Epcot's New Fireworks Show Is Here And Disney World Fans Have Opinions

Mulan sequence of Harmonious fireworks show at Epcot
(Image credit: Disney)

 

Disney World is a place where things are always changing, but it’s also a place where people go to feel nostalgic. Those two things frequently clash whenever something new arrives in the parks, especially when it replaces something that was beloved. Last night the much hyped Harmonious nighttime spectacular finally debuted at Epcot, and fans are quite strongly divided. Some loved the new show, while others really did not.

The first performance of Harmonious, was livestreamed, so you didn’t have to be at Epcot to see it, but that of course meant there were a lot more opinions regarding the show. To be sure. Many people thought it was a beautiful performance.

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The show is built around three large barges that have been setup inside World Showcase Lagoon for months. When they first arrived many called them an eye sore, because they are permanently in position, making them large black edifices that do nothing most of the day. However, now all is forgiven, because seeing them in action is worth it.  

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Unfortunately, not everybody loved the show quite that much. Theme park journalist Carlye Wisel found Harmonious to be ultimately a disappointment with visuals that just didn’t live up to what we know Disney, and Disney World are capable of producing. 

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Others found the show to have no coherent story. Considering how important story is to Disney in all things, Harmonious seemed to be simply a collection of Disney songs vaguely strung together. 

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One of the biggest strikes against Harmonious out of the gate was that it was designed to replace Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, a nighttime spectacular that lasted two decades, and made many fans in that time. Harmonious is definitely a much more “Disney” show, and so in the eyes of many it misses what Illuminations had. 

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There were others who saw Harmonious as a very worthy successor to Illuminations. Harmonious contains a lot of popular Disney music, but in new arrangements, including much of it sung in multiple languages. This was the story of Harmonious. 

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However, if there was one thing about Harmonious that most everybody was on board with last night, it was Spaceship Earth. The geodesic sphere was illuminated for the first time for the public last night as part of Harmonious and people fell in love with it.

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Which is not to say that there wasn’t some constructive criticism regarding how the sphere could have been used, and honestly, this is a pretty awesome idea.

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While the live stream was very well produced, there was certainly a feeling from some that “you had to be there” to really appreciate Harmonious, although some of those that didn’t love it were absolutely there. This was called a “preview” of the show, and the possibility of updates and running changes certainly exists. Sometimes these shows take time to grow on people. Maybe love for Harmonious will increase as time goes on.  

Next up for Disney World is another big change to another much loved show. Tonight Disney World will livestream Enchantment, the new fireworks show replacing the popular Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom. Fans are sure to have feelings there as well.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.