The Imaginarium - Discussion Thread

[montydysquith-navarro]

Spoiler: My thoughts

Technologically impressive and probably better in person, but the soundtrack is a misfire. I'm not sure what atmosphere they were going for but I didn't feel inspired or even swell up at any moment. I just kinda sat there and watched.

Overall, for all the clutter in the middle of the lagoon, this is a disappointment

Spoiler

Individually, I thought the musical sections are wonderful, but it doesn't build up together because there's nothing that binds them all together. As I mentioned earlier in reply to @b-wolf95, "voice raised in song and in unity" is a powerful message, but it falls flat when nothing glues them together. I thought that the EPCOT Anthem was going to be the underlying score for each section, maybe even reinterpreted for the cultural sections to show that "unity in song" message, but we got nada, zilch, nothing.

 

[montydysquith-navarro]

Your new icon, @tcool123, should you risk being spoiled for your Saturday viewing of Harmonious:

Spoiler

 

[D Hulk]

Lol May I ask where you got it from?

Abracadabar!

 

[mickeyfan5534]

Just watched Harmonious and it's... fine? It has some good parts and some bad parts. It's the Disney fireworks show equivalent of beige. Good concept, iffy execution.

 

[mickeyfan5534]

On a brighter note


Happily Ever After who?

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

Disney announces that EPCOT's Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind will open in 2022

EPCOT's first rollercoaster ride will debut next year.

www.wdwmagic.com

Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser reservations open October 28 2021

Early booking opportunities will be available to Passholders and DVC Members.

www.wdwmagic.com

Disney announces the MagicBand+ - the next generation of wearable for Walt Disney World

MagicBand+ will feature color-changing lights, haptic vibrations and gesture recognition.

www.wdwmagic.com

 

[montydysquith-navarro]

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

Wow! They put that up fast!

 

[tcool123]

Disney announces that EPCOT's Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind will open in 2022

EPCOT's first rollercoaster ride will debut next year.

www.wdwmagic.com

Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser reservations open October 28 2021

Early booking opportunities will be available to Passholders and DVC Members.

www.wdwmagic.com

Disney announces the MagicBand+ - the next generation of wearable for Walt Disney World

MagicBand+ will feature color-changing lights, haptic vibrations and gesture recognition.

www.wdwmagic.com

AND the Frontierland Shooting Gallery reopened and its now FREE!

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

AND the Frontierland Shooting Gallery reopened and its now FREE!

What’s this? Disney lowering the price of something?

 

[D Hulk]

So, anyone here who watched the Harmonious stream? Thoughts (put in a spoiler!)?

Tonight I watched Hulkmonious live, from the Rose + Crown waterfront in the UK Pavilion while enjoying a lager. My thoughts?

Spoiler

The lager was delicious!

As for the show itself, it was fine. This wasn’t a perfect viewing spot since we weren’t able to stare directly through the central Hell Gate into the eyes of oblivion. Instead, those ejector airtime hill structures provided projections. It was one-and-done for me, which honestly most nighttime spectaculars are (exception: Fantasmic), with a selection of internationally-themed Disney tunes running from East to West but without any particular dramatic build. The tech was impressive, of course, but even as an Epcot newbie I can say it isn’t worth having the wreckage of the Event Horizon in the Lagoon all day long.

Also, I successfully completed an 11 for 11 Drinking Around the World “challenge!”

 

[mickeyfan5534]

So... Enchantment was... yeah. We lost Happily Ever After for this.

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

Less than an hour until the 50th officially begins!

 

[Chaos Cat]

So... Enchantment was... yeah. We lost Happily Ever After for this.

It's trying so hard to be Happily Ever After, but it just can't pull it off. I'm fully expecting Happily Ever After to come back after the 50th.

Spoiler: Also

Did the Tinker Bell flight in this feel pathetic to anyone else?

 

[JokersWild]

Less than an hour until the 50th officially begins!

*Me 12 hours into celebrating*

 

[montydysquith-navarro]

It's trying so hard to be Happily Ever After, but it just can't pull it off. I'm fully expecting Happily Ever After to come back after the 50th.

Spoiler: Also

Did the Tinker Bell flight in this feel pathetic to anyone else?

Spoiler: My Thoughts

Same here. I think that’s what’s lacking with both Harmonious and Enchantment, the drama of it all. It helped build up the show to its finale (which by the way is so weak in Enchantment, where’s the fireworks barrage?!) and to show that our journeys will have its trials and tribulations, but with the magic or enchantment within us, we can go through it and triumph in the end.

 

[HomeImagineer]

Well for me EPCOT's Harmonious was maybe as little well done for me maybe because of that amazing finale of Someday from Hunchback, but for MK's Enchantment i don't think this show its my cup of tea. I wish like Disneyland returns their Disneyland Forever if WDW returns their amazing show Happily Ever After back but hey its their 50th i guess.

 

[TwilightZone]

So basically both fireworks shows need...well...work from what I'm gathering. Harmonious might be the simpler fix, with changes to the songs included, include at least ONE villain song or something. Or give us epcot fans a nice tribute to it's predecessor before the finale by including a section from Illuminations.
Enchantment however.... can't think of anything lol

 

[montydysquith-navarro]

So basically both fireworks shows need...well...work from what I'm gathering. Harmonious might be the simpler fix, with changes to the songs included, include at least ONE villain song or something. Or give us epcot fans a nice tribute to it's predecessor before the finale by including a section from Illuminations.
Enchantment however.... can't think of anything lol

Spoiler: My thoughts

For me, both shows need proper story/message strengthening, a bit more drama, and a lot of soaring emotional moments.

Harmonious, as you mentioned, is the easiest fix. Seed the EPCOT Anthem score in each section as transition music and even have the local orchestras reinterpret it in their own musical language. To please the purists, have original compositions or local folk songs play (a la original IllumiNations) before transitioning to each Disney piece to show where Disney got its inspiration from. Increase the feels department by using the new Points of Light on Spaceship Earth during the musical climax in the finale to show a spinning globe (like Reflections of Earth and Beacons of Magic show). Also, speaking of "Someday", it needs proper contextualizing in the show. Why use that song when the show doesn't even have a lot of dramatic moments that show the world isn't as united as it is? The lyrics clearly state that multiple times. Sure, the brief training montage in the China section with Mulan, and I guess, the "The Bells of Notre Dame" and "Hellfire" instrumentals show that, but that's it. It flies over your head since everything else is a fun musical cultural moment. On the other hand, Happily Ever After does this well with "Go the Distance" since it's contextualized as our moment of triumph after adversity (symbolized with the heroes' battle sequences with their villains). The finale should be a release of emotions, a gut-punching moment, a breath of what could be if we all realize that we're all in one earthly family and it's our job to keep it that way, and not something that comes out of nowhere.

Enchantment definitely needs work, but I'm not even sure where to start. It's an attempt to blend Harmonious and Happily Ever After with lackluster results. At least Harmonious has a strong concept (but meh execution).

 

[D Hulk]

HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY!
Live from the Snappiest Place on Earth​