New ‘world’ and nighttime show debut at EPCOT on Dec. 5
When the walls come down tomorrow, Dec. 5, at EPCOT, the new World Celebration Gardens opens to the public with a new sculpture of Walt Disney and a reimagined garden area. Later that day a new nighttime spectacular “Luminous: The Symphony of Us” will debut.
Guests will be able to see World Celebration Gardens, the landscaped space built around a central planter sitting on top of the five-ring EPOCT logo and Dreamer’s Point, where guests can sit next to a statue of Walt the Dreamer.
What will no be opening on this day are CommuniCore Hall, which is described as an exhibit and gallery space with character meet-and-greets and CommuniCore Plaza, an outdoor concert and event space that will also be central to EPCOT’s festivals.
The new statue is being unveiled on Walt Disney’s birthday and represents Walt later in his life when he was dreaming up the overall Florida Project and the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. He sits with a sense of fulfillment, enjoying the beauty of his realized dream: a park that represents pure optimism and truly celebrates the magic of possibility.
Later in the night “Luminous: The Symphony of Us” commences with the World Showcase coming alive, where voices from each pavilion extend a warm welcome to the audience. The performance kicks off with the original song “Heartbeat Symphony.”
The symphony proceeds to explore the tender love of parenthood, celebrating the shared experiences of childhood that mark the beginning of life’s journey. An emotionally charged, multilingual rendition of “You’ll Be in My Heart” transitions to “Proud Corazón,” dedicated to the bonds of family. The theme of friendship follows, featuring classic songs like “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and “Friend Like Me.”
Set to an expansive arrangement of “So Close,” a cherished hidden gem from Disney’s “Enchanted,” the romance movement honors the moments when our individual melodies merge with another’s. Life, however, inevitably encompasses moments of solitude and loss. But as “When She Loved Me” and “Remember Me” lead us “Into the Unknown,” the echoes of those around us reassure us that we are never truly alone.
Emerging from the shadows, the music surges into “I See the Light” from “Tangled,” propelling us into the grand finale and the performance’s second original song, “Beating of our Hearts.”
