Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Sad and Disappointed With Harmonious

I watched the premier of #Harmonious tonight over live streaming from the Disney Parks YouTube channel. It is the nighttime show at World Showcase lagoon at Epcot.

The title of this post tells it all. I was willing to give them the benefit of doubt when I saw the monstrous equipment they put in the middle of the lagoon and ruined the amazing view across World Showcase. Maybe the show they are going to put out will be wonderful, I thought.

It isn't.

It is more of a promotion of a collection of Disney movies. It is a pastiche of various music and theme, rather than one coherent, consistent music or theme. There was nothing "harmonious" from what I saw and heard. And those arms that keep swinging back and forth.. am I the only one who find them distracting and annoying?  It is also most disappointing when the original music is bland and not memorable, while other parts rely on music from various Disney movies. There were times that I thought this would be better suited at Animal Kingdom rather than Epcot.

And that is the most disappointing part, that the spirit of World Showcase is just not there. Having a collection of songs sang in languages other than English does not turn it into a multi-national, multi-cultural theme, especially when they are clearly tied to Disney movies. Like I said, the spirit of World Showcase felt missing from all this.

I had goosebumps when I first saw Illuminations. The music was the first thing that stuck to me, and I immediately had to get the CD. I still listen to it even today (along with Tapestry of Nations). That glorious feeling and emotional tug are just not there with Harmonious. I am so disappointed and sad about this, since Epcot is my most favorite park, and Illuminations used to be my most favorite nighttime show in all of WDW. Now, there's not much to look forward to.

Zz.

No comments: