News Reflections of Earth confirmed to be replaced by Harmonious

monothingie

monothingie

Make time to do nothing.
Premium Member
So it only took 2 performances before it broke?

But therealzachridley has already moved onto picking out color swatches for the urinal cakes at the new bathrooms in Future World. I mean Discovery land or whatever a marketing executive thought would attract people to throw their money away vying merch.
 
trainplane3

trainplane3

Well-Known Member
I almost like Harmonious more without the middle screen. Then again, I don't care for screens in firework shows. They give me too much to focus on so I miss bits. Almost like a visual overload.

Ditch the screens on the other barges and I'll quiet down.

I don't make sense but I don't think I ever will.
 
Karakasa

Karakasa

Well-Known Member
This is it? This is the show worth destroying one of the most beautiful parts of the parks?

I'm unimpressed. Some parts of it I like- I was fond of the Mulan and Lion King segments- but as a whole, it's .... not great. Maybe it's more enjoyable in person, I only saw a recording, but I dunno, seems unlikely. That Aladdin segment in particular was hot garbage. I have no idea, either, why the taco barges are needed and a WoL style set of water-nozzle barges that float in and out couldn't have been used instead, with the centerpiece being made more visually appealing. Or just... something, anything different.

It's not a disaster in a vacuum, it's passable, but... it's a severe downgrade from RoA, and not worth the obstructions in the daytime. Those aspects make an average show worse overall, imo.

Amidala said:
Finally got around to seeing it in person last night. Admittedly didn't have the best view (we were on the balcony above Mitsukoshi, so our view of the center ring was obscured but we were able to see both barges) but was definitely disappointed. I will say, I was visiting Epcot with some family members, both casual guests, and both enjoyed Harmonious and had no complaints. So, this very much seems in keeping with the new trend of nighttime spectaculars designed to please the average tourist without digging deep enough on an emotional level to satisfy long-time fans, APs, CMs, etc. I would say the same will probably go for Enchantment, but haven't watched the livestream for that one yet & am once again hoping to hold off until I can see it for myself in person!

The designs on the barges are also SO ugly at times. Certain parts were cool (the stylized Lion King section and the very end of Reflection with the Chinese characters in black and red) but the majority felt cluttered, and sometimes even...kind of cringe-y for lack of a better word? The Merida segment with the hair and the weird close-up of a CGI doll-looking Merida was downright awful.

The frustrating part is, it would be SO easy to fix this show and make it more cohesive and visually appealing:
1) Have a proper introduction and conclusion that tie together the theme (of coming to together to celebrate our different languages and cultures through song) instead of immediately diving into a cover at the beginning.
2) Use one song per country and light up the corresponding country in World Showcase while its native song is playing. Get rid of the excess, especially songs like Out There and How Far I'll Go that were clearly just carried over due to their success in HEA. Here's my ideal arrangement:
- Mexico: Coco
- Norway: Frozen. Vuelie was an inspired pick, but it's barely incorporated
- China: Mulan
- Germany: Snow White. Some Day my Prince Will Come would give the show some more needed downtime between all the upbeat songs, and also some representation for older movies
- Italy: Pinocchio. No Strings on Me? or the Snow White segment could transition into When You Wish Upon a Star for more downtime, similar to the You'll Be in My Heart/Can You Feel the Love mashup in HEA
- Japan: This is a rough one, all I can think of is BH6
- Morocco: Aladdin
- France: Ratatouille. They literally JUST made a brand new ride for it, why would they use anything other than Le Festin here???
- United Kingdom: After HEA's (superior) use of Brave, I think something from Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland or Peter Pan would be a refreshing change. You Can Fly would be nice, they could show visuals of the children flying over London on the barges
- Canada: Another head scratcher, but the upcoming Turning Red movie is set there so maybe a 2.0 could include clips from it
- US: PaTF. Dig a Little Deeper was a nice selection, even if the cover wasn't great. Should've been the finale, end with America
3) Play the original cast recordings in the songs' native languages. This is such a no brainer
4) Either rework some of the more garish barge animation or just project clips from the movies, since that's what guests AND fans actually want to see
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Good post.

To give feedback, I'd say Japan is difficult because there isn't really any Japan-set Disney movies. BH6 is set in the fictional San Fransokyo, and while it features Japanese Americans, who are certainly of Japanese and American cultures both, having it represent Japan as a country would be like having PatF represent an African nation, imo, not really a good fit. If we were dealing with project leads who allow more creativity, they could do unique animations for Japan while using a Disney song that fits (maybe bring back "Meet the World" as a throwback for park nerds?), but unfortunately as is, I'm not sure how it'd work. Canada, well, there's Brother Bear; Turning Red, if it has songs, would work too. It really would be better if the countries in WS were more involved though, either way. Maybe if Disney hadn't ruined their goodwill with Studio Ghibli and chased them off to HBO, they could borrow Totoro, Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke for a Japan segment...

I absolutely agree with the other 3 points.
 
castlecake2.0

castlecake2.0

Well-Known Member
Karakasa said:
This is it? This is the show worth destroying one of the most beautiful parts of the parks?

I'm unimpressed. Some parts of it I like- I was fond of the Mulan and Lion King segments- but as a whole, it's .... not great. Maybe it's more enjoyable in person, I only saw a recording, but I dunno, seems unlikely. That Aladdin segment in particular was hot garbage. I have no idea, either, why the taco barges are needed and a WoL style set of water-nozzle barges that float in and out couldn't have been used instead, with the centerpiece being made more visually appealing. Or just... something, anything different.

It's not a disaster in a vacuum, it's passable, but... it's a severe downgrade from RoA, and not worth the obstructions in the daytime. Those aspects make an average show worse overall, imo.


Good post.

To give feedback, I'd say Japan is difficult because there isn't really any Japan-set Disney movies. BH6 is set in the fictional San Fransokyo, and while it features Japanese Americans, who are certainly of Japanese and American cultures both, having it represent Japan as a country would be like having PatF represent an African nation, imo, not really a good fit. If we were dealing with project leads who allow more creativity, they could do unique animations for Japan while using a Disney song that fits (maybe bring back "Meet the World" as a throwback for park nerds?), but unfortunately as is, I'm not sure how it'd work. Canada, well, there's Brother Bear; Turning Red, if it has songs, would work too. It really would be better if the countries in WS were more involved though, either way. Maybe if Disney hadn't ruined their goodwill with Studio Ghibli and chased them off to HBO, they could borrow Totoro, Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke for a Japan segment...

I absolutely agree with the other 3 points.
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Spoiler: it’s not any better in person, watched it last night. Total disaster and I refuse to ever watch it again.

Saying that, saw Enchantment tonight and loved it, closest thing we’ve had to Fantasy in the Sky in decades and it was so wonderful to hear the beautiful orchestration fill the park. Made me hate Harm even more.
 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Yert3 said:
Whoops. I was on break at work and only had two minutes left. I guess in my hurry, I forgot Japan. 😅
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pssst. and Africa

Japan is hard. Disney stupidly let Ghibli through their fingers. That leaves.... nothing.

Unless... You use Compass of Your Heart. A Menken song written for the popular Disney Japan ride 'Sinbad.' It double as Japanese and 'Arabian' for Morocco. And it fits the theme of a World Showcase show.
 
bcoachable

bcoachable

Well-Known Member
MisterPenguin said:
Well... they kinda failed. Not to toot my own horn, but, I've got serious education in the Liberal Arts including delving into the hermeneutics of texts for theme and meaning. It's something I've been trained to do.

And the songs chosen for their intended theme just doesn't cut it.

If "bringing us together through music" is a theme, then you don't choose a bunch of songs sung from an individual's point of view of their own journey and wants (How Far I'll Go, Go the Distance, Out There). Putting them in different languages doesn't make it communal.

And Arabian Nights?

Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place​
Where the caravan camels roam​
Where it's flat and immense​
and the heat is intense​
It's barbaric, but hey, it's home (?!!)​
​
When the wind's from the east​
And the sun's from the west​
And the sand in the glass is right​
Come on down, stop on by​
Hop a carpet and fly​
to another Arabian night​
​
Arabian nights like Arabian days​
More often than not​
are hotter than hot​
in a lot of good ways​
​
Arabian nights 'neath Arabian moons​
A fool off his guard​
could fall and fall hard​
out there on the dunes​

Not a dance song. Not a "we come together song." Not a crowd pleaser, "Hey, cool, it's 'Arabian Nights'! That's my jam!"

It's clear the people that chose the music were thinking that if the music was associated with some culture, regardless of its lyrics, it is sufficient for their chosen theme.

It's not.

I know a lot of people put really hard work into this. But the ones who were responsible for the direction of the show dropped the ball.
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Good insight- thanks for adding your two cents!
 
castlecake2.0

castlecake2.0

Well-Known Member
MisterPenguin said:
pssst. and Africa

Japan is hard. Disney stupidly let Ghibli through their fingers. That leaves.... nothing.

Unless... You use Compass of Your Heart. A Menken song written for the popular Disney Japan ride 'Sinbad.' It double as Japanese and 'Arabian' for Morocco. And it fits the theme of a World Showcase show.
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Technically it’s just “the Outpost”, and we’ve been trained not to put “African” in front of it as it’s not supposed to be a showcase of Africa, though they dressed it like “Africa” and have wood carvers from Africa there. It really should either become a train depot theme like the showcase plaza area or a full out pavilion of a nation in Africa. This weird in between right now is growing more awkward by the minute.
 
bcoachable

bcoachable

Well-Known Member
Explanation and Thought as to why the show is falling flat:
- if your in the middle of a pandemic, forced to cut everything including staff- does any of the remaining staff/design team/ imagineers ever really feel comfortable speaking out and saying “hey, this Epcot show thing isn’t turning out very good”?
I say no.. I think every person involved was too afraid to ever speak their true feelings, afraid they too would be “let go” in the midst of downsizing. when egos are involved, and you really like your job, these things happen…
Anyone on the inside care to second this thought??
 
castlecake2.0

castlecake2.0

Well-Known Member
bcoachable said:
Explanation and Thought as to why the show is falling flat:
- if your in the middle of a pandemic, forced to cut everything including staff- does any of the remaining staff/design team/ imagineers ever really feel comfortable speaking out and saying “hey, this Epcot show thing isn’t turning out very good”?
I say no.. I think every person involved was too afraid to ever speak their true feelings, afraid they too would be “let go” in the midst of downsizing. when egos are involved, and you really like your job, these things happen…
Anyone on the inside care to second this thought??
Click to expand...
This makes sense. I think Covid really effed up a lot of Disney’s operations/teams/heart. I don’t think they’re purposely trying to self destruct, but there was so much upheaval and change the last almost two years now it really just got left with a mess. I feel we are in for a turbulent couple of years until they find their groove again. And although we should have to, I think is as fans really need to reach out and hold them accountable: go to guest relations, talk to managers, send emails. I know they probably have people reading here too. We have to get them to wake up and realize we deserve better.
 
aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
Communicore said:
Why are the singers in “Harmonious” yelling? It’s irritating lol…
Click to expand...
same with enchantment, I cant stand this direction they have taken with everything. and honestly I can't see either of these shows lasting long at all, I don't care how much money they spent (or cut by the sound of things), but both are going to end up seeing major changes, ,the outcry is too strong for them to ignore.
 

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