As part of the ongoing overhaul of Epcot, 4 new film experiences have been announced: a Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, the first-ever seamless Circle-Vision film for the China pavilion, Awesome Planet inside The Land, and a new O Canada Circle-Vision film. According to sources, all 4 of these new and updated attractions will open as part of a “film festival theme” for the 2020 Epcot International Festival of the Arts.
Coming to the France Pavilion in World Showcase will be a brand new “Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along”, created by Don Hahn, producer of the animated and live-action “Beauty and the Beast” films. This new show will not replace Impressions de France, but will be run in the same theater at alternating times.
The China pavilion will be home to the first-ever seamless, digital Circle-Vision 360 show. This is set to replace the current Reflections of China attraction. Reportedly, this film will also be installed at Shanghai Disneyland in the near future.
“Awesome Planet,” an on-screen exploration of the realm we call home, showcases the spectacular beauty, diversity and dynamic story of our earth with all the grandeur guests have come to expect. The film will be shown in the old Harvest Theater, which housed the Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable film, which closed in February 2018 after a 22-year run. With spectacular nature photography, immersive in-theater effects, and space sequences created by none other than Industrial Light & Magic (which provided the cinematic foundation for the Star Wars franchise), “Awesome Planet” will stir Epcot guests and deliver an environmental message that will resonate far beyond its final scenes.
The O Canada Circle-Vision film in the Canada pavilion will be updated, although it will not be seamless like the new China offering. The new film is likely to not feature Martin Short as host, but no other details are known.
Again, all 4 of these updates will reportedly debut in January 2020 along with the 4th annual Epcot International Festival of the Arts. The start date for next year’s festival has not been announced as of yet. All of the films are set to remain after the festival concludes as permanent additions of the reimagined Epcot. The park’s overhaul also includes Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster, a re-imagined entrance and main plaza, new nighttime shows, a Play Pavilion in Future World, and more that has yet to be announced.
Ryan Reynolds should be the host/narrator for O Canada! He can bring the same lighthearted humor as Martin.