Before “Luminous: The Symphony of Us” debuts at EPCOT on December 5, Disney has shared a behind-the-scenes video and details about the creation of the nighttime spectacular’s music, which plays a vital role in the show.
Behind the Scenes of ‘Luminous’
Disney Live Entertainment worked with Pinar Toprak once again on the show’s score. Toprak has also worked on film soundtracks and the EPCOT anthem played at night by Spaceship Earth. Among the choir of voices are singers Sheléa and Katharine McPhee.
“Luminous” features two original songs as well as new arrangements of classic Disney songs. At the start of the show, voices from each World Showcase pavilion will welcome guests. Then, with the tap of a conductor’s baton, the show’s first movement begins with the original song, “Heartbeat Symphony.”
Recording for “Luminous” took place across the U.S.A. and Europe. Watch the behind-the-scenes video of recording sessions:
After “Heartbeat Symphony,” the show will continue with a movement dedicated to parenthood and childhood, beginning with a multilingual arrangement of “You’ll Be in My Heart.” The symphony then transitions to “Proud Corazón” before celebrating friendship with “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and “Friend Like Me.”
The romance movement is set to “So Close” from Disney’s “Enchanted.”
“Luminous” then transitions into a movement about the quiet loneliness of loss with “When She Loved Me” and “Remember Me,” before bringing us “Into the Unknown.” As the music crescendos, it turns into “I See the Light” from “Tangled.”
“Luminous” then launches into the finale and the second original song, “Beating of Our Hearts,” when “we all come together as one and find our place in the great symphony of life.”
It’s rumored that the reason “Luminous” was delayed is because the soundtrack was not initially meeting expectations.
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