Harmonious Epcot Fireworks Review
Harmonious is the new nighttime spectacular at Epcot for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, and the long-term replacement for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. This fireworks review shares photos of the show, plus how it compares to its predecessor, other blockbuster nighttime spectaculars, and whether Harmonious is worth its blockbuster budget and daytime visual blight.
Before we get started, some basics about Harmonious. Walt Disney World has routinely touted it as “one of the largest nighttime spectaculars in Disney theme park history.” To our knowledge, there’s no commonly accepted method of measurement for nighttime spectaculars, but World of Color at Disney California Adventure is probably the largest.
World of Color is also the most logical comparison for Harmonious. Both feature a variety of show effects, including choreographed fountains, colorful lights, and lasers. The difference is that Harmonious dials it up a notch, adding more moving parts–literally. There are custom-built LED panels, fireworks, and other dynamic visuals on World Showcase Lagoon.
This Harmonious review will attempt to answer several questions: does this all work? Is Harmonious a worthy replacement to IllumiNations? Do the ‘extras’ help Epcot’s nighttime spectacular surpass World of Color? Does the quality of Harmonious justify the daytime blight of its huge barges?
Let’s start by taking a look at Harmonious in isolation, discussing whether it works and sharing photos from the new nighttime spectacular…
Although presented in a different form, Harmonious is very similar to a montage nighttime spectacular you’d see in one of the castle parks. Which is to say that it features visuals and songs from a variety of movies, and loosely ties them together with a through-line. In this case, that commonality is “culture.”
I’m not sure culture, on its own, is a particularly strong unifying element for this nighttime spectacular. For a production intending to evoke a sense of global unity, the choppiness is a problem.
Harmonious comes across as a series of disconnected scenes; transitions are few and far between, with a lot of fading in and out instead. This actually makes sense given the substance and tone of each, which would otherwise be discordant if actually weaved together into one seamless production.
This might seem hyperbolic, but there are credible reports that Harmonious was rearranged weeks before its debut. Given its presentation, that probably could’ve been accomplished relatively easily by dragging and dropping scenes on a computer. On the plus side, this should allow for segments to be swapped out in the future.
Harmonious is at its best when judging and viewing each scene on its own. Individually, I love several segments, including those from Moana, Lion King, and Mulan. The latter two feel more adult, with a certain elegance that is appreciated for something on World Showcase Lagoon.
Then there’s Coco. It’s high energy and vibrant–a total showstopper. This brings the lagoon alive in a way that, for me, comes pretty close to IllumiNations. For families, it’ll likely be even more impressive and enjoyable. Coco moves nicely to Princess and the Frog, which is also mostly strong. The same can’t be said for “Someday,” which is probably not how I would’ve culminated a show meant to uplift and inspire.
Stylistically, Harmonious is also a mixed bag. Presenting songs in different global languages was a clever idea both to distinguish this nighttime spectacular from one in Magic Kingdom and for Harmonious to fit Epcot’s World Showcase. If anything, I would’ve liked to see this taken further, but I can understand there might be trepidations about that.
It also would’ve been nice if Harmonious were presented as a cohesive production. It doesn’t need to tell a story, per se, but it shouldn’t feel so disjointed. Disney created the lovely Epcot Anthem–perhaps reinterpretations or musical cues from that could be used to transition between scenes?
As a whole, the visuals of Harmonious are pretty. The fountains, lasers, lights, and other effects are eye-catching and engaging. If you have a direct view of the Stargate, you’ll likely leave impressed.
The use of screens leaves something to be desired. Multiple sequences feature rudimentary animation, and this becomes a problem when the music slows down and those screens could be better leveraged to sustain the show. I will say that Harmonious plays much better in person than it does on video. There’s a lot to see and take in that simply cannot be conveyed via YouTube.
With that said, is Harmonious a worthy replacement to IllumiNations?
I’m a biased reviewer and cannot give a fair answer to that. I absolutely loved IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. I saw it more times than I can count—probably more than all other Disney nighttime spectaculars combined. It was an elegant and sophisticated fireworks show totally unlike anything at Walt Disney World. IllumiNations was rife with symbolism, nuance, and abstract ideas–you know, things small children and drunk adults visit theme parks to see!
As much as I’m still an IllumiNations superfan who would’ve preferred to see it modernized, I can recognize that Reflections of Earth had a good, long run. I’m also cognizant of its (perceived) faults. IllumiNations’ middle was too slow and boring, there was nothing “Disney” about it, and the visuals were hard to see.
The argument could be made that, of these three main criticisms, Harmonious only addresses one. In a weird way, Harmonious actually is a spiritual successor to IllumiNations!
Like its predecessor, Harmonious arguably has a pacing problem.
There are a couple of stretches that are “slower.” Both in terms of the musical choices and the visuals on the barges, I could see these dragging on too long for some guests. I don’t have that issue with Harmonious, but I also didn’t have that problem with IllumiNations.
Harmonious also, inexplicably, has a visuals problem. For all of the complaints about their appearance during the day, the Harmonious barges somehow look small during the nighttime spectacular. Perhaps I’m too accustomed to World of Color, which fills the entire lagoon, but Harmonious does not awe or overwhelm the senses. Even up close, it looks distant.
Another related issue is that Harmonious does not offer true 360º viewing. The front of the house (old FastPass area) offers a fantastic perspective, and not even Japan or Italy compare with that. You can see the pyro and fountains from pretty much anywhere in World Showcase, but not the full dynamic of the screens.
To answer the next question, Harmonious is no World of Color.
For all of its additional “stuff” and technical capabilities, Harmonious just doesn’t wow in the same way as World of Color. To be sure, that DCA nighttime spectacular is not without its own faults, but those breathtaking fountains, mist screens, and other effects help overcome most criticism. In fairness, fireworks help carry Harmonious–and World of Color’s normal versions have none of those. So perhaps this will be a closer call for others, but we think World of Color coalesces into a complete show better than Harmonious.
Next, does Harmonious justify the daytime blight of its huge barges?
No. There aren’t any visuals in Harmonious that are suited only to this unique presentation. Rather than coming across as purpose-built infrastructure for the nighttime spectacular, it feels like Harmonious is working around the constraints of its quirky platform.
While there are moments when the water tacos and Stargate are used together in harmony to produce beautiful and cohesive imagery, they’re few and far between. And again, those visuals are also only visible from a couple of specific angles–everywhere else is only getting the partial effect.
A lot of Harmonious is visually stunning, but I’m skeptical this couldn’t have been accomplished with a more traditional and straightforward presentation. If anything, the infrastructure takes me out of the show more than it immerses me in it. When everything is moving, the barges remind me of Kang and Kodos from the Simpsons (I’m not even kidding) or some sort of device aliens would devise to distract and abduct foolish Earthlings.
To me, the style of the Harmonious barges comes across as a solution in search of a problem, or a contrivance. An instance of the tail wagging the dog, with technology (or whatever you want to call those barges) unnecessarily dictating the show presentation. There’s simply no good explanation for why the barges look the way they do–it’s unintuitive.
Perhaps this is bias as an IllumiNations fan, but it boggles my mind that Walt Disney World heard the complaints about that globe being too small and decided this was the answer. Instead of the more straightforward solution: building a larger globe. More fountains and mist screens could’ve been added, with the show still changing completely.
Going in a totally different direction, Walt Disney World could’ve used Universal Orlando’s Cinematic Celebration as a template, but with 360º viewing. Disney fans will likely scoff at that suggestion, but it’s a technically impressive lagoon show that uses an array of visuals to great effect.
Universal’s approach is simpler and more straightforward, but it works. I give Walt Disney World credit for the ambition with Harmonious, but it feels overly elaborate and excessive for its own sake, without enhancing the production. (And so many moving parts means tech fails are inevitable.)
Ultimately, Harmonious is perhaps the biggest move towards the company’s aim of making Epcot “more Disney” and appealing to today’s guests. While there are certainly old school EPCOT Center fans who will continue to lament every little change (we’ve done our own fair share of that–see Why Fans Can’t Let EPCOT Center Go), this is clearly the direction Walt Disney World is taking the park. For our part, we’re done holding out hope of a return to EPCOT Center–a park that has been dead for two decades. It’s a fool’s errand and an exercise in futility.
For us, the core issue is whether Harmonious accomplishes anything beyond the “more Disney” mandate. To be sure, it’s a visually impressive, mesmerizing, and mostly fun nighttime spectacular. There are several scenes that are an absolute blast, and others offer quiet contemplation that are befitting of Epcot. Those are almost enough to carry Harmonious and overcome its faults.
The trouble is that Harmonious doesn’t actually address the core complaints regular guests had with IllumiNations. Once you look beyond the pyro and other effects–features that would’ve been part of any new nighttime spectacular–Harmonious is not really accomplishing much that’s unique or impressive. That’s a problem for a show that is so elaborate and heavy-handed with its presentation.
There are aspects of Harmonious that we really enjoy, but it’s very odd to see it stumble in some of the exact same ways as IllumiNations. Like its predecessor, Harmonious feels destined to alienate some guests and partially satisfy others. It’s hard to envision this being a homerun or beloved nighttime spectacular for many guests, but it also shouldn’t be a complete flop for many guests. It succeeds more than Magic Kingdom’s new fireworks show (and fails less), but given what Disney invested in Harmonious and its higher stakes, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Finally, we’ll round out this review with some practical info. First, Harmonious is one centerpiece of the World’s Most Magical Celebration, but not the only new offering–or even the only new nighttime spectacular. As always, consult our Guide to Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary for everything you need to know about the festivities.
With regard to Harmonious, our Best Epcot Fireworks Viewing Spots are largely unchanged. While we (obviously) have yet to view Harmonious from all of those locations, our preliminary recommendations are spots 1, 2, 4, and 5. Speaking of which, when it comes to the New Harmonious Dining Packages at Epcot, we’d recommend Rose & Crown over Spice Road Table. The former has a better viewing angle and a seating area that isn’t as deep.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you excited to see Harmonious in person at Epcot? If you’ve watched video, what’s your first impression of Epcot’s huge new nighttime spectacular? Does Harmonious “work” for you, or is it a misfire? Is Harmonious a worthy replacement to IllumiNations? Do the ‘extras’ help Epcot’s nighttime spectacular surpass World of Color? Does the quality of Harmonious justify the daytime blight of its huge barges? Do you agree or disagree with our review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
My last night in Epcot was September 29, and I watched the Epcot forever fireworks. Sorry but I have to admit that was the best fireworks show with the best music they ever had. I first started going to Epcot since 1982 and yes all those old songs brought tears to my eyes and I wish they just kept that show . Much better than illuminations, and I’m sure I will like the new fireworks show when I go back to see it in May but I loved Epcot forever.
I saw Harmonious and got bored half way through. I’m not sure why Harmonious and Enchantment have a lot of the same songs from Moana, Frozen 2, etc. I get what they were going for with the different languages but it just feels choppy and not very well executed. And why not just use the original singers that sang the songs for the characters? It’s like a Kidz Bop for Disney songs.
World of Color is superior in every way. Looking forward to your take on the garbage that Disney is calling Enchantment!
Where exactly is the old fast pass area that is best for viewing Harmonious?
I also thought the soundtrack was the weakest part. Too many songs that all sound close to the same. Disney should really invest in some new composers and singers; the ones they use now all sound like they think they’re on American Idol; i.e. Bill Shatner level overly dramatic and don’t seem to grasp the difference between singing and screaming.
I never “got” Illuminations I guess, saw it many times, and I even saw it from a boat close up once, so what do I know? But I had hopes for this new night show. Never got attached to Happily Ever After” either, but still listen to my old CD of “ Wishes”. To me, storytelling is what Disney does well. Would prefer they didn’t clutter World Showcase up with eyesores for the new high tech project though. I’m also in the minority of those that loved Rivers of Light when it first opened with the Shamans on the boats. Also a favorite was HS fireworks set to Star Wars music. Most awesome fireworks show ever. Didn’t run long and then Batuu opened and that changed also. Maybe it’s just me, but the only projections I really get into are the projections of the ghosts on Main Street with the Halloween music. Simple but effective.
I got to see it on the first (livestream media) night, and feel like that was probably the best incarnation I’m going to get. As an Engineer, watching the movement of all the parts was particularly impressive and sent chills down my spine. But I also can see how much is likely to go wrong with the show, and anticipate it becoming a real headache for Disney (and thus guests as well.) I really loved it, but I acknowledge the critiques and I agree that for as much as I loved it, the daytime tacos still aren’t worth it. They should have just dug a hole under the lake and had them rise up at showtime, for all the effort they already put in.
Now, lets get some World of Color fountains at Animal Kingdom and make that the park everyone skips to at night…
Illuminations was my all-time favorite show, nothing has ever blended music and visuals better. And the lead-in – the music playing in World Showcase with the torches lit – is something I still miss. I saw Epcot Forever for the first time this summer and thought it was a disjointed mess. I’m hoping for better when I finally see Harmonious. It definitely strikes me as more in the World of Color vein.
Thanks Tom, as always, you have summed things up nicely in your one sentence: “IllumiNations was rife with symbolism, nuance, and abstract ideas—you know, things small children and drunk adults visit theme parks to see!“
Watch the complete show a couple times on Youtube – I dont get the moveable arms coming off the tarcos and stargate. I just don’t get the purpose of those arms – the water effect coming off them doesn’t add anything to the show.I found them more distracting show and could have better without them. I found their movement took away from the video and my attention was always going to the moving arms and should be on the video.
Over all wished they used familar versions of the animated songs and video – not sure about the new stylized music & animation. But – it might grow on me. Still would like to see in person
My immediate thought at the end of Harmonious was that the center piece looked like a dancing octopus that sprung a leak. It looked ridiculous, and makes the lagoon look hideous during the day. It’s all around bad. I loved the soundtrack for the show though and wish they had done even more with the native languages.
I never got a chance to see IllumiNations, so I can’t compare the two. But just based on how disjointed and awkward Harmonious looks, I’d say it’s probably a downgrade. Much like Enchantment in comparison to Happily Ever After.
…”And so many moving parts means tech fails are inevitable”, this is exactly what crossed my mind after watching the first time. How will the show hold up ten plus years from now or will we have a brand new show for Epcot’s 50th? Hopefully!?! I only got to see it from home and not in person but I can’t say I ‘hated’ it, but it wasn’t great either. The music choices were overall fairly decent, however I kept thinking while watching it they might actually throw in a nod to Illuminations or Epcot but obviously that never happened. As you mentioned, I think that would have really helped tie it in and show some appreciation to Epcot’s biggest fans. I doubt we’ll see any changes this year but hopefully they decide to add some different scenes for holidays, anniversaries, etc. starting next year since that should be fairly simple all things considered.
On the plus side I really liked the Beacon of Magic show around Spaceship Earth and can’t wait to see it in person. I thought they did a great job with that.
We saw it Saturday night. We really wanted to love it but sadly World of Color is better. And from crows reactions or lack of them we weren’t the only ones who were disappointed.
Tom, have you heard any rumors or do you have any thoughts about whether the “front of house” viewing is going to be monetized in the near future (either as a Genie+ reservation or for one of the ubiquitous dessert parties)? Based on your photos I really want to get a head on view of this and hoping it won’t cost extra by next month.
And tangentially related, you mention Universal’s lagoon show, does it stick to any kind of schedule? We are going next month and I cannot find anywhere on the app or website that lists any showtimes/dates. (Unless it isn’t running currently.)
It’s such a sad disappointment. If I win the Poweball tonight, I’ll pay for it to go away and fill the entire lagoon with World of Color fountains that you can’t see during the day…and redo the show.
I saw Harmonious from the ideal, straight on area Saturday night, and I think, as you alluded to, there’s probably going to be a huge split between those who have been going to EPCOT for decades and new or casual fans. I was a DLR person growing up, so all of my nostalgia and personal history ties to Disney parks are for DLR and not WDW. While I now live in FL and go to the parks several times a year, I went to EPCOT for the first time in 2019 after the mass construction started taking over the park. So with that background info out of the way, I EFFING LOVED HARMONIOUS. I was excited and dancing around to the music despite my feet absolutely throbbing by that point, smiled the whole time, and teared up several times. My takeaway message was more than just culture. To me it was more about unity, shown through music as a common language and how these songs are identifiable and beloved even when heard through another language. The lack of narration didn’t bother me, and I found the silent, dark parts offered a chance to take a breath after whatever excitement had just happened and to build anticipation for what was coming next.
I totally agree with the criticism that it sucks that you have to be standing in the right place and that there will be technical issues (apparently they had to go to B mode the night before we saw it, so the stargate projections weren’t working, which yikes). But by golly, if you do stand in the right place and I guess don’t have ties to EPCOT Center (which is probably most guests), I really think this will land. People standing in my area seemed pretty impressed throughout. There was a lot of oohing, aahing, and cheering. I don’t love the barges during the daytime, but this past weekend they had them on all day with the 50th logo. I think if they play around with that more and have images from the represented countries, they could turn that into something more visually appealing, or dare I say, a casual walk-by daytime activation.
Two other things: after the show they kept the screens and fountains on with more music. This was awesome and allowed people to grab cool pics once the huge crowd started rushing toward the exits. And speaking of exits, with EPCOT closing during the show, transportation after was a nightmare. We dawdled around the park for quite a while after the show, and we still had a crazy long wait for the Skyliner. The after show also had a more global arrangement of The Magic is Calling, and it was absolutely gorgeous!!! Definitely my favorite version of all the ones I head throughout the parks.
And finally, it’s not as hard as it would appear to get the ideal viewing spot (for now anyway before word really gets out). Because of our ratatouille boarding group, we didn’t make it over there until 9, way later than we’d planned. But everyone who camped out over there was sitting down, so when the CMs had them stand half an hour before showtime, there was AMPLE room to get in there.
Sorry this comment got long, but I just wanted to share my thoughts as an EPCOT/WDW fan on the new end of the spectrum. I completely acknowledge that people with deeper ties to the park will probably feel differently. I just don’t think it’s the flop DisTwitter makes it out to be. Hopefully everyone will at least give it one chance in person and from a good viewing angle!
I hope it is okay to mention a Youtube channel but I was lucky enough to stumble upon a really great video of Harmonious as my first exposure and thought it was terrific. I see so many mentions of the poor live stream and other videos for it that I thought it was worth sharing. I’d recommend checking out The Dis video of Harmonious. It was as well done as Mr. Bricker’s Disney photos are.
I’ve only seen the show on YouTube so far, so I expect that my opinion will be different when I see it in person. That being said, I wasn’t very impressed with it overall. There are a couple of great segments towards the end (mostly Coco and Princess & the Frog, which you pointed out) but I found that it’s slow to get going and drags in places.
It definitely seems or feels smaller than I had expected. Some of that might have been the wide shots on the YouTube livestream, but it felt like the Stargate and tacos, so large and in the way during the day, get lost in the lagoon. I also thought it was strange that many of the songs that would engage you emotionally were taken from Happily Ever After (at least four songs by my count). Did HEA have to die so that we could have Enchantment AND Harmonious? Not a great trade, IMO.
Again, I haven’t seen it live and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it more when I do – I’m a sucker for a good nighttime spectacular. But from what I’ve seen, this was kind of like Rivers of Light with fireworks, which isn’t a compliment.
Looking forward to your Enchantment review – I suspect you have many of the same issues with it that I do.
I totally agree that the size and shapes of the tacos and Stargate (I’ve been calling them these names ever since you first used them … makes me laugh every time) don’t make a lot of sense and definitely should have been bigger for the sake of the show. I have only seen the show on YouTube, but I really liked it (and liked it a TON more than Enchantment) and would make a point to watch it in person. Illuminations never detracted my attention or attracted it. I saw it several times in person and thought it was good at what it was supposed to be, but I’m often someone who skips the fireworks shows after I’ve seen them once so that I can do other things while the rest of the crowd is otherwise occupied. What are the barges looking like during the day now? Are they less “WTH is that?” inducing?
Lame. Despite whatever flaws the shows had, I can’t overstate my emotional attachment to Wishes and Illuminations. It kills me that they’re botching these new shows. And I don’t mean that they’re objectively bad, but if they aren’t going to be home run new shows, at this point I’d much rather just have Wishes and Illuminations back.
I was also a huge fan of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, and I to, would have preferred an upgrade rather than replacement. I saw a video of Harmonious and really liked the visual aspect of it. However, I was very disappointed with the music. If I am at MK or even DHS I am fine with a rehash of all the Disney movie music that we all know and love, but Epcot has always been different. I understand that Disney wants to put more Disney in to Epcot, but the original music that accompanied past Epcot shows is what made them so unique and special. In the past, I have actually made a special trip over to Epcot just to watch Illuminations, I absolutely loved the soundtrack, although yes it did drag a bit in some places, it wasn’t enough to bother me. I enjoy Disney movie music, I love the fab 5, I like Tinkerbell, the Fairy Godmother and when I am at MK I want to see them all over. When I am at Epcot I like the originality of things like Illuminations. So, unfortunately, for me Harmonious is a thumbs down.