After months of relative silence about new offerings for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, Disney has announced that two theme parks will be debuting new nighttime shows for the celebration.
On Oct. 1, Epcot’s “Harmonious” will take over as the park’s new permanent nighttime show on World Showcase Lagoon. Even the most casual, inattentive Epcot visitors will have likely noticed the enormous barges installed for the show, and tests had begun last fall.
Unlike previous Epcot shows, “Harmonious” promises a heavy dose of Disney characters. Jeremy Schoolfield, managing editor for Disney World public relations, wrote on the official Disney Parks Blog, “This new show will bring the globe together at World Showcase Lagoon in a celebration of Disney music that inspires people worldwide,” promising “new interpretations of classic Disney songs” in more than a dozen languages.
“Disney Enchantment” concept art (Disney)
Magic Kingdom will also be getting a new nighttime show on Oct. 1. Called “Disney Enchantment,” Schoolfield said the show “will feature music, enhanced lighting, stunning fireworks and, for the first time, immersive projection effects that extend from Cinderella Castle down Main Street, U.S.A.”
Disney did not specify whether the show will permanently replace “Happily Ever After,” the fireworks and projection mapping show presented at Magic Kingdom since May 2017.
At Animal Kingdom, Disney will present a new daytime show based around kites called “Disney KiteTails.”
“Disney KiteTails” concept art (Disney)
“Performers will fly windcatchers and kites of all shapes and sizes, while out on the water elaborate three-dimensional kites – some stretching to 30 feet long – will depict Disney animal friends, including Simba, Zazu, Baloo and King Louie,” Schoolfield wrote. “These colorful creations will dance through the sky to the beat of favorite Disney songs in an uplifting, vibrant experience for the whole family.”
The show will be presented “several times daily” along with Discovery River Amphitheater, the former home of the “Rivers of Light” nighttime show.
Golden character statues will be part of the 50th anniversary (Disney)
Along with the larger shows, Disney announced several other offerings for the 50th anniversary, including:
- 50 golden character sculptures displayed at all four Disney World parks;
- A new character cavalcade in Magic Kingdom themed to to 50th anniversary called “Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade;”
- A new coffee table book, “Walt Disney World: A Portrait of the First Half Century,” going on sale Sept. 28
Disney had previously announced that Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will open at Epcot on Oct. 1, which is so far the only new attraction confirmed to be opening during the 50th anniversary celebration.