![]() ![]() Rather ambitious for a theme park *ahem* nighttime spectacular, the plot (which is further elaborated on in an official press release) begins with the bombastic creation of the planet, followed by an oscillating look at the evolution of nature and humankind, and ending with a call for us all to unite as we move forward through the complicated experience that is life. Sans any clear traces of intellectual properties™©® (a true feat nowadays), IllumiNations honed in on the DNA of classic Epcot by placing a focus on the collective humanity behind the innovations and concurrent narratives of humankind, all while guests visiting the park from all around the world collect among the 11 country-themed pavilions that encircle the venue called World Showcase Lagoon. To us, the ambiance, carefully-crafted soundtrack and corresponding background music loops, the fireworks themselves, and the underlying message were all evocative of the best that the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts can provide to guests. ![]() Really, though, while I can grasp how the discontinuation of a 20-year-old *ahem* nighttime spectacular could be deemed unsurprising and insipid to most people (some Walt Disney World guests included), I cannot understate the significance of IllumiNations to me and the many individuals whose childhoods or theme park fandoms have been heavily permeated by the show. ![]() In response, I will say that IllumiNations was actually comprised of not only fireworks, but also other such elements as lasers, fountains, fire effects, and a gigantic globe (representing the world, obviously) covered in LED screens that was ceremoniously hauled out mid-day into World Showcase lagoon through a moveable bridge, hence the specifically elevated nomenclature of “nighttime spectacular,” thank you very much. I know what my non-Disney geek readers may be thinking right now: What is with all of this melodrama, just for a fireworks show? So, of course, I– and I quote–”had a satisfying sobbing session throughout the duration of the program” when I viewed IllumiNations for the final time, on the final night of my time in the Disney College Program, for added effect.Īnd, yes, I became emotional upon watching a video of the first performance of its temporary successor, Epcot Forever, on the park’s 37th anniversary on October 1. Over the entire stretch of that outstanding period of time of the show’s operations–constituting over half of the stretch of the existence of the park itself to this point–I was incredibly fortunate to have been both an audience member and an Epcot cast member, carrying on and contributing to the legacy of IllumiNations and the park as a whole in my own, small way. On September 30, 2019, the ensuing nighttime spectacular, entitled IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, would tell its story for the final time, to end a spectacular run spanning 20 years. These words, followed by an auditory and visual dimming of the ambient lighting and blowing out of the fire atop the torch towers placed all around World Showcase Lagoon, have heralded the conclusion of days spent at the Epcot theme park at The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, for millions of guests, offering them a welcoming and enticing call to embrace the sense of unity to which this “permanent world’s fair” is so uniquely conducive. We hope you enjoy our story tonight: Reflections of Earth. And though each of us has our own individual stories to tell, a true adventure emerges when we bring them all together as one. We’ve gathered here tonight around the fire as people of all lands have gathered for thousands and thousands of years before us, to share the light–and to share a story: An amazing story, as old as time itself, but still being written. On behalf of Walt Disney World, the place where dreams come true, we welcome all of you to Epcot and World Showcase. ![]()
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