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

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Really?! It always seemed so much smaller … funny the tricks our minds can play. :)
1E3036B5-099F-4406-8A50-AFE15D824DD0.jpeg


As an aside, I’ve been editing Humungous all day ready for when it’s extinct. Talk about a struggle. Plenty of eye candy but boy is it an IP-led load of emptiness.
 

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
Those barges look way worse in person than in photos. How the heck they got designed that way is beyond me.

The show is, for me, equal to cosmic rewind. Meaning “you spent a crazy amount of money for this?” Like it’s pretty, there’s nothing wrong with it and parts are very cool and never done before. But in the end… it has no real heart or purpose and the infrastructure looks ugly and the previous attraction was much better and just needed an update.
 

bcoachable

Well-Known Member
Simple as hell really, load the video content into the screens, adjust some playbacks and masking.
Yea gotta re-time all the pyro, easy.
build new lighting cues, okay.

The only thing missing, would be the inferno barge... no filling that hole easily.
I wouldn't do it with pyro, that inferno effect was... really 2nd to none.

But could it all be done. Yes. There is NO technical reason it couldn't.

They might need Don D's blessing, or perhaps a royalty, but I'm pretty sure he would give it.
Hell he might want to re-do it all anyways. ROE was his crowning achievement, he might want to one up it.
But only 1/6th of the crowd would be able to see it…
(In spite of the snark, I love your idea!)
 

Mastermott

Member
Those barges look way worse in person than in photos. How the heck they got designed that way is beyond me.

The show is, for me, equal to cosmic rewind. Meaning “you spent a crazy amount of money for this?” Like it’s pretty, there’s nothing wrong with it and parts are very cool and never done before. But in the end… it has no real heart or purpose and the infrastructure looks ugly and the previous attraction was much better and just needed an update.
Well stated. Totally agree. I was more moved by Epcot Forever.
 

Vinnie Mac

Well-Known Member
I for one loved Harmonious and would love to see Disney take what people loved about Illuminations and the technical spectacle that was Harmonious and combine the two factors for the new show.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
I for one loved Harmonious and would love to see Disney take what people loved about Illuminations and the technical spectacle that was Harmonious and combine the two factors for the new show.
I’ve been watching the show over and over at home the last few days. As I said I thought it would be, it was a technical tour de force. But tech does not make a flawed show good. Misplaced theme, cold, unsuitable for the location. And static.

On a brighter note, fix the mobility and sight line issues, dig a bit lake at DHS and it’d make a good cartoon clip show for a studios park. Or do the same and ship it to WDSP.
 

Vinnie Mac

Well-Known Member
But tech does not make a flawed show good.
Never said otherwise. Was just saying that I'd like to see a show that can be a technologically innovative piece while also maintaining a sense of storytelling, soul, and heart.

Hopefully the new show accomplishes this. I have hope after the Fantasmic update
 

fgmnt

Well-Known Member
I wonder if the updates to Fantasmic is a sign of better-quality shows from now on. I have a feeling it just might be
Fantasmic 2.0 felt like a show that just had to check a couple boxes for the dorks in Burbank and stay under budget, and they mostly delivered on something I think the general public will love.

Of any part of the parks division, extensive meddling in the entertainment division is probably the biggest waste of time; they have a history of doing the most with the least and making stuff that doesn't age out too quickly. Even if the supernerds like myself think BATB at DHS is pretty tired, it still does really well with guests. They just need to be good enough to sell the packages and cupcake parties, and from my understanding, harmonious was having a hard time doing that.

I know Burbank finds the existence of EPCOT revolting, but maybe we'll get a more mature show if only because they need to get those corporate/conference special bookings up.
 

Dan Deesnee

Well-Known Member
Just saw Harmonious for the first time last week. A stunning, beautiful, tour de force.

Every single person we were with and everyone around us loved it. I don't understand the criticism at all regarding if it fits in epcot. The movie choices are mostly specifically chosen to highlight a certain pavilion or geographic region and use language from there when appropriate. Tiana for America, Mulan for China, etc. It beautifully ties in the spirit of World Showcase to pre-existing Disney movies. Everyone I was with were shocked and upset that this show is going away.

Of our previous many trips we saw Illuminations once and found it forgettable. I should preface that we are nostalgic for many things Disney. We love Carousel of Progress, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, Tiki Room, etc. Illuminations just did nothing for us.
 

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
Just saw Harmonious for the first time last week. A stunning, beautiful, tour de force.

Every single person we were with and everyone around us loved it. I don't understand the criticism at all regarding if it fits in epcot. The movie choices are mostly specifically chosen to highlight a certain pavilion or geographic region and use language from there when appropriate. Tiana for America, Mulan for China, etc. It beautifully ties in the spirit of World Showcase to pre-existing Disney movies. Everyone I was with were shocked and upset that this show is going away.

Of our previous many trips we saw Illuminations once and found it forgettable. I should preface that we are nostalgic for many things Disney. We love Carousel of Progress, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, Tiki Room, etc. Illuminations just did nothing for us.
It makes total sense that someone who found Illuminations forgettable would like Harmonious.
 

Epcot82Guy

Well-Known Member
A friend of mine pointed out an interesting observation. This is a "general public" person. She enjoys Disney. The family typically comes once every few years and hadn't been since the pandemic started. She enjoyed some of the technology for Harmonious. But, she said it felt like a corporate showcase. Obviously Disney showcasing Disney IP at a Disney park is a little different. But, she said it felt as if the corporate sponsors of the pavilions did a show. It felt more like a giant ad for a corporate sponsor loosely related to the event vs. something made for the event. Her words, "Harmony: Google Makes the World go Round". I thought it was an interesting observation that explained some of the "hollow" factor for me.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom