PHOTOS, FULL SHOW VIDEO: New ‘Luminous: The Symphony of Us’ Nighttime Spectacular Debuts at EPCOT

Shannen Ace

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PHOTOS, FULL SHOW VIDEO: New ‘Luminous: The Symphony of Us’ Nighttime Spectacular Debuts at EPCOT

After months of anticipation, behind-the-scenes looks, and a delay past Disney’s actual 100th anniversary, “Luminous: The Symphony of Us” has finally premiered at EPCOT. The new nighttime spectacular utilizes barges that — unlike its predecessor “Harmonious” — won’t sit in World Showcase Lagoon all day. With the premiere of “Luminous,” the interim show “EPCOT Forever” has also come to an end.

“Luminous: The Symphony of Us”

The new show is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. performances through December 30. On New Year’s Eve, it will be performed at 6:30 p.m., while a New Year’s Eve show will take place that evening. In 2024, “Luminous” is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. performances for the foreseeable future.

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Disney Live Entertainment worked with Pinar Toprak for the “Luminous” 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.

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“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 welcome guests. Then, with the tap of a conductor’s baton, the show’s first movement begins with the original song, “Heartbeat Symphony.”

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After “Heartbeat Symphony,” the show continues with a movement dedicated to parenthood and childhood, beginning with a multilingual arrangement of “You’ll Be in My Heart.”

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The symphony then transitions to “Proud Corazón” before celebrating friendship with “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and “Friend Like Me.”

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The romance movement is set to “So Close” from Disney’s “Enchanted.”

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It 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.”

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As the music crescendos, it turns into “I See the Light” from “Tangled.”

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The finale features the second original song, “Beating of Our Hearts.”

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Watch our video of the first performance of “Luminous: The Symphony of Us” below.

How do you feel about the new EPCOT nighttime spectacular? Let us know in the comments.

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