Early this summer I told you that Epcot Forever would be replacing Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot. I was not a fan of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth and felt years was plenty long of a run so I was excited for a new show to take its place. We knew this new show would have a short, maybe 1 year run as a fill-in while we wait for the newest nighttime spectacular to come to Epcot. It was announced at D23 in August that HarmoniUS will debut sometime in 2020. In the meantime, we get to enjoy Epcot Forever.
I love classic EPCOT Center and its music. More than any other park, I miss the old Epcot. I know everything changes but Epcot used to be about innovation and inspiration. Future World was like a hands-on museum with great attractions and even better attraction music. Unfortunately, most of that was gone around the turn of the century (1999-2000). This music lives on in the hearts and minds of those of us who have been visiting Epcot since it opened in 1982 and those who learned of the history and sought out the music.
We attended the debut show of Epcot Forever on October 1, 2019. I was excited to hear some of my favorite Epcot music. I smile every time I hear, “Veggie, Fruit, Fruit”, don’t you? We secured a good viewing spot at 5:30pm for the 9:00pm show. We sat near people who were in the exact spot the night before for the final showing of Illuminations. Yes, 3 1/2 hours is a long time to wait but…I can’t stand that long and I am unable to sit on the ground so, when we found one of the few spots with chairs that wasn’t a restaurant, we claimed them.
Excitement was in the air as was skepticism. The people behind us were die hard Illuminations fans and they were sure they would hate Epcot Forever, which they did. The people next to us were a bit more optimistic and they were busy engaging in my least favorite Epcot experience, getting drunk. We were very excited and hoping for the best.
Originally I gave the show an A- but upon further watching of videos and thinking with my head and not my heart, I have lowered that grade to a B-. Why the lower grade? Three reasons:
- The “Whole New World” finale. The show was going along well and they they did just what everyone was afraid they were going to do they Disney-fied Epcot.
- Child narrators. No one gets to say “Soarin’ to Tower” except Patrick Warburton.
- New guests won’t understand the history and significance of the music and may not enjoy the show because of it.
I loved the classic EPCOT Center music, especially “New Horizons”, “Listen to the Land”, “Tomorrow’s Child”, “Tapestry of Nations”, “Golden Dream”, and “Veggie, Fruit, Fruit”. The fireworks and lasers were very good but the kites stole the show, especially the second time they come out to “Golden Dream”. Below is the video Ron shot of the debut show, watch it and let me know your thoughts…the kites are way cooler in person than on the video.
We plan to enjoy Epcot Forever several more times before it goes away. Are you planning on experiencing it? If you need help planning your Walt Disney World vacation, I am a Disney travel agent and my services are free you you! Just Email me and we will get started.
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