On January 30 of 2013 Illuminations celebrated its 25th anniversary. So I decided what better time than now to share some pictures that I have of this fantastic nighttime show. The original Illuminations show debuted on January 30 of 1988 as an upgrade to the previous shows; A New World Fantasy and Laserphonic Fantasy. There was also a show that took place before any of these shows debuted called Carnival de Lumiere. This show was only able to be viewed between the Mexican and Canadian pavilions due to the fact that it displayed film on rear projected screens along with fountains and music.
Illuminations utilized some of the same technologies that were developed for the previous shows, including the use of non-linear laser images on water droplet screens as well as the water fountain barges and Pichel lights. These Pichel lights are programmable search lights that are able to make swift precise movements, which could easily be timed to music.
The audio that was arranged within the shows was produced and arranged by Don Dorsey, a designer and director of many fireworks shows for Disney. The difference between the previous shows and Illuminations was that the previous iterations utilized synthesized tracks while Illuminations used the original orchestral tracks. Synthesized arrangements were used in many of the entertainment offerings up until this point; including Electrical Water Pageant and the Main Street Electrical Parade.
Illuminations was originally sponsored by General Electric, which resulted in many lighting upgrades to the pavilions around world showcase Lagoon. New dual level edge lighting which provided a flashing effect, upgraded laser installations at the pavilions, as well as animated lighting imagery on top of the pavilions. These animated images were moved into place after darkness fell onto the park. Some of these animated scenes included a dragon on top of the China Pavilion, a windmill and the Moulin Rouge sign on top of the France pavilion, and a cuckoo clock on top of Germany.
One of the more striking features of the lighting upgrades on the pavilions was the projection mapping techniques that were utilized to change the appearance of the pavilion buildings themselves. This technology just recently has been utilized in the pre-shows to Wishes Nighttime Spectacular. As well as a show that takes place on the It's a Small World's facade at Disneyland.
Germany projection mapping
It is pretty amazing that this technology existed over 20 years ago, even though somewhat crude compared to today's standards. It is now just being realized again for its entertainment value. Some examples of this in Illuminations include the changing of the American Adventure façade into the capital building as well as Germany's façade being enhanced by lighted additional trim and color combinations.
Illuminations featured four main fountain barges that housed most of the effects used within the show as well as a fifth main laser barge in the center of the lagoon. The four barges that surrounded the laser barge included the mists screens, the air launch systems for the fireworks, and the fountains. They were also flanked by eight "dumb" barges, which provided additional colored pyro effects.
The main laser barge featured a sphere in the middle which housed rear projection lasers inside that projected images onto the sphere's surface. There were also lasers mounted on the barge outside of the sphere that projected onto the mists screens which were located on the barges surrounding it.
Illuminations took place over the course of three acts with the pyrotechnics coming towards the end of act two and concluding in a fantastic finale which featured the majority of the fireworks.The opening act featured laser projections on the mist screens, colored fountain sprays, and various highlights of the nations represented.
The second act featured the individual pavilions highlighted in their own sequence with each pavilion lit up individually, beginning with France and proceeding in no particular order around the lagoon and culminating with USA at the end of act two.
There are two pavilions not featured in Illuminations. The first being the Norway Pavilion as it was not completed until after the show debuted. And the next being the Morocco Pavilion because the king did not want the Pavilion lit up due to religious concerns.
Act III featured the majority of the pyrotechnics included in the show, and heavy use of the linear lasers emanating from the pavilions themselves.
At the end of the show all of the pavilions are lit up around World Showcase Lagoon in a wondrous display. And one of my favorite effects is the globe projected on Spaceship Earth with lasers emitting from the American Adventure.
I have included my own video of the original show, while crude in its presentation, being as it was taken very non-professionally back in 1994, it does present the show as seen back then. I am sure there are much better videos out there, but in my posts I try and use all of my own material wherever possible.
Thanks for taking the time to look at my pictures and hopefully enjoying my brief history on the original Illuminations show. I am always appreciative that people take the time out of their busy schedule to read and enjoy my blog. I hope that you learn something that you didn't previously know, and leads to enjoying this show more as well as enjoying the current iteration even more. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
The America Gardens theater is a venue that has hosted many different shows throughout the history of Epcot. The amphitheater was an open air stage for a number of years until a covered portion was erected around 1994. The first show to premiere in the newly covered amphitheater was called The Magical World of Barbie. But I digress, I do have some photos of a show that took place at the Gardens theater around 1987.
I have no real information on this show, but it seems to be an international display of the dances of the various cultures represented in World Showcase. This show took place multiple times throughout the day for park guests. It looks like each country had it's own portion dedicated to just their dancers.
I do like how this show represented all of World Showcase. As the American pavilion, it plays host to all of the countries around the lagoon. What better way to play host than to invite them to show off their own unique culture at the forefront of the American pavilion.
Nowadays, the theater is used mostly as a concert location for the festivals and special holiday offerings like The Candlelight Processional. Things that mostly have nothing to to with World Showcase itself. I do wish there were shows that encompassed all of the cultures together again. That would perfectly represent the theme of World Showcase itself, as was done in the parks past.
Thanks for taking a look and if anyone saw this show, or has more information on it, please let me know.
I was perusing some old photographs of EPCOT Center, looking for pictures of the original Illuminations show for a post I am planning to write next. I was looking at a photo taken of the Germany pavilion all lit up for the show and recognized an awesome part of Illuminations history. At first glance the pavilion looks beautiful, all lit up. Then, on closer examination, I see an example of what would be considered one of the first iterations of the projection mapping technology that is becoming an ever-present staple of nighttime spectaculars moving forward.
The projections on the back building of Germany
The projection effect portrayed ornate trimmings that were not present on the physical show building, as well as a stripped pole on the round castle portion of the facade. I do not remember any of the projections on the facades of the countries, but @EPCOTExplorer posted this article with a fabulous photo of the capital building projected on the facade of the American pavilion. I think the projections kind of fell to the wayside next to the lasers and music for each pavilion because of the fact that they were hard to distinguish from across the lagoon if you were not right in front of said pavilion.
Not quite the same angle, but pretty close
The projections used in the former Magic, Memories, and You show were direct descendants of the original Illuminations show. The mapping technology used today is incredibly sophisticated compared to what was presented more that 20 years ago. But I believe the projections used back then could actually hold up today, in certain applications, to convey the stories that need to be told. Today though, we have such advances in this technology that the limits seem to be boundless. In my opinion, if Disney utilizes all the best of all the technologies available in one unifying show, they could create nighttime entertainment options that could not be beat. I do have my full Illuminations post coming soon, so I will be elaborating on all of these subjects soon. Thanks for reading!
" ...The original plan for EPCOT envisioned a community for people to live in. How much more exciting was the evolution of an environment of metaphors - visions of the future - that could inspire people to create, as well as to live in, finer cities and then to fly off and land on the moon and Mars.
The challenge of EPCOT - to birth the impossible and to free the spirit - has been met in multifold ways. To enter it is to be bombarded with metaphors that make you feel you could meet and solve the world's problems.
EPCOT keeps changing and growing, and the final sum is that it contains the absolute assurance that our fine Tomorrows will not be left behind in our lost Yesterdays."
-Ray Bradbury
This statement, by Ray Bradbury, was the introduction to an article that was featured in Disney Magazine the fall of 2002. This article was a general synopsis of Epcot in it's evolution over the previous 20 years, highlighting some of the bigger moments in the parks history. As the 30th anniversary approaches, let us take a look back at some of the moments that the author of the article, Tim O'Day, deems worthy of being featured in this article.
The Future Begins
"The 21st century begins October 1st, 1982." proclaimed the preview brochures of the new park that were handed out to guests that were visiting Walt Disney World as well as Disneyland. There was a month long celebration that highlighted the opening each of the 15 Future World and World Showcase pavilions. The grand opening of EPCOT Center took place over the weekend of October 22 to 24, with many well known guests including Lillian Disney, Ray Bradbury, and even George Steinbrenner. A highlight of the main dedication ceremony was the International Ceremony of The Waters which included representatives from 23 countries pouring water from their homelands into the Communicore Plaza fountain.
The Revolutionary New Park Will Be Televised
On October 23, 1982, "EPCOT Center: The Opening Celebration" was view by people all across the country, which was hosted by Danny Kaye.
Making Headlines
Emerging technology allowed many of the opening ceremonies to be covered by various media outfits around the world. The now widely available Satellite uplink broadcast technology afforded more that 100 television crews to broadcast live.
Space Cadets
We all know these outfits that debuted when guests were looking for Mickey Mouse in EPCOT Center. The park did not open with the intention of have Mickey and his pals running around Future World, but with guest complaints about the lack of characters, plans were rolled out to present the classic characters in a cohesive way to fit within the environment.
Byte Size
When the park opened, one of the headliner attractions in CommuniCore East was the Astuter Computer Revue. Unfortunately, this attraction has the distinction of being the shortest lived of the opening day attractions in EPCOT Center. It lasted for two years before it was replaced by Backstage Magic in February 1984. The Astuter Computer Revue actually featured many of the computers that ran in the park, such as air conditioning and lighting.
Illuminating The nighttime shows on World Showcase Lagoon have been a staple of the park since October 23, 1982. It was on this date that Le Carnival de Lumiere debuted with the use of rear-projection screens on barges to put on a dazzling display. The shows main drawback was the fact that it was only viewable from the Canada and Mexico pavilions. The next show that debuted was named A New World Fantasy which introduced the use of the automated Pichel lights, which were programmable spotlights that were able to make swift precise movements. In 1984 Laserphonic Fantasy debuted using music by Don Dorsey, who also created the soundtrack to the Main Street Electrical Parade. Illuminations, in it's first iteration, was the next show. It debuted on January 30, 1988 with a full orchestral soundtrack instead of the synthesized music of the previous show. There have been multiple versions of this show, with the most recent being Reflections of Earth which has been running since the Millennium Celebration in 1999.
Le Carnival de Lumiere
What a Doll The People of the World dolls were seen around World Showcase in the early eighties. These larger than life dolls were between 7 and 8 feet tall and were dressed in authentic clothing representing the country from which they hailed. The original dolls were created for America on Parade, a bicentennial celebration that occurred in 1975 and 1976. New dolls were created to match the originals and then brought to EPCOT Center.
Do You See What I See The Journey into Imagination pavilion opened in 1982 with the 3D film Magic Journeys, as well as the Image Works interactive playground. The ride through attraction did not open until March 5, 1983 which introduced us to the Dreamfinder and his lovable sidekick, Figment.
Richard Nixon and his Grandson
Remembering the Smellitzer The epitome of the optimistic future had to be encompassed in the 3 acre show building that housed the Horizons attraction. Horizons showed guests what future living may be like on land, in the sea, as well as in space. One of the most memorable scenes was the Mesa Verde desert laorange grove scene, which featured an orange scent that permeated the entire show scene. Horizons closed for good on January 9, 1999 to make room for the new attraction, Mission: Space.
Moroccan Mickey The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Moroccan pavilion took place on September 7, 1984. Morocco was the first of the two pavilions that were added to World Showcaseafter opening day. The Kingdom of Morocco sent workers to the pavilion during construction to create all of the tile work, carvings, and paintings.
For Kicks The were two different occasions that Mickey donned his Uncle Sam threads in 1985. The first was for the inaugural parade for Ronald Reagan's second term. A few weeks after that Mickey joined the Radio City Rockettes for the Star Spangled Salute to America. This was a part of Worldfest, a yearlong celebration of the nations in World Showcase.
Prattlebot 1985 ushered in the latest in robotic technology, Gyro. What is known about him is that he lives on a diet of diodes and microchips and attended the tech school "Solid State". Gyro had a fiber-optic display screen for his "face" that conveyed his moods. When guest asked how he worked, he would respond, "on twelve frequencies!"
Flipped Out EPCOT Center has featured a few spectacles in the sky, including Skyleidoscopeand Surprise in The Skies. On of the more out of place and unusual events in EPCOT Center was the Daredevil Circus Spectacular, which took place in Future World. Click the link to read my post and check out my pics of the circus.
Jackson Takes Five Captain EO replaced Magic Journeys in the Magic Eye theater September 12, 1986. The theater was equipped with special effects that were synchronized with the action onscreen. These included lasers, fiber-optics, and fog. This film cost approximately one million dollars per minute to produce.
Bubbles When the Living Seas opened on January 15, 1986, it boasted one of the worlds largest saltwater tanks at 5.7 million gallons. It included more than 4,000 species of sea life. The opening of this pavilion was followed up by a one hour national television special "Disney's Living Seas", which aired on January 24. Stars included John Ritter, Laura Branigan, Simon Le Bon, and Olivia Newton-John.
Inside Story The Wonders of Life pavilion opened October 19, 1989. One of the highlights of the pavilion was Cranium Command, which took you into the mind of a 12 year old named Bobby, guests follow Buzzy as a rookie cranium commander navigating through the stresses of everyday life for Bobby. This was a celebrity laden attraction including Charles Grodin, Jon Lovitz, George Wednt, Bobcat Goldthwait, Kevin Nealon, and Dana Carvey.
Track Stars On January 2, 1996 the GM sponsored attraction, World of Motion, closed its doors for good to make way for an entirely reimagined attraction. There was an extremely long period of test and adjust for the new ride. It finally opened as Test Track on March 17, 1999, as a demonstration of the rigors of the automotive testing field with a high speed thrill element.
Richard Petty, Angie Everhart, Carol Alt, and Christie Brinkley
Make Mine Millennium The Millennium Celebration took place in Epcot over the course of 15 years beginning on October 1, 1999. A massive new pavilion, The Millennium Village, was constructed to showcase the art, architecture, music, and dance of various countries that were not represented in World Showcase. Some of countries included were Brazil, Chile, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Sweden , and Denmark.
On of the highlights of the Celebration was the Tapestry of Nations parade which ran from October 1, 1999 until September 9, 2001. The Sage of Time led the parade followed by 120 puppets and 15 Millennium Clock drum floats. The puppets were designed by Michael Curry, who designed the puppets for The Lion King on Broadway.
Future Worlds In 2003 Epcot will be ushered into it's third decade with Mission: Space. This thrill ride of the future will be set 30 years from now, with guests embarking on a realistic deep-space journey that seeks to replicate the sensation of liftoff and leaving the Earth's gravitational pull. Walt Disney Imagineering built this attraction with consultation from former NASA advisers, astronauts, and scientists.
If we were to write an article that encompassed the past ten years as well, in the history of the park, what would we include to express the evolution of Epcot? A couple of things that come to mind would be Kim Possible/Agent P's World Showcase Adventure and the re-imagined Seas pavilion themed to Finding Nemo. Epcot has gone through many changes over the years. Some things were popular, while other things were not so popular to put it nicely. Epcot will keep on evolving through the years, hopefully bringing many more immersive, entertaining, and educational experiences to the park going populous. Let us all enjoy the 30th anniversary festivities, whether it be through the internet or in person, as well as keep looking forward to the optimistic future that Walt had envisioned.
One of the more striking features of the lighting upgrades on the pavilions was the projection mapping techniques that were utilized to change the appearance of the pavilion buildings themselves. This technology just recently has been utilized in the pre-shows to Wishes Nighttime Spectacular. As well as a show that takes place on the It's a Small World's facade at Disneyland.
Illuminations featured four main fountain barges that housed most of the effects used within the show as well as a fifth main laser barge in the center of the lagoon. The four barges that surrounded the laser barge included the mists screens, the air launch systems for the fireworks, and the fountains. They were also flanked by eight "dumb" barges, which provided additional colored pyro effects.
The main laser barge featured a sphere in the middle which housed rear projection lasers inside that projected images onto the sphere's surface. There were also lasers mounted on the barge outside of the sphere that projected onto the mists screens which were located on the barges surrounding it.
Illuminations took place over the course of three acts with the pyrotechnics coming towards the end of act two and concluding in a fantastic finale which featured the majority of the fireworks.The opening act featured laser projections on the mist screens, colored fountain sprays, and various highlights of the nations represented.
The second act featured the individual pavilions highlighted in their own sequence with each pavilion lit up individually, beginning with France and proceeding in no particular order around the lagoon and culminating with USA at the end of act two.
There are two pavilions not featured in Illuminations. The first being the Norway Pavilion as it was not completed until after the show debuted. And the next being the Morocco Pavilion because the king did not want the Pavilion lit up due to religious concerns.
Act III featured the majority of the pyrotechnics included in the show, and heavy use of the linear lasers emanating from the pavilions themselves.
At the end of the show all of the pavilions are lit up around World Showcase Lagoon in a wondrous display. And one of my favorite effects is the globe projected on Spaceship Earth with lasers emitting from the American Adventure.
I have included my own video of the original show, while crude in its presentation, being as it was taken very non-professionally back in 1994, it does present the show as seen back then. I am sure there are much better videos out there, but in my posts I try and use all of my own material wherever possible.
