usual pace. Unless the old Illuminations barges still exist and are being repurposed for the new show, it seems reasonable to think it'll be a software swap once ready. Again this is not based on any known info and i'm happy to be wrong.
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Back in the good ol days (Walt's heyday) they'd have no qualms about scrapping millions for something better. The best example is Pirates - construction was well underway and then scrapped for a better idea costing the company millions in useless construction. :)
 
Sir_Cliff

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
MerlinTheGoat said:
No I don't have any sort of inside information on the matter, it's purely opinion. But it seems like a common assessment from others in this thread as well. Has anyone with actual sources commented on whether they're reusing the hardware?
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Really? I thought the current wisdom was that all of this hardware was going to be removed as part of the new show. People have even been trying to suggest other parks to which they could sent it.

MerlinTheGoat said:
I hope at the very least they trim the stargate and tacos down so they can sit more flat on the water surface and not jut out nearly as much.
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Surely that is impossible at this point, though?
 
MerlinTheGoat

MerlinTheGoat

Well-Known Member
Sir_Cliff said:
Really? I thought the current wisdom was that all of this hardware was going to be removed as part of the new show. People have even been trying to suggest other parks to which they could sent it.


Surely that is impossible at this point, though?
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I'll read through more of the thread then. I thought it was just fan hope that the hardware would be scrapped/moved. Have there been actual sources indicating that might be the case?
 
Magic Feather

Magic Feather

Well-Known Member
I'll never understand the "relocate the barges" argument. Yes, they were expensive and I'm sure Disney would rather not let them go to waste, but of the options available:
MK, DHS, DL, DCA, TDL, DLP, HKDL, and SDL all have nowhere to put them.

Animal Kingdom has a lagoon they could theoretically go in, but no way for them to get in there. OLC just spent a ton on new lagoon show hardware, so no shot at TDS. The only one with a *shot* could arguably be WDS, but nobody would be stupid enough to make a purpose built lake with a new eyesore built in. Let alone the cost of shipping them overseas.

The one place I could even see there being the slightest chance of these barges being relocated to (still a decimal of a percent) is Springs, simply because there's room and its proximal, but even that comes with a hefty visual incursion and would only be if Disney was willing to pay these barges continued maintenance cost (which is already a part of the justification for their removal).
 
MerlinTheGoat

MerlinTheGoat

Well-Known Member
Magic Feather said:
I'll never understand the "relocate the barges" argument. Yes, they were expensive and I'm sure Disney would rather not let them go to waste, but of the options available:
MK, DHS, DL, DCA, TDL, DLP, HKDL, and SDL all have nowhere to put them.

Animal Kingdom has a lagoon they could theoretically go in, but no way for them to get in there. OLC just spent a ton on new lagoon show hardware, so no shot at TDS. The only one with a *shot* could arguably be WDS, but nobody would be stupid enough to make a purpose built lake with a new eyesore built in. Let alone the cost of shipping them overseas.

The one place I could even see there being the slightest chance of these barges being relocated to (still a decimal of a percent) is Springs, simply because there's room and its proximal, but even that comes with a hefty visual incursion and would only be if Disney was willing to pay these barges continued maintenance cost (which is already a part of the justification for their removal).
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Thanks for the comment. I guess that last sentence does basically confirm the hardware is going bye bye. Glad to hear it (so much money flushed down the toilet), wonder what is replacing it though.

Do they still have the original Illuminations barges?
 
TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
They can reuse some of the infrastructure from the barges though, like the fountains, lights, etc.

The video is surely made up of square panels that can also be reused.
 
V

Vinnie Mac

Well-Known Member
MerlinTheGoat said:
No, and I made that post before I saw Steve's comment. But i'd still be very surprised if the replacement show doesn't also use IP. Even if lessened somewhat.
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I doubt that IP won't be present but clearly the approach here is going to be VASTLY different (and perhaps a lot more effective) if Harmonious is getting replaced by a show that looks to be more promising and befitting of an WS lagoon show.

MerlinTheGoat said:
Has anyone with actual sources commented on whether they're reusing the hardware? I hope at the very least they trim the stargate and tacos down so they can sit more flat on the water surface and not jut out nearly as much.
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No, Disney hasn't confirmed this yet if that is what you're asking. But the 3 sources I've seen confirm that the barges are being removed have been 100% right about things in the past.

Also considering the fact that the replacement won't debut until later next year tells me they're doing a lot more than some lighting and media updates
 
H

hismattjesty

Well-Known Member
Since EPCOT Forever is the interim show replacing Harmonious, the barges need to be removed, even if the jet skis/pyro kites don't return. Without a complete redesign, there's no way the show can be accommodated.
 
180º

180º

Well-Known Member
TrainsOfDisney said:
They can reuse some of the infrastructure from the barges though, like the fountains, lights, etc.

The video is surely made up of square panels that can also be reused.
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This makes the most sense to me. In fact, dump all the pieces in the Body Wars venue and keep its legacy as a scrapyard alive. :p
 
wtyy21

wtyy21

Well-Known Member
Vinnie Mac said:
Like for example think about the first half of the villain segment in HEA. The music ain't entirely original but it fits very well
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HEA's theme song itself weren't entirely original, it come from HKDL as their 10th anniversary song, and become the basis of theme song of Mickey and the Wondrous Book and Mickey's Storybook Adventure at Shanghai Disneyland (where surprisingly many movie characters at both shows also appeared at the MK fireworks show).
 
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