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

[TheCoasterNerd]

Get Dinner at Beaches and Cream and watch the show from the Yacht and Beach lighthouse dock. Awesome spot with the fireworks reflecting on the lake.

Do you need a reservation for Beaches and Cream? Also, I'm gonna move this to a trip planning thread. Want me to @ you?

 

[Disone]

Well I'm 3 for 3 for seeing this show and it making me teary-eyed. I guess I'm a fan.

I feel bad for badmouthing it when it debuted and I hadn't seen it yet, but Harmonious really left a bad taste in my mouth.

I applaud you for being honest enough with yourself and with this group to self-correct in an open forum. There's not enough of that on this site and I appreciate it so much when I see it.

 

[mikejs78]

We can all agree that the best finale music in Epcot history was “A Whole New World,” obviously.

I don't know. Circle of Life was pretty good back in the day. Both both were much better than that generic and uninspiring "We Go On" crap. Because IP.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I don't know. Circle of Life was pretty good back in the day. Both both were much better than that generic and uninspiring "We Go On" crap. Because IP.

I know…damn near 20 years they went on…and on…and on…like, we get it! Why don’t you go on, now, and leave!

Ironically, it was followed by Epcot Forever. Epcot’s nighttime spectacular crew seems obsessed with permanence.

 

[SoFloMagic]

Can we all agree that "One Heartbeat" is the better post show song?

It must have been the original finale song, right? There must be a non-acoustic version on a hard drive somewhere. I wish we could hear it

 

[Starship824]

It must have been the original finale song, right? There must be a non-acoustic version on a hard drive somewhere. I wish we could hear it

I'm willing to bet it was in the show originally and then was cut for some reason and that there's a full non-acoustic version of it out there. I don't know if it was the original finally song but it definitely seems like it was in the show at some point and then was cut so they decided to put it in the post show.

 

[TTA94]

It must have been the original finale song, right? There must be a non-acoustic version on a hard drive somewhere. I wish we could hear it

Only person that might know that answer is our dear friend @wdwmagic lol.

 

[The Colonel]

Ohh, ok. I was hoping for a restaurant I could eat at since we get in pretty late anyways. Do they at least pipe in the music on the bridge?

This is the view from in front of Yacht Club. They do not pipe in music.

 

[Chef idea Mickey`=]

I know…damn near 20 years they went on…and on…and on…like, we get it! Why don’t you go on, now, and leave!

Ironically, it was followed by Epcot Forever. Epcot’s nighttime spectacular crew seems obsessed with permanence.

Im sorry but These "two shows" and (songs) were made for a temporary event basis.

 

[etc98]

It must have been the original finale song, right? There must be a non-acoustic version on a hard drive somewhere. I wish we could hear it

I wish if they had to cut a song they cut Heartbeat Symphony, I feel like a full version of One Heartbeat would have been a stronger opening

 

[TheEPCOTHistorian]

The gospel-esque ending of Beating of our Hearts is nearly perfect for the center barge’s final trick. Idk that One Heartbeat sells it as well and it’s such a repetitive song.

 

[osian]

The gospel-esque ending of Beating of our Hearts is nearly perfect for the center barge’s final trick.

I've wondered about this! Was the show built around the song that was presented, or was the song given a structure brief before it was written, e.g. break it down towards the end with a space for that trick, then provide an obvios heartbeat that could synchronise with the red hearts. I mean, the show story must have been designed and scripted and then they commissioned the beginning and ending songs to fit?? Like incidental music for movies - the composer is given the movie edit to fit the music to, right?

 

[TheEPCOTHistorian]

I've wondered about this! Was the show built around the song that was presented, or was the song given a structure brief before it was written, e.g. break it down towards the end with a space for that trick, then provide an obvios heartbeat that could synchronise with the red hearts. I mean, the show story must have been designed and scripted and then they commissioned the beginning and ending songs to fit?? Like incidental music for movies - the composer is given the movie edit to fit the music to, right?

Luminous was so different from a development standpoint. There never really was confirmation on just how extensive the musical rewrites were, but I think Heartbeat Symphony was always going to lead. Beating of our Hearts and One Heartbeat were most likely recorded as pop tracks, the post show versions of each. Seems like they then decided which they would use for the finale, and had it recorded with deliberate crescendos for pyrotechnic cues.

Eric Tucker was brilliant in his work on Luminous, so that’s also a factor. Brilliant fireworks design will usually just *work* regardless of how the song is recorded because a good designer will know how to supplement the emotion of the audio in a show. This is what took I:RoE from one of the greatest compositions in the last 100 years to one of the greatest pieces of entertainment ever. No, I’m not biased.


It’s like poetry, it rhymes.

When it’s done right.

 

[Starship824]

Luminous was so different from a development standpoint. There never really was confirmation on just how extensive the musical rewrites were, but I think Heartbeat Symphony was always going to lead. Beating of our Hearts and One Heartbeat were most likely recorded as pop tracks, the post show versions of each. Seems like they then decided which they would use for the finale, and had it recorded with deliberate crescendos for pyrotechnic cues.

Eric Tucker was brilliant in his work on Luminous, so that’s also a factor. Brilliant fireworks design will usually just *work* regardless of how the song is recorded because a good designer will know how to supplement the emotion of the audio in a show. This is what took I:RoE from one of the greatest compositions in the last 100 years to one of the greatest pieces of entertainment ever. No, I’m not biased.


It’s like poetry, it rhymes.

When it’s done right.

To me it seems like "Beating of our Hearts" was also going to be the ending song but I don't really know and we might never know. (Unless they shows it in the Epcot special I didn't watch lol, in which case call me out because I'm probably wrong)

 

[osian]

It’s like poetry, it rhymes.

Just quoting this because I think that's an amazing way of putting it.

 

[trainplane3]

@wdwmagic How's the reception going with this show because the fact they're calling out RoE and not Harmonious doesn't seem good?

 

[jrhwdw]

@wdwmagic How's the reception going with this show because the fact they're calling out RoE and not Harmonious doesn't seem good?

Also, how are the Restaurants doing?

Honeymoon's over for Luminous??? If true, what now Epcot?

 

[mattpeto]

Also, how are the Restaurants doing?

Honeymoon's over for Luminous??? If true, what now Epcot?

I am not convinced that the show isn’t popular. I keep hearing rave reviews here.

It’s gotta play out longer.

 

[wbostic12]

@wdwmagic How's the reception going with this show because the fact they're calling out RoE and not Harmonious doesn't seem good?

No insider knowledge, but in my way of thinking, I think they know that no one was really going to compare Luminous to Harmonious, it was always going to be looked at (in the long run) in comparison to ROE. It seemed to me that they were less trying to go above the bar of Harmonious, but instead get closer to that of Illuminations. I also feel like Disney would love to make sure everyone forgets about Harmonious as fast as possible.

 

[aladdin2007]

No insider knowledge, but in my way of thinking, I think they know that no one was really going to compare Luminous to Harmonious, it was always going to be looked at (in the long run) in comparison to ROE. It seemed to me that they were less trying to go above the bar of Harmonious, but instead get closer to that of Illuminations. I also feel like Disney would love to make sure everyone forgets about Harmonious as fast as possible.

I don't think they helped themselves any by calling it Luminious,,they should have gone a different direction. Its way too much like its predecessor and basically sounds/looks the same in terms of titles.