VIDEO - First full-scale test of Walt Disney World's new 'Luminous' nighttime spectacular at EPCOT

Nov 05, 2023 in "Luminous the Symphony of Us"

Forum Forums Tweet Share Tweet Share

Gallery / 3 Photos
Luminous the Symphony of Us - Show test

Posted: Sunday November 5, 2023 9:00am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

With just a month to go until the debut of EPCOT's new nighttime spectacular 'Luminous The Symphony of Us,' Walt Disney Imagineers carried out a near full run-though for the first time late last night.

Luminous the Symphony of Us - Show test

Taking place after the park closed just after midnight, the run-through gave us a look at the pyrotechnic design and some of the lighting effects visible above the tree line.

The 'Luminous' audio was masked by loud background music being played at International Gateway, but some of the new soundtrack could be heard in the distance.

There are two new original songs and new arrangements of Disney movie songs including:

"I See the Light" - Tangled
"You've Got a Friend in Me" - Toy Story
"You'll Be in My Heart" - Tarzan
"Proud Corazon" - Coco
"Friend Like Me" - Aladdin
"So Close" - Enchanted
"When She Loved Me"- Toy Story 2
"Remember Me" - Coco
"Into the Unknown" - Frozen 2

For a better listen of the show's music, see last week's post with a behind-the-scenes look at recording the 'Luminous The Symphony of Us' soundtrack.

The runtime of 'Luminous' is around 16 minutes based on last night's test, which puts it slightly shorter than the 20-minute runtime of 'Harmonious 'but longer than the 12-minute-long 'EPCOT Forever,' which 'Luminous' replaces.

Unlike 'Harmonious,' 'Luminous' will not use any video displays and returns to the successful formula of IllumiNations, with fireworks, lighting, and fountains. Although it is difficult to gauge the quantity of fireworks in use, from this test, 'Luminous' appears to have more pyro than either 'EPCOT Forever' or 'Harmonious.' The test also confirmed the continued use of the lagoon seawall perimeter launches, which were fired numerous times at the show's beginning and finale.

Luminous the Symphony of Us - Show test

Although this test was close to being the entire show, there is more to come, including a center barge, which we have seen in recent concept art. This seventh major show platform is not yet in the lagoon, and is likely to play a significant role in the show's finale.

Watch the video below to see 'Luminous The Symphony of Us.' (4K YouTube)

'Luminous, The Symphony of Us' will debut at Walt Disney World's EPCOT on December 5, 2023.

Luminous the Symphony of Us logo

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

llewmmu1 hour ago

After listening to the original tracks a hundred times since they became available, I realized something odd. For being a show with the tagline "The Symphony of Us", I can't make out a discernible melody. I can remember the lryics and how they're sung, but you know how you know the melody for Happily Ever After or ROE or Fantasmic? I couldn't remember there being any for this show. And to make sure I wasn't crazy, I used a tool to (mostly) remove the vocals from Beating of Our Hearts and It's just really, how do I put this, bland? The music doesn't feel composed with any sort of thought, just created with the goal of filling its place; like how Junkie XL's movie scores are composed. It doesn't sound bad, but it just doesn't have an identity. I don't know if this happened because of the recomposition that was executive mandated at the last hour but it's just so odd especially for a Disney fireworks show. (I can post some other tracks if people really want to hear them, but they aren't any better and I didn't want to spam this thread with a bunch of blank videos.)

Chef idea Mickey`=3 hours ago

Mmm Striving to be so much that it has a pause gap in which people who didn't get or liked Illumination's ROE critiqued the sections that had no fireworks. Luminous is about Human Life so that alone isn't a show that makes you say it celebrates or represents Epcot but goes 50%. Luminous is a kind or show with message that unlike ROE could be moved to Animal Kingdom or Sea World of course removing the Disney IP music and no one would ever think that was an Epcot show or original music for Epcot Only... We Go On has that Epcot voices of Liberty touch that is significantly disney and the main singer's voice Kellie Coffey on that and "Promise" is a force to be reckon with just like Epcot is supposed to be.

Chef idea Mickey`=3 hours ago

WELL..That's out of the conclusion because I just found my Harmonious Sprite Jersey and Pin 😁😂 ooh watch out! 🤣🤣🤣

Chef idea Mickey`=3 hours ago

If they want that then there's only two scenarios bring back Illumination's ROE in some form, and bring in elements from Epcot Forever to it or vice versa!

Chef idea Mickey`=3 hours ago

As if hearing You'll Be in My Heart and Friend Like Me and I see the light AGAIN like will do the trick...🙄 If they want that then there's only two scenarios bring back Illumination's ROE in some form, and bring in elements from Epcot Forever to it or vice versa!

pigglewiggle14 hours ago

Maybe reservations at restaurants are down in Epcot because people choose to eat/graze at the festival booths, which are there a lot. I know we do that.

TTA9414 hours ago

Curious about this to. Luminous isn’t a bad show but I doubt it’s up to HEA popularity and I assume that’s something they’ve been wanting for Epcot but struggle to achieve.

trainplane314 hours ago

Fair. It's just funny to me how a 4 year gone show has been haunting them ever since getting rid of it. I still enjoy Luminous for what it is, much more then Harmonious.

Andrew2515 hours ago

The show is great, and from my multiple viewings of it, the crowd is reacting far more positively than Harmonious. As for restaurant reservations, I think it's a bit unfair to tie the success of Luminous w/ whether or not Epcot dining reservations are up. Far too many variables to consider (people arriving at Epcot far earlier in the day than before, cost of visiting, economic/budgetary reasons, etc.)

Starship82416 hours ago

So do we know how it's doing overall though? Like restaurant reservations?

pigglewiggle16 hours ago

I watch a lot of videos of this show, even very recent ones (I like fireworks, what can I say) and I hear a lot of cheering beginning, during and at the end of this show. A lot more than I ever heard in Harmonious videos. I can actually hear ooohs and aaahs. 😂

wdwmagic16 hours ago

RoE has been the benchmark that they are striving to meet or exceed. Harmonious is to be forgotten.

doctornick1 day ago

I’m not sure I understand the issue. Wouldn’t they want to see what people think about it compared to a popular past show? Isn’t that the point of the survey?