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

[Vegas Disney Fan]

The selection of music is what usually makes or breaks the show for me.

Agreed, the fireworks get the oohs and awes but it’s the music, pacing, and visuals that tug at the emotions and set great shows apart from ok shows.

This is why Happily Ever After is so much better than Enchantment, Disneyland Forever is so much better than Mickeys Mix Magic, etc. Without the emotion it’s just a fireworks show, still fun to watch but lacking the substance of the great shows.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Would be hilarious if next summer the tacos just show up in the water at Disney Springs, showing commercials for shops.

 

[Mickeynerd17]

Agreed, the fireworks get the oohs and awes but it’s the music, pacing, and visuals that tug at the emotions and set great shows apart from ok shows.

And this is why Reflections of Earth was popular for 20 years. The music alone carried that show, and the fireworks were icing on the cake.

 

[GimpYancIent]

Don't think they will find a way to repurpose it?

There are many recycling possibilities for the various components as scrap.

 

[GimpYancIent]

Would be hilarious if next summer the tacos just show up in the water at Disney Springs, showing commercials for shops.

Giving B.C. ideas huh!

 

[Joel]

There are many recycling possibilities for the various components as scrap.

They can recoup at least some of their investment by featuring them in YouTube videos.

"Harmonious Barge: Will It Blend?"

 

[JoeCamel]

Would be hilarious if next summer the tacos just show up in the water at Disney Springs, showing commercials for shops.

;Maybe they can chain them together and run some kind of water pageant on the screens as they are towed around the lake?

 

[wutisgood]

It annoys me that Disney spends so much money so ineffectively and then just continually raises prices on us. They could have had a better show that didn't affect the day views for so much less money. No one was asking for this show.

 

[trainplane3]

Thanks guys! I made these videos for you all. I recommend downloading your own copy from the links in the description. Those files dont have all that nasty YouTube compression artifacts.

Just got back from D23 Expo and I shot all new World of Color and Fantasmic! out there for new productions in 2023. Im also about to start on a brand new Reflections of Earth feature documentary for next summer too.

Back to Harmonious and my completely wrong comments in the opening. I have to say that scrapping all that highly custom AV hardware they designed and built for this show?....was absolutely 100% unthinkable to me up to a week ago.

I mean....dang...Disney research must have seen an overwhelming amount of negative feedback to not only kill this show and it's music...but to kill all that investment in display tech too?

Wow...I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall in those board room meetings. Wow....

From what Martin was saying over a year ago, complaints started coming into guest services ever since the first barge was added to the lagoon. They should've known.

While you're around here Cliff, can you post up a 4k download of your Rivers of Light? Only the 1080 seems to be in the description of the video. I'd like to add it to my Plex server.

 

[CaptinEO]

Thanks guys! I made these videos for you all. I recommend downloading your own copy from the links in the description. Those files dont have all that nasty YouTube compression artifacts.

Just got back from D23 Expo and I shot all new World of Color and Fantasmic! out there for new productions in 2023. Im also about to start on a brand new Reflections of Earth feature documentary for next summer too.

Back to Harmonious and my completely wrong comments in the opening. I have to say that scrapping all that highly custom AV hardware they designed and built for this show?....was absolutely 100% unthinkable to me up to a week ago.

I mean....dang...Disney research must have seen an overwhelming amount of negative feedback to not only kill this show and it's music...but to kill all that investment in display tech too?

Wow...I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall in those board room meetings. Wow....

Guess it isn't the first time they closed down something quick. Light Magic, Journey Into Your Imagination, and Superstar Limo come to mind, but those were 20 years ago.

Feedback must be bad enough to make this urgent.

 

[PuertoRekinSam]

I’be been thinking about the drones people keep thinking will be included, and they might not be as beneficial as people think.

One of the repeated complaints about the current actual show is that you “need” to face the star gate to get the show as expected.

I’m concerned drones would be a similar issue. Every drone show I’ve seen in person or on line have been designed to be see from a specific angle to be properly enjoyed. I don’t know of any that have been designed for 360 viewing. (If any one has links to examples I would love to see them). I remember watching the Disney Springs one a few years ago from behind the west side Starbucks, and it looked great, but from the Marketplace captain jacks area many of the things looked weird.

Now perhaps the drones will be some of the special ones (puppet drones and flixels) they got patents for…

 

[James Alucobond]

I’be been thinking about the drones people keep thinking will be included, and they might not be as beneficial as people think.

One of the repeated complaints about the current actual show is that you “need” to face the star gate to get the show as expected.

I’m concerned drones would be a similar issue. Every drone show I’ve seen in person or on line have been designed to be see from a specific angle to be properly enjoyed. I don’t know of any that have been designed for 360 viewing. (If any one has links to examples I would love to see them). I remember watching the Disney Springs one a few years ago from behind the west side Starbucks, and it looked great, but from the Marketplace captain jacks area many of the things looked weird.

Now perhaps the drones will be some of the special ones (puppet drones and flixels) they got patents for…

Drones, if used, could potentially migrate around the perimeter highlighting each pavilion, assuming that's an aspect of the show. That would prevent them from being viewed at potentially awkward angles and spoiling certain configurations.

 

[J4546]

A massive lilly flower floats out to the center of the lagoon opens up and 1000 drones fly out and do something cool then land back in the flower thats nicely lit and dissapears backstage

 

[larryz]

Don't think they will find a way to repurpose it?

Well, they can put the Tacos on wheels and incorporate them into parades at MK and DHS. I can't imagine they'll ever see Epcot again, though...

 

[Vinnie Mac]

I’be been thinking about the drones people keep thinking will be included, and they might not be as beneficial as people think.

One of the repeated complaints about the current actual show is that you “need” to face the star gate to get the show as expected.

I’m concerned drones would be a similar issue.

Well the idea with the drones is that the effects will be large and high up in the sky or at least high up enough for everyone to see if. So like it could be a giant globe or a cover over the lagoon, it should still be visible for everyone

 

[Vinnie Mac]

A massive lilly flower floats out to the center of the lagoon opens up and 1000 drones fly out and do something cool then land back in the flower thats nicely lit and dissapears backstage

The illuminations finale but with drones

 

[Br0ckford]

Well, they can put the Tacos on wheels and incorporate them into parades at MK and DHS. I can't imagine they'll ever see Epcot again, though...

What a waste of money.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Well, they can put the Tacos on wheels and incorporate them into parades at MK and DHS. I can't imagine they'll ever see Epcot again, though...

I suspect parade viewers would be eye-level with the base of the barges while the videos would be playing to imaginary people on the upper floors of the buildings.

The barges are probably just sunk cost at this point and they'll sell of whatever they can in scrap.

 

[wutisgood]

There are enough 3d objects they could make with drones to make them work. I thought they possibility they couldn't run every night was the real problem for Disney. It did seem to me that for the most part people like the show itself. The complaints about the daytime must have been really bad. Even then I am surprised Disney is changing shows. Many of you say that since the parks are still crowded, Disney doesn't need to make any effort to be better until you stop paying. Why would they care about poor feedback from this when they don't seem to care about poor feedback for anything anymore as long as they are making money?

 

[wutisgood]

I suspect parade viewers would be eye-level with the base of the barges while the videos would be playing to imaginary people on the upper floors of the buildings.

The barges are probably just sunk cost at this point and they'll sell of whatever they can in scrap.

I know Disney would probably rather scrap them and lose all the money than let someone have them, but I do wonder if any other parks have called them up to inquire if they are for sale. One park's scrap is another park's treasure. The issue would most likely be replacement parts for the video walls, but Disney might have enough spares for 10 years of operation or so.