“Impressions de France” Returns to Evenings at EPCOT
Sometimes, Walt Disney World does the right thing and fixes minor or major mistakes. Exactly that happened today, with the best film at EPCOT having its schedule (partially) restored. This post shares the updated operating hours for Impressions de France, and pats you all on the back for a job well done.
Earlier this week, we discussed the Distinctly Unpatriotique Changes for Impressions de France. I’m not going to rehash the entirety of that post, but in a nutshell, Walt Disney World updated its operating schedule, resulting in Impressions de France officially opening at 9 am and closes at 9:30 am each day. The Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along ran the rest of the day from 10 am until 8:45 pm.
That was the substance of the change, but naturally, we spent another 2,000 words complaining about the decision. That also included a call to action for fans of Impressions de France to voice their dissatisfaction to Walt Disney World. Many of you reported doing precisely that and, well, mission accomplished!
According to Walt Disney World’s latest operating hours calendar on both the official website and in the My Disney Experience app, Impressions de France still opens at 9 am and closes at 9:30 am, but it also reopens at 7:00 pm and continues operating through 8:45 pm.
In addition to that, Impressions de France is also listed as being shown at the Palais du Cinema during Early Entry at EPCOT for Walt Disney World on-site resort hotel guests from 8:30 am to 9 am. So this is technically an expansion of the showtimes for Impressions de France as compared to this same time last week!
The Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is now shown from 10 am until 6:30 pm. On a totally unrelated note, we highly recommend avoiding the France pavilion’s Palais du Cinema between the hours of 10 am and 6:30 pm.
Superior alternatives include doing Mission: Space Orange even if you suffer from motion sickness or, I dunno, climbing the Mexico pavilion. (Both of those are jokes. Do not do those things, but also don’t do the atrocious sing-along.) If you need a nap, consider the Pixar Film Festival instead. That is, unless you need nightmare fuel! Then, by all means, see the stupid sing-along.
We’ll likely never know why Walt Disney World reverted to the prior schedule for Impressions de France so quickly. The company certainly will not come out and say it was a mistake, or this change was due to fan backlash. They probably wouldn’t even use softer language, like “due to feedback from our guests and popular demand…”
Any of that would open pandora’s box, giving rise to more letter writing campaigns and petitions at even the slightest changes that annoy fans. And it’s not as if that doesn’t already happen–if the change.org links that get spammed into random comments on this blog are any indication, Walt Disney World fans love their petitions!
I doubt Walt Disney World will offer any explanation for the Impressions de France showtimes restoration. If they did, it would probably be to minimize things. That there was a scheduling mistake resulting in Impressions de France moving to mornings and that it was quickly remedied once identified. That’s about the only lie statement I could see being offered, and even that probably will not occur.
Personally, my hope is that this is a precursor to the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along be retired entirely. No one should be subjected to that abomination, not even the people who say Dino-Rama is good because of its (allegedly) brilliant backstory. As a reminder/words of warning, this sing-along ranks #88 on our Rankings of All 88 Attractions at Walt Disney World. We gave it 0/10 in our attraction review; the next lowest attraction score is 3/10. There are only a handful of attractions that are below 5/10, and nothing else at any park in the world scores 0/10.
As we noted in the prior post, it’s not just a personal vendetta. The Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is also not particularly popular, even with its target audience. It’s not drawing huge crowds or lines, and I refuse to believe it’s scoring well on guest satisfaction surveys or families are clamoring to see it late at night. Despite being relatively new, featuring a beloved animated film, and being one of the few family-friendly attractions in World Showcase, it appears to be underperforming.
In attempting to make sense of the showtimes shift, one possibility that was floated by readers in the comments to the last post is that there could’ve been corporate in-fighting about the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along. As a result of that, a “test” might’ve been conducted to see if the sing-along did better when presented at night. While I have no inside insight, I found this to be a plausible scenario.
However, I do not believe this would’ve happened over the course of less than a week. If Walt Disney World were actually monitoring popularity at different showtimes, the test would’ve lasted longer…unless the immediate results were very conclusive.
My strong suspicion is that respectful fan feedback is what actually made the difference here, and caused Walt Disney World to quickly restore the evening showtimes of Impressions de France.
This story gained a lot of attention in the fan community, and I would not be the least bit surprised if the number of people who sent polite emails voicing their concerns or who stopped by Guest Relations in EPCOT was in the thousands. For a 40+ year old film, Impressions de France has a strong and passionate fanbase. (I suspect it also has favorable demographics on its side–older fans who frequently do dinners in World Showcase.)
So kudos to you all on a job well done. It’s not every day that the fan community actually persuades Walt Disney World to walk back a decision. To the contrary, the success rate is pretty low on this sort of thing. Your emails must’ve been pretty convincing–maybe some of you have futures in the wonderful world of blogging! 😉
With that said, I’d caution you against feeling emboldened to complain about any and everything. Certain changes cannot and will not be undone, because there are larger forces at play. The key is recognizing where opportunities like this exist, and seizing upon them. If you complain to Walt Disney World about everything–but continue visiting and spending money–you will effectively silence your own voice. It’ll become easy for the company to ignore you, because you are never satisfied in word, but always appear to be in action.
Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting that fans shouldn’t speak up when dissatisfied (that much should be obvious–I previously encouraged you to contact Disney about Impressions de France). Rather, I’m saying it’s important to not let this go to your head. Pick your battles, recognize what’s a lost cause, and only fight the winnable fights.
Finally, offer praise where it’s due. If the only time Walt Disney World ever hears from you is when you’re upset about something, but you take 4 trips per year and drop an obscene amount of money in the process, that undermines your words. On that last note, you might consider sending a thankful email after your next trip or dropping into Guest Relations when you’re leaving EPCOT after an enjoyable dinner and a show. Let them know just how much you appreciated being able to catch Impressions de France!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the scheduling change for Impressions de France? Will this make it easier for you to watch the best film in EPCOT? Happy that this means fewer guests will not accidentally be subjected to the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along? 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!
While visiting EPCOT on 2/22 with my teen son, in the 6pm hour we sat down in that beautiful cinema for a viewing of Impressions de France only to be surprised by a delay and a change in schedule. The sing-along would be shown instead; this was not magical for us. As we had both been looking forward to seeing Impressions de France for the first time (and my son is now studying French and Multimedia) and our one EPCOT park day was an afternoon and evening, this was disappointing for sure. I had really hoped to have a dinner conversation about the film at the Creperie de Paris where we had a 6:50 ADR. Instead, I contemplated how crowded the park was, how it had been stressful being granted overlapping Genie+ times for our only two rides that afternoon along with experiencing long lightning lane waits (we paid EXTRA for) and wondering when I’d ever get to see that film. Glad to know that when I plan an on-site Disney trip again we can begin our EPCOT day early in France. Someday. Thanks to all who care about the best of what Disney has to offer. Merci.
While visiting EPCOT on 2/22 with my teen son, in the 6pm hour we sat down in that beautiful cinema for a viewing of Impressions de France only to be surprised by a delay and a change in schedule. The sing-along would be shown instead; this was not magical for us. As we had both been looking forward to seeing Impressions de France for the first time (and my son is now studying French and Multimedia) and our one EPCOT park day was an afternoon and evening, this was disappointing for sure. I had really hoped to have a dinner conversation about the film at the Creperie de Paris where we had a 6:50 ADR. Instead, I contemplated how crowded the park was, how it had been stressful being granted overlapping Genie+ times for our only two rides that afternoon along with experiencing long lightning lane waits (we paid EXTRA for) and wondering when I’d ever get to see that film. Glad to know that when I plan an on-site Disney trip again we can begin our EPCOT day early in France. Someday. Thanks to all who care about the best of what Disney has to offer. Merci.
These hours stink. Wanted to have breakfast on the boardwalk for my bday and then have a little walk-a-bout then see Impressions. This sucks.
Thank you, Tom! I wouldn’t have known about this or where to email without your guidance.
You certainly made a difference.
When they eliminate the sing-along, we can say “Tom sure put an umbrella over that sing-along!”
Never do anything that makes Tom put an umbrella over you,..
If they had not moved Impressions de France back to evening showings, I would have never gotten to see it again because I doubt that I will EVER be in ANY Disney Park before 9:00 AM!
Thanks Tom- I’ve fallen off of forums and wouldn’t have known about this if you haven’t posted. I sent a polite email that used the word ‘disappointed’ at least 6 times. I love IdF so much and I’m pleased that it’s staying around for more than 2 shows a day. Collectively- good job, team!
what is the email address to write to Disney to thank for more hours of Impressions de France?
I must be in the minority here, and no problem with that at all. I like the sing-along genres and Beauty and the Beast is good in my opinion. I don’t see any of them very often, but I do like them. I would put attractions/shows like It’s Tough to be a Bug well below Beauty and the Beast. The real question is why bother showing Impressions de France (and don’t get me wrong, I really like it as well) at all if you are only showing it for such a short time each day?
Between 10 a.m, and 6:30 pm is a great time to visit the The Palais du Cinema, check out the gallery exhibits as well as the architecture and art, and politely inquire when the next showing of Impressions de France is. (If you are allowed to do so while enjoying a delicious French pastry or ice cream, I highly recommend doing both via the Croque Glacé.)
Know Your Audience: I may have played the Roy card and said you spent too much money upgrading the film to 4K to only show it a few times a day, so here’s to using the sunk cost fallacy to support creative!
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Yes!!! It pays to respectfully speak up!
As Homer Simpson would say, woo hoo!
I’m absolutely thrilled that our email campaign worked! I’ve read the comments posted to Tom’s first essay on the Impressions de France schedule, and was impressed by the civility and the literate – indeed, eloquent – expressions of passion and disappointment. If Disney wants more appreciative, sober guests who manage to drop a lot of money at the resorts and parks without blowing it all on booze, it needs to cater to something other than the lowest common denominator. Here’s to us! Salut!
This is such great news! We love Impressions de France, and reading about the reduced hours was so disappointing. I agree with commentor Jim, that you, Tom, deserve alot of credit for evening hours beginning added back so quickly. I also agree with every word of your last paragraph of this article and plan on giving my positive feedback after our next trip.
Thank you for everything that you and Sarah do. I discovered your blog many years ago, and I’ve been a faithful reader and follower ever since. Whenever someone asks me about Disney planning, your blog is the resource I tell them about.
This is great news regarding Impressions de France, one of the last treasures of Epcot Center.
Thank you for the thoughtful commentary on letter-writing campaigns to Disney. I agree that spamming these repeatedly just increases the noise and prevents issues from being brought to the surface.
I would also add that another way to make one’s voice heard is participating in surveys offered by Disney and others (when offered). I have taken part in Universal surveys which have been very in depth and have asked about my interest in specific IP’s, park reservations, and other topics. These are big companies that cherish and rely on data and this is one way they gather that from customers.
Great work as always, Tom and Sarah
J’adore ce film… bravo à tous!
I still feel like this was corporate infighting, and some exec grudgingly allowed this “experiment” to go forward but then quashed it after seeing the guest feedback rebellion (and almost certainly predicted beforehand that this exact scenario would play out). This is an “I told you so” moment behind the scenes.
Unfortunately as an Impressions de France fan I feel like the lesson learned here is not “keep Impressions de France,” but rather “Whatever inevitably replaces Impressions de France can’t be ill-conceived pabulum”. And on that note, the most absurd thing about this saga is that it’s pretty obvious that conceptually a Beauty and the Beast sing-along COULD and SHOULD be a fine idea. They just happened to concoct a stinker here, but in competent hands a “re-deux” of the show would probably result in something half-decent that satisfied its target audience.
I am so glad that Impressions de France has more hours and would like to see it offered throughout the day. Thank you, Disney World, for bringing back Impressions de France, one of the best attractions in WDW, certainly in Epcot. I have been visiting WDW since the early 1980s (when I went with my parents). My husband and I always eat dinners in the park; we stay at hotels on property (usually at the Yacht Club because we can walk to Epcot). Thank you for listening to us. We love Monsieur Paul and Victoria and Albert’s (and were sorry that they were not open when we visiting WDW in March, 2022). We ate at Flying Fish, the new Crepe restaurant, Be Our Guest, Beaches and Cream, Cape May Cafe, Tiffins, Ale and Compass, Coral Reef, La Creperie de Paris. Thank you, also, for reopening Monsieur Paul.
Tom, Had you not written and post importantly posted the email address to send comments to, the schedule probably would not have changed back so quickly, if at all. While there are lots of blogs that reported the time change, you were the only one I saw to post an email address and encourage readers to send a POLITE email of disappointment in the change.
WELL DONE!!
I love the photos from the film juxtaposed against your photos. That last image is hauntingly well done.
If you want to see more of my photos from Mont Saint Michel, or the story behind that image (it’s a good one, I think), I covered it in a trip report back in the day: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/france-disneyland-paris-europe-trip-report-1/
Thank you!
Maybe they were testing if an increasingly intoxicated nighttime audience would be more into the Sing Along. Maybe it also became quickly apparent that the more intoxicated group would be inclined to throw things.
Loud applause from my room at the Riviera! Tom, you should give a negative score, like -500 out of 10 or something. I wasn’t a math major, so there’s got to be something like that.