Ultimately, the “2000” was dropped from the title while the show continued on… and on… IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth debuted October 1st, 2000, and was an instant hit with guests. To celebrate the turn of the millennium, Disney wanted to wow guests. The show concluded with a jazzy arrangement of Circle of Life the first hint of “Disney music” for Epcot’s spectaculars. Music inspired by the World Showcase and Future World pavilions played along with laser and water effects. As each World Showcase country was introduced, the pavilion was illuminated, followed by plenty of fireworks set off at the center of World Showcase Lagoon. The second rendition of IllumiNations, IllumiNations 25, debuted in 1996 for Walt Disney World’s 25th anniversary. (It sure is a fantastic finale I hope it continues to accompany the new shows over the years!) The “Let There be Peace on Earth” segment still plays on, as today’s “Peace on Earth holiday tag” during the holiday season. From 1994-1998, Holiday IllumiNations replaced the normal show during the holiday seasons. The show was set to international-inspired music mixed with more synthesizer sounds. This was similar to the one we know and love today – fireworks were set off from a central area in World Showcase Lagoon and plenty of laser effects could be seen. The story of IllumiNations actually begins with Laserphonic Fantasy’s 1988 replacement. This show introduced laser effects around the lagoon. 1984 welcomed a new show with minor changes, Laserphonic Fantasy. By summer of 1983, A New World Fantasy made its debut with booming fireworks set to classical music and, respective to the 80’s, synthesizer sounds. The show celebrated world festivals with fountains, film, music, and other effects. On October 23rd, 1982, Carnival de Lumiere premiered. Okay, enough Epcot melancholy… let’s send our precious IllumiNations off the right way – with a celebration of its 19-year run!Įpcot’s lagoon shows began shortly after opening day. HarmoniUS conceptĪs exciting as this all sounds – I can’t help but feel sad for the bygone Epcot Center era, as we welcome more and more Disney characters onto the World Showcase Lagoon on a nightly basis. Disney claims that HarmoniUS will be the largest nighttime spectacular ever created for a Disney park. In other words, they’ll be using music from the Disney movies, a huge shift in the focus of Epcot. From what we saw and heard at D23 2019, this new show will celebrate how the music of Disney inspires people around the world. The permanent replacement for IllumiNations, HarmonioUS, is set to debut next year. The nostalgia of this temporary show may just help me get through my sorrow for the end of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. The music from original EPCOT was gorgeous. Since Epcot is my favorite WDW theme park, I am incredibly excited for this show! I mean, have you seen that behind the scenes video?! Though, there is a silver lining for us Epcot fans! With the temporary IllumiNations replacement, Epcot Forever, there will be a nightly celebration of the retro Epcot Center era. Are you ready for the fire to be snuffed so new entertainment can take its place? Or is this a sad end of an era for you? And on Monday, September 30th, we’ll say goodbye to this epic nighttime spectacular. Epcot’s iconic IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth has wowed guests for almost two decades.
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