IllumiNations to Close August 30?

[mdinme]

Robo will provide the correct data.

 

[jrh]

Robo will provide the correct data.

Where is robo?

 

[BostonRob]

Yes it is. I first went to WDW in 1994 and it was different before ROE. There was no globe, fire barge or torches. It was dancing fountains in the lake and lasers. A voice would call out each of the countries by name, I think there was a message in that country's language. During the Christmas season, they ran "Holiday Illuminations" which was Christmas music.

Well I'll say that I'm pretty sure they had the globe before 1994. I'd guess they had the globe since at least 1990, maybe earlier.

 

[slimplaw]

The nighttime show we saw last year at DisneySea in Tokyo was fantastic. I do love Illuminations. I do not remember the name of the show we saw in Tokyo, but it involved a love story between fire and water. Fire was represented by a very tall fire breathing dragon that rose from underwater. Water was represented by tall white abstract water sprites that looked like representations of female ballerinas.

 

[DebbieB]

Well I'll say that I'm pretty sure they had the globe before 1994. I'd guess they had the globe since at least 1990, maybe earlier.

Here's some history:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/guide.php?pg=BDB203

The Attraction's History: IllumiNations remained unchanged for its first eight years. Starting with the holiday season of 1994, a special holiday version of the show was created called Holiday IllumiNations and showcased holidays from around the world.

For Walt Disney World's 20th anniversary celebration in 1996 a new version of the show was created called IllumiNations 25. The new show had elements about the celebration as well as world cultures. Halfway through the celebration, it was decided that the show's new, non-classical music was working and a new classical score was created. When the celebration was over in February 1998, the show didn't change but the name reverted back to IllumiNations.

For the millennium celebrations, the show again had a new version designed and the Earth Globe was added to the show. The new show was renamed IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and this is still the version being shown nightly

The Millennium Celebration started 10/1/99.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

There have been no announcements by Disney that "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth" is ending. The rumor of a replacement for ROE (supposedly to be named "Sky Dance") has been floating around online for a couple of years now. So far, that's all its been...a rumor.

 

[jazmyin]

I also love illuminations!!! I hope this is just a rumor.

 

[Nicole786]

Subscribing so I can see the outcome of this. I just read the article, and the "news" was taken from Wikipedia.

The only reason i'm skeptical is because Epcot and World Showcase is not supposed to have any tie ins with the normal disney characters and pixie dust the rest of the parks have. Is DisneySea like this? Because than I call shenanigans!

 

[jayduk]

If illuminations was to end on August 30th to make room for a new show what are the chances of the new show starting in September? I would hate for there to be nothing showing, i love a good finale to a day in the parks!

 

[7200604]

I have a vested interest in this, as we are traveling to WDW in November and love Illuminations. I'm going to try a logical approach to this in hopes that I'm right. However, if there are others with other information, I'd prefer to know now rather than later:

• The October and November WDW calendar lists Illuminations each night
• The rumor appears to have started here because of an article found at clubthemeparks dot com
• Clubthemeparks quotes a "wikopedia" article (assume wikipedia, and not always reliable). I can't find mention of a close date in wikipedia or any replacement information.
• Clubthemeparks also lists down time for September 1-29. Illuminations does NOT show on Disney s calendar for this time. It does pick up again in October.
• Assuming Disney s left hand knows what the right hand is doing (I'll admit a stretch), one would think that, since October 1 is within 90 days, those wishing to book Illuminations specialty cruises would have been told something else starting almost 40 days ago.
• Significant ROE rehabs have taken place in the past 12 months, including globe and barge work. Unless this work would also be necessary for a new show, it would lead me to believe it's an investment in ROE.
• There was mention of a Jim Hill Media article. I can't find anything recent mentioning any change.
• A search of all the WDW sites I trust have no mention of any change.
• With a heavy reliance on ROE (Fantasmic and Wishes are offered intermittently), one would think that there is less desire to make a significant change.

Again, these are an attempt to take a logical approach based on what I've read and seen at this time. Granted, this is normally the time and approach where I'm proven wrong.

Disclaimer: I have no inside information on this.

 

[Epcot4Me]

Illuminations is also my favorite and I would be so sad to see it gone. The music alone makes me cry.

On the other hand, I'd be interested to see what they replaced it with. I would be upset it if turned into just a giant fireworks show. I love that the show now has a message and uses several different media to get the point across. Fireworks timed to music you can see in MK. A show with a plot is at DHS. Illuminations was always something different, and that's why I loved it.

I think I would just like it to still be there in December for a few more viewings

 

[epcot.girl]

[*]Clubthemeparks also lists down time for September 1-29. Illuminations does NOT show on Disney s calendar for this time. It does pick up again in October.

OMG you're right! I tend to rely on the calenders provided by this website, TGM, etc. rather than Disney's own, and they all have Illuminations listed for throughout September I can only hope it's an error on Disney's part. Either that or it's going to be another LWTL thing - a rehab that they're not planning to announce to the public until after the fact?

 

[RMulieri]

If it is another rumor started by Jim Hill, I would not believe it...Jim Hill is about as accurate at predicting things as a gypsy at a county fair.He also said The characters were coming back to LTT, Disney was building Night Kingdom ,Disney was building Beastly Kingdom, Disney is building something to compete with Harry Potter Land at Universal,Disney Quest was closing, tom Sawyers Island was closing...I really could go on on on...

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

The only reason i'm skeptical is because Epcot and World Showcase is not supposed to have any tie ins with the normal disney characters and pixie dust the rest of the parks have. Is DisneySea like this? Because than I call shenanigans!

This my have been true at one time but it's not any more. The characters appear throughout the WS and you can buy character merchandise everywhere.

 

[bsbrady]

If it came from Wikipedia, its probably not accurate

 

[bratmomma]

WHAT??!!??!??! No Illuminations in September???

This is really getting to be too much...
Space Mountain
LWTL
Tomorrowland Arcade
Riverboat
Flights of Wonder

NOW ILLUMINATIONS will be down during my stay as well??? WTH?

According to the DisneyWorld site schedule it is NOT listed during September. That sux.

 

[bratmomma]

I had to post again because I am really kinda angry at Disney right now. They just leave a daily event off the schedule on their grid calendar and everyone is supposed to take that as notice that its in closure???

That's not right Disney!!!! It should be listed under the refurb's and on the main hours page that shows all the parks hours for that week. Not just by clicking on an individual date on the grid calendar.

Shame on them. I am so sad. I have been building up the kids and my MIL about how awesome the ROE show is. It's my favorite nighttime show. As the PP said, the music is enough to bring me to tears sometimes.

 

[WriteDisney]

Last summer around this time, I saw rumors online that Spectromagic was going to close and get a new parade from another Disney park around the world. It closed for a little bit for refurb at that time, but came back as Spectro. I can't remember where I heard that from, but it never came to be.

Like others have said, it's best to wait for an official announcement, or for places like the DIS to discuss it as a rumor.

 

[BostonRob]

Here's some history:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/guide.php?pg=BDB203



The Millennium Celebration started 10/1/99.

I'm going to need some support on this, but I am 100% certain that there was a globe used in the EPCOT laser/light shows well before 1999 - without a doubt as early as 1993, and I think as early as the '80s. I don't know what they were calling the show back then, and I'm guessing it wasn't the same globe, but they definately had a big globe out in the middle of the lake WAY before 1999.

 

[Robo]

I'm going to need some support on this, but I am 100% certain that there was a globe used in the EPCOT laser/light shows well before 1999 - without a doubt as early as 1993, and I think as early as the '80s. I don't know what they were calling the show back then, and I'm guessing it wasn't the same globe, but they definately had a big globe out in the middle of the lake WAY before 1999.

Gotta say no.

The current Video globe was newly-built for IllumiNations 2000.

What used to be in the previous shows was a passive sphere.
It was used as a "projection screen" for some of the laser effects.