EPCOT Unleashes two spectacular, previously unseen pyro effects in 'Luminous the Symphony of Us'

Dec 08, 2023 in "Luminous the Symphony of Us"

Luminous the Symphony of Us show
Posted: Friday December 8, 2023 9:51am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

'Luminous the Symphony of Us' made its EPCOT debut this week, leaving the mixed-media video screens and projections of Harmonious behind and returning to the classic fireworks show formula.

Disney turned to the legendary pyrotechnic designer Eric Tucker of Wishes and Reflections of Earth fame to deliver the spectacular display of synchronized fireworks during Luminous and two brand new, never-before-seen EPCOT pyrotechnic launch effects.

This article includes spoilers, so if you have not seen Luminous and want to be surprised by the finale, stop reading now and come back for a close-up look after you see the show.

The brand new effects are in the show's finale, to the song, "Beating of Our Heart."

Using a new custom-designed and built barge in the center of the lagoon, in the show's closing moments, a tower rises unnoticed from the lagoon. As it reaches its maximum height and perfectly synchronized to the music, the tower erupts with 360-degree fireworks radiating from its core. It goes on to fire five more bursts before descending back into the barge out of sight for the show's final seconds.

Immediately following the 360-degree tower launches comes the second new effect.

Each of the six main barges has been equipped with custom-designed launchers to direct massive red hearts toward the guests visiting from the World Showcase promenade. Each barge contains 16 launch tubes arranged to produce a heart shape.


In the finale, each barge fires the effect sequentially, launching giant heart shapes made of 16 shells toward the crowd like a huge confetti cannon.

Watch the video below for a close-up look at both new effects in action during the finale of EPCOT's 'Luminous the Symphony of Us' at Walt Disney World.

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DisoneSep 29, 2025

lol. It's a secret that only my autocorrect knows.

MisterPenguinSep 29, 2025

What were you changing into at 10p?

DisoneSep 29, 2025

Every year, yup:). I miss when it used to be 10:00 p.m. clothes and fireworks during the summer and holidays.

DCBakerSep 29, 2025

As EPCOT park hours shift to 9:30pm during the International Festival of the Holidays, note that Luminous will also move to a 9:30pm showtime starting November 28:

SquishyAug 22, 2025

I noticed sometime this year they changed how they fire the comets from the center barge raised pole in the finale. Instead of them firing one after the other in a pattern with slow fuses they switched them to fire all at once in groups of 3. Before: Currently:

Disgruntled WaltJul 26, 2025

I rode three times just a few days before that and we missed final Kylo A-mode every time.

mattpetoJul 25, 2025

I do think Rise at DHS will get some love eventually.

TrainsOfDisneyJul 25, 2025

Yeah I saw them not working out there too. But my recent trip in summer they were all moving and all effects worked. It was glorious! Hard to pick an all time favorite for me…. Probably still Spider-Man at IOA or maybe Indy. Or even mummy with all effects. That was my favorite era of theme parks. Before video took over. I love physically effects like fire, fog, etc.

easyrowrdwJul 25, 2025

They didn't when I was there! :p But, seriously, I'm glad they've been fixed. I still think Rise (when it first opened) is the best attraction I've ever experienced. It'd be nice to see it return to its fully functional glory at WDW.

TrainsOfDisneyJul 25, 2025

They all work in California!

easyrowrdwJul 25, 2025

That's awesome. I haven't seen the blasters move in a long time. Hopefully the cannons get fixed too.

gerararJul 25, 2025

I rode twice last Wednesday (7/16) and every effect was working except the cannons. Probably the best I've seen it since 2021 when the cannons were in A-mode Lite. All the blaster spinners in AT-AT room, hand guns, Finn AA, probe droid, etc. My party and I went in standby line around 11am and the posted wait time was 85 mins, got to preshows in 70 mins. I also did single-rider later on in the day and the final Kylo AA switched to B-mode. But everything else was still working as earlier in the day.

easyrowrdwJul 25, 2025

Out of curiosity I looked at passes for ROTR and there's nothing available for today or the following five days. At $20+ a pop and currently a 2-hour standby wait, I don't see any way they retheme the ride. It'd be nice if they would fix the broken effects though.

Starship824Jul 25, 2025

I like that segment in theory but I just really hate that version of that song so it's hard for me to get invested, I actually think a simple piano version would be better, I really don't like the vocals but I'm probably in the minority in that. Edit: fixed the insane amount of grammatical errors I had! 😃😭

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