BAY LAKE, Fla. – EPCOT has now officially debuted “Luminous: A Symphony of Us,” its new nighttime spectacle that illuminates the World Showcase Lagoon.
The show, celebrating the connections that unite people worldwide, lit up the night sky Tuesday with fireworks, fountains, lights and all-new musical arrangements.
Similar to the composition of a musical piece, “Luminous: A Symphony of Us” comprises movements representing common themes of the human experience.
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Guests can anticipate renditions of Disney classics like “You’ll Be in My Heart” and “Proud Corazón,” along with songs such as “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and “Friend Like Me.” The show reaches its pinnacle moment with an arrangement of “I See the Light” from the hit Disney Animation film, “Tangled.”
See video of the show in the video above.
“We wanted to be able to tell a story, and we wanted that story to emotionally connect to our audience. We wanted everybody to make the story, their own story, and we wanted to really bring everybody together as we all gathered around the lagoon,” said Steven Davison, executive show director. “We’re doing color and texture and light to really have people go, ‘Wow, I can find something in my life to really kind of bring to that.’”
The roughly 17-minute show also features two exclusive compositions for the show: “Heartbeat Symphony” and “Beating of our Hearts.”
“We have two new songs in the beginning and the end, because we really felt like we needed to tell the story more and we didn’t want to turn back just to the Disney IP to do that. We wanted to bring something to EPCOT that was wholly EPCOT and our own,” said Stef Fink, music producer.
Disney Live Entertainment teams said they have been working on the show for a year and a half and were excited to collaborate with renowned composer Pinar Toprak on the show’s score. Pinar, known for her work on film soundtracks and her EPCOT anthem, heard around the park, is joined by a choir of vocal talents, including singer/songwriter Sheléa and Katharine McPhee.
“We basically have taken the EPCOT theme written by Pinar and had woven it with themes of Disney actually, to really bring something together that I think will people can really look at and put themselves into that,” said Davison.
The nighttime spectacular follows the success of “Harmonious,” which ended at the theme park following the conclusion of Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration, and the park’s former show, EPCOT Forever. Unlike previous shows, “Luminous: The Symphony of Us,” uses no projections, allowing guests to enjoy the show from wherever they view it around World Showcase Lagoon.
The new firework show debuted on the same day as Walt Disney’s birthday and the opening of World Celebration Gardens, an all-new space for guests to connect.
As part of the transformation of EPCOT, World Celebration Gardens introduces Dreamers Point, featuring the “Walt the Dreamer” statue.
This statue pays homage to Walt Disney’s spirit as he envisioned the park and the Florida Project. The green spaces in the World Celebration Gardens provide a setting for guests to immerse themselves in the magic of EPCOT’s festivals throughout the year.
A milestone in the park’s transformation, CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza are set to make their debut in 2024, offering experiences for visitors. Meanwhile, the Disney100 celebration continues to excite guests at EPCOT with offerings, culinary creations, character greetings, and the opened “Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.” The celebration will run through Dec. 31.
For details about Walt Disney World and the limited-time Disney100 celebration, visit DisneyWorld.com.
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