IllumiNations explained

IllumiNations was a series of nightly fireworks shows at Epcot before was created in 1999 for the Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration.[1]

Le Carnaval de Lumière

Le Carnaval de Lumière
Imagedimensions:250px
Location:Epcot
Section:World Showcase
(World Showcase Lagoon)
Status:Removed
Replacement:A New World Fantasy
Ride:no
Designer:WED Enterprises
Music:"The Festival of Festivals" by Don Dorsey

The first evening presentation, Le Carnaval de Lumière, premiered on October 23, 1982. It celebrated world festivals with fountains, film, music, and other effects. The show used rear projection screens on barges floating on the World Showcase Lagoon. Between the projection barges were fountain/fireworks barges controlled by Apple computers. The show could be viewed only from points between the Mexican and Canadian pavilions.

A New World Fantasy

A New World Fantasy
Imagedimensions:250px
Location:Epcot
Section:World Showcase
(World Showcase Lagoon)
Status:Removed
Previousattraction:Le Carnaval de Lumière
Replacement:Laserphonic Fantasy
Ride:no
Designer:WED Enterprises
Music:"The Festival of Festivals" by Don Dorsey

A New World Fantasy was the 2nd version of a fireworks show at Epcot and was set to classical music played on synthesizer. It opened in June 1983 and used floating barges that had rear projection screens on them. The barges were the same as the first show at Epcot, Carnival de Lumiere. The show also added 'Pichel lights' that moved automatically.[2]

Most of the soundtrack can be found on Don Dorsey's album "Busted", but the "Great Parades and Pageants" segment was removed. The complete soundtrack can be found on a promotional Don Dorsey album.

Show program

Fanfare

1. "Fanfare" from La Péri

Paul Dukas

Act I: Celebrations on Land

2. Symphony No. 5, First Movement

Ludwig van Beethoven3. "Flight Of The Bumblebee" from The Tale of the Tsar Sultan

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

4. Zampa Overture

Louis Joseph Ferdinand Herold

5. Piano Concerto No. 1, Third Movement

Ludwig van Beethoven

6. La Vie Parisienne

Jacques Offenbach7. "Dance Of The Comedians" from The Bartered Bride

Bedřich Smetana8. "Bourrée" from the Water Music Suite

George Frideric Handel

9. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, First Movement

Johann Sebastian Bach

10. Orpheus In Hades, Galop

Jacques Offenbach11. Trisch-Trasch Polka

Johann Strauss II

12. Italian Concerto, Third Movement

Johann Sebastian Bach

13. William Tell Overture

Gioacchino Rossini

Act II: Great Parades and Pageants

14. "Procession of The Nobles" from Mlada

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov15. "March" from Love For Three Oranges

Sergei Prokofiev16. "Farandole" from L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2

Georges Bizet

17. March Militaire

Franz Schubert18. "March of The Toreadors" from Carmen

Georges Bizet19. The Marriage of Figaro, Aria

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

20. Light Cavalry Overture

Franz von Suppé

21. Radetsky March

Johann Strauss I22. "Procession of The Nobles" from Mlada

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov23. March Hongroise

Hector Berlioz24. "Anvil Chorus" from Il Trovatore

Giuseppe Verdi25. Hands Across the Sea

John Philip Sousa

Act III: Revelries in Pyrotechnics

26. Carnival Overture

Antonín Dvořák27. "Overture" from Carmen

Georges Bizet28. "Alla Hornpipe" from the Water Music Suite

George Frideric Handel

29. Symphony No. 1 in D, "Titan"; First Movement

Gustav Mahler

30. Symphony No. 9, "Choral"; Fourth Movement

Ludwig van Beethoven

31. "Lohengrin"; Prelude to Act 3

Richard Wagner32. Firebird Suite, Finale

Igor Stravinsky33. "Great Gate of Kiev" from Pictures at an Exhibition

Modest Mussorgsky34. "Promenade (Reprise)" from Pictures at an Exhibition

Modest Mussorgsky35. "1812 Festival Overture"

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Laserphonic Fantasy

Laserphonic Fantasy
Location:Epcot
Section:World Showcase
(World Showcase Lagoon)
Status:Removed
Opened:June 9, 1984
Closed:January 24, 1988
Previousattraction:A New World Fantasy
Replacement:IllumiNations
Ride:no
Music:"The Festival of Festivals" by Don Dorsey

This show has the same soundtrack as A New World Fantasy. It featured lasers emitted from barges and from around the lagoon. The "Skater" segment featured the first use of non-continuous lines in a laser animation and was the first use of laser graphics on a water-droplet screen.

IllumiNations

IllumiNations
Location:Epcot
Section:World Showcase
(World Showcase Lagoon)
Status:Removed
Opened:January 30, 1988
Closed:September 21, 1996
Previousattraction:Laserphonic Fantasy
Replacement:IllumiNations 25 (A)
Ride:no
Music:"The Festival of Festivals" by Don Dorsey
Duration:14:00
Custom Label 1:Sponsor
Custom Value 1:General Electric

This show used most of the arrangements for "A New World Fantasy" and "Laserphonic Fantasy," but instead of being arranged solely with synthesizers, the resulting arrangements were rescored for full orchestra, mostly using the original orchestration by the composers. New music was created for the show's theme by Don Dorsey and Bruce Healey. The "Great Parades and Pageants" section used in the previous installments was omitted and replaced with a celebration of all the individual countries of World Showcase (except Norway, which had just opened by the show's premiere). This installment of IllumiNations began a radical new use for effects in fireworks shows. To add to the Pichel lights, fountains, laser barges, and laser graphics projected behind the fountains, the directors made the lights representing the different interact with the music and the rest of the show. In another strange turn of events, they decided not to use fireworks until the very end of the second act, and then the third act would show the fireworks off at their best.

Show program

Act I

1. Symphony #5 Movement #1

2. "Flight of the Bumblebee" from Tale Of The Tsar Sultan

3. Zampa Overture first theme

4. Italian Concerto Movement # 3, first theme

5. William Tell Overture second theme

Act II: World Showcase

6. Scheherezade (Morocco)

7. Orphée aux Enfers, Galop Infernal (France)

8. Days of Emancipation (China)

9. Rule Britannia (United Kingdom)

10. Tales of the Vienna Woods (Germany)

11. Sakura (Japan)

12. España Cani (Mexico)

13. French Canadian Jig Traditional (Canada)

14. Funiculì, Funiculà (Italy)

15. Rhapsody in Blue (United States)

Act III: Finale

16. Carnival Overture Opus 92, first theme

17. "March of the Toreadors" from Carmen, Prelude to Act 1

18. Alla Hornpipe from Water Music Suite, Movement #13

19. Titan Symphony Symphony #1 in D Major, Movement #1

20. "Ode to Joy" Symphony #9 in D Minor (Choral), Movement #4

21. Prelude to Act III "Lohengrin"

22. Firebird Suite Finale

23. "Great Gate of Kiev" from Pictures at an Exhibition

24. "Promenade" from Pictures at an Exhibition

25. 1812 Festival Overture second theme

Music produced by Don Dorsey

Post Show

Versions of "It's a Small World" and General Electric's theme were played.

New Year's Eve 1993

For the New Year's Eve finale in 1992–1993, a version of "We've Just Begun To Dream" was played during the countdown, then a version of "Auld Lang Syne" followed by a short reprise of "We've Just Begun To Dream". Finally, a selection from Around the World with Mickey Mouse, that in the future would be played at the Fountain of Nations, was played.

Holiday IllumiNations

Holiday IllumiNations
Location:Epcot
Section:World Showcase
(World Showcase Lagoon)
Status:Removed
Opened:1994
Closed:1998
Replacement:IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth with Holiday Tag
Ride:no
Custom Label 1:Sponsor
Custom Value 1:General Electric

Holiday IllumiNations played during the holiday season instead of the regular show. Starting in 2004, the "Let There Be Peace on Earth" segment of Holiday IllumiNations is played after IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth during the holiday season.

Show program

Opening

  1. Opening Medley
  2. Nutcracker Medley
  3. O Holy Night
  4. Chanukah Medley
    • "S'Vivon"
    • "The Trees in the Field"
  5. Let There Be Peace on Earth

Post show

Production

Narration

All Instrumentals

All Chorus Parts

O Holy Night

Let There Be Peace on Earth

Show facts

IllumiNations 25 (A)

IllumiNations 25 (A)
Location:Epcot
Section:World Showcase
(World Showcase Lagoon)
Status:Removed
Opened:September 21, 1996
Closed:May 18, 1997
Previousattraction:IllumiNations
Replacement:IllumiNations 25 (B)
Ride:no
Custom Label 1:Sponsor
Custom Value 1:General Electric

Created for the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World.

Show program

Opening

1. "Remember The Magic" - World Showcase Salute

Act 1: World Showcase

2. "A Worldwide Celebration" (by Gregory Rians Smith) [3]

3. Mascleta

4. "International Fantasy"

5. Mascleta

Act 2: Future World

6. "Discovery Suite"

Act 3: Finale

7. "Circle of Life"

Post show

Versions of "A Worldwide Celebration" and General Electric's theme were played.

Production

  1. "Remember The Magic" - World Showcase Salute
    • Based on the Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary tune
    • Lyricist: Cheryl Berman
    • Composer: Ira Antelis
    • Arranger & Orchestrator: Gregory Smith
  2. "A Worldwide Celebration"
    • Composer & Orchestrator: Gregory Smith
  3. Mascleta
    • Composer & Orchestrator: Gregory Smith
  4. "International Fantasy"
    • Composer & Orchestrator: Gregory Smith
  5. "Discovery Suite"
    • Based on "We've Just Begun to Dream" (EPCOT Center fanfare) by Steve Skorija, Gregory Smith, and Jack Eskew
    • Composer & Orchestrator: Gregory Smith
  6. "Circle of Life"
    • Lyricist: Tim Rice
    • Composer: Elton John
    • Arrangers: Gregory Smith & Oliver Wells
    • Orchestrator: Gregory Smith

Production From CD

Show facts

IllumiNations 25 (B)

IllumiNations 25 (B)
Location:Epcot
Section:World Showcase
(World Showcase Lagoon)
Status:Removed
Opened:May 19, 1997
Closed:January 31, 1998
Previousattraction:IllumiNations 25 (A)
Replacement:IllumiNations 98
Ride:no
Custom Label 1:Sponsor
Custom Value 1:General Electric

Still celebrating the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort, but the classical music returns.

Show program

1. "Remember The Magic" - World Showcase Salute (Based on the Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary tune) [1996]

2. "IllumiNations Fanfare" [1997]

Act I: World Showcase

3. Russian Dance - "Trepak" from The Nutcracker Ballet [1892]

4. "Die Meistersinger Overture" from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg [1862-67]

5. "Laideronette, Empress of the Pagodas" from "Ma Mére l'Oye" (Mother Goose Suite) [1910]

6. "Barber of Seville Overture" from Il barbiere de Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) [1816]

7. "Overture" to Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloé Ballet [1912]

8. "Seventeen Come Sunday" March from English Folk Song Suite [1924]

9. "El Salòn México" [1936]

10. "Hoedown" from Rodeo Ballet [1942]

Act II: Future World

11. "Pini della Villa Borghese" from The Pines of Rome Symphonic Poem [1919]

12. "The Aquarium" from Le Carnival des Animaux (The Carnival of the Animals) [1907]

13. "Hornpipe" from Water Music Suite [1717]

14. "A Night on Bald Mountain" [1886]

15. "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets Suite [1914–1916]

16. "El Sombrero de Tres Picos" from The Three-Cornered Hat Ballet [1917]

17. "Ode To Joy" Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Choral), Fourth Movement [1824]

Post Show

"A Worldwide Celebration" [1996]

Show facts

IllumiNations '98

IllumiNations '98
Location:Epcot
Section:World Showcase
(World Showcase Lagoon)
Status:Removed
Opened:February 1, 1998
Closed:September 21, 1999
Previousattraction:IllumiNations 25 (B)
Ride:no
Music:Disneyland/Walt Disney World: The Official Album (1997 CD)
Duration:13:00
Custom Label 1:Sponsor
Custom Value 1:General Electric

Same soundtrack as IllumiNations 25 (B) but without the 25th anniversary announcement.

Opening

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Phantom Tourist . IllumiNations helps light the way through Epcot purgatory . 9 July 2020 . . February 7, 1988.
  2. Web site: WDWHistory.com - A New World Fantasy.
  3. name. "SMITH GREGORY RIANS - WORLDWIDE CELEBRATION" http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?requesttimeout=300&mode=results&searchstr=530581103&search_in=i&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=30&start=1