Land Changelog // updated 2026.07.13
EPCOT · Walt Disney World
Restrooms at Germany Pavilion closed for refurbishment; nearest facilities at American Adventure or Norway Pavilion.
The Viking performers had still not returned to EPCOT's Norway pavilion as of May 2026.
Frozen Ever After reopened from refurbishment with rebuilt Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff figures — new A-1000 Audio-Animatronics with physical sculpted faces replacing the original rear-projected faces — plus an updated show-control system and refreshed show lighting.
Reopened after a brief Nov 10-13, 2025 refurbishment converting the ride's projection from 3D to high-resolution 2D, eliminating the required 3D glasses while keeping the layout and story unchanged; new props and lighting in the queue and ride were rolled out in phases.
Epcot Forever played its final performance on December 4, 2023 and was permanently replaced the next night by Luminous The Symphony of Us.
The last two Harmonious barges were pulled from World Showcase Lagoon overnight on May 16-17, clearing the show's floating set pieces from the water.
Epcot Forever returned to World Showcase Lagoon on April 3, 2023 as an interim show, the night after Harmonious closed.
Harmonious played its final performance at EPCOT after roughly eighteen months, and Epcot Forever returned to World Showcase Lagoon the following night.
Disney confirmed that Harmonious would play its last show on April 2, 2023 and that Epcot Forever would return the following night while the Harmonious barges were removed and a new nighttime spectacular was prepared.
Disney announced that Harmonious would play its final performance on April 2 and that Epcot Forever would return as an interim show on April 3 ahead of an all-new nighttime spectacular later that year.
Reopened after an extended, repeatedly delayed maintenance refurbishment of the theater and its Audio-Animatronic show; no new show scenes were added.
DuckTales World Showcase Adventure opened in the same seven World Showcase pavilions, refilling the interactive game slot Agent P's version had held.
A November 2022 guide to Epcot's Mexico pavilion described Las Posadas as the pavilion's holiday performance and Los Tres Reyes as no longer performed.
Opened in EPCOT's expanded France pavilion in World Showcase as a trackless 3D dark ride on the opening day of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary; a clone of the 2014 Walt Disney Studios Park (Disneyland Paris) original.
Harmonious officially premiered on World Showcase Lagoon as the centerpiece nighttime spectacular of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration, replacing the interim show Epcot Forever.
Harmonious held a preview performance that Disney streamed live two days before its official debut.
Epcot Forever ended its original run on September 28, 2021, handing World Showcase Lagoon to Harmonious, which soft-opened the following night and officially debuted on October 1, 2021 for the start of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary.
Princess Promenade was removed from the Walt Disney World website, ending the last character cavalcade at EPCOT, with princesses instead appearing for distanced greetings in the Morocco, Germany and France pavilions.
The show went dark on March 16, 2020 when Walt Disney World closed for the COVID-19 pandemic and did not play again until fireworks resumed across the resort in the summer of 2021.
Disney confirmed that the DuckTales World Showcase Adventure replacement was still planned for Epcot despite the cancellation of the DuckTales animated series, saying the timing of the interactive scavenger hunt had shifted.
Princess Promenade was listed among three named character cavalcades traveling the World Showcase promenade when EPCOT reopened, alongside Frozen Promenade and Mickey & Friends World Tour.
Disney announced that socially distanced character cavalcades and processionals would replace traditional meet-and-greets at the phased reopening of its Walt Disney World parks, including processions along the World Showcase promenade at EPCOT.
Agent P's World Showcase Adventure closed permanently at Epcot to make way for DuckTales World Showcase Adventure.
Retheme: "O Canada!" closed August 1, 2019 and the Canada Pavilion attraction reopened January 17, 2020 as "Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360," an all-new Circle-Vision film narrated by Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara with a score by Canadian composer Andrew Lockington.
Reduced to evening-only showings when the new Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along began sharing the Palais du Cinema; the sing-along took the daytime slots while Impressions de France moved to the evenings.
Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360, narrated by Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy, opened in the same Canada pavilion theater as the successor to O Canada!.
Disney's announced slate of upcoming Walt Disney World experiences included DuckTales World Showcase Adventure as the next iteration of the World Showcase interactive game, played through the Play Disney Parks app, with no start date given.
Epcot Forever premiered over World Showcase Lagoon on the park's 37th anniversary as an interim nighttime spectacular of fireworks, lasers, lighting and special-effects kites, the night after IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth played its final performance.
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth performed for the final time after a run of nearly 20 years on World Showcase Lagoon.
O Canada! closed in the Canada pavilion theater after nearly 37 years and never reopened under that name.
Disney confirmed September 30, 2019 as the show's closing date, with the interim show Epcot Forever debuting the following night.
Disney announced a new long-term nighttime spectacular for EPCOT's World Showcase Lagoon at the D23 Destination D event.
Disney announced that IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth would give its final performance at the end of summer 2019 so a new nighttime show could debut on World Showcase Lagoon.
The roaming Viking characters who wandered EPCOT's Norway pavilion interacting with and posing with guests performed for the last time on March 30, 2019.
Returned from refurbishment with the film portion converted to digital HD projection, a re-cut Golden Dream finale montage adding contemporary figures, and a re-recorded Golden Dream anthem.
Quickstep stopped performing at the United Kingdom pavilion, with TouringPlans recording its final day of operation as December 30, 2017.
Quickstep's last appearance in Epcot's archived daily entertainment schedules was Sunday, November 19, 2017.
American Music Machine gave its final performance at the America Gardens Theatre and was retired from the Epcot entertainment lineup.
Siemens ended the presenting sponsorship of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth that it had held since 2005, following General Electric's sponsorship from 1999 to 2003.
Follow-up coverage of the cancellation noted that Italy pavilion daytime entertainment was left to the juggler Sergio, performing five days a week, leaving two days with no pavilion act.
Sbandieratori di Sansepolcro was reported on October 12, 2016 to be no longer performing at Epcot's Italy pavilion, with no replacement act announced.
Frozen Ever After opened in EPCOT's Norway pavilion, retheming the former Maelstrom into a Frozen boat ride and debuting Disney's first all-electric Audio-Animatronics, while reusing Maelstrom's water flume track and boats.
Frozen Ever After opened on June 21, 2016 in Maelstrom's building, reusing the same ride vehicles and course while replacing the Norse-myth scenes with a new story and figures from Frozen.
Guests gained the option of using their own smartphones instead of borrowing a F.O.N.E. device at Epcot.
Added audio-animatronic figures of Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, and Panchito to the finale, replacing the projected images of the characters; the figures were repurposed from the retired Mickey Mouse Revue.
The seasonal Canadian Holiday Voyageurs, whose cast included performers from Off Kilter and Mulch, Sweat & Shears, took the Canada pavilion stage for the 2015 holiday season after the lumberjacks left.
By December 2015 the Mexico pavilion's holiday storytelling was presented by mariachi musicians and Folklorico dancers telling the story of Las Posadas, with Los Tres Reyes absent.
The Canadian Lumberjacks gave their final Epcot performance at 6:15 p.m. on November 24, 2015, ending a run at the Canada pavilion of just under fourteen months.
Quickstep, a four-piece acoustic band playing Scottish, English and Irish music, began performing along Tudor Lane at the United Kingdom pavilion, taking the slot the Paul McKenna Band left after its final performance on November 20, 2015.
The Paul McKenna Band played its final set at Epcot's United Kingdom pavilion, permanently ending a World Showcase residency of just under one year.
Touring Plans reported that the band had announced on Twitter that it would play its final Epcot set on November 20, 2015 and had no plans to return to Walt Disney World, as the members were going back to Scotland to record an album.
American Music Machine, an a cappella vocal group performing pop songs arranged by Glee's Tim Davis, gave its debut performance at the America Gardens Theatre in Epcot's American Adventure pavilion.
The flag throwers outlasted the other two acts from the same 2014 wave, as Morocco's B'net Al Houwariyate ended in October 2015 and Canada's lumberjack show closed that winter.
The Paul McKenna Band, a four-piece acoustic Scottish folk group, began a resident engagement outside The Crown and Crest shop in Epcot's United Kingdom pavilion in late November 2014.
By October 31, 2014, Moroccan troupe B'net Al Houwariyate had taken over the Morocco pavilion stage, performing seven sets of about 20 minutes a day, five days a week.
Sbandieratori di Sansepolcro, a flag-throwing troupe from Sansepolcro, Italy, soft-opened in the Italy pavilion courtyard at Epcot with seven scheduled performances a day.
Touring Plans reviewed the roughly 15-minute show during its soft-opening run, describing two flannel-clad teams in red and blue competing at axe throwing, cross-cut hand sawing, hot-saw racing and underhand chopping.
Maelstrom ran for the last time on October 5, 2014, ending a run that began in July 1988.
The Canadian Lumberjacks began performing on the Mill Stage at Epcot's Canada pavilion, taking the slot left open when Celtic-rock band Off Kilter played its final show eight days earlier.
The Canadian Lumberjacks, an axe-throwing and log-rolling competition show, took over the Canada pavilion's Mill Stage on October 5, 2014, about a week after Off Kilter's departure.
The Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps gave its final performance at The American Adventure on September 27, 2014, the same day Off Kilter and Mo'Rockin' played their last Epcot shows.
Mo'Rockin gave its final performance at the Morocco pavilion, retired alongside Off Kilter and the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps.
Off Kilter played its final Epcot performance at 7:30 p.m. on September 27, 2014, ending a run at the Canada pavilion that began in 1997.
The World Showcase Players gave their final performance at Epcot's United Kingdom pavilion after 32 years, closing with "Romeo and Edna" and "King Arthur and the Holy Grail".
Disney announced on September 12, 2014 that Maelstrom would be replaced by an attraction based on Frozen in the same Norway pavilion show building.
Disney announced a slate of new World Showcase entertainment on the Disney Parks Blog and confirmed the Fife & Drum Corps would depart along with Off Kilter, Mo'Rockin' and the World Showcase Players.
A new flag-waving performance group was announced for the Italy pavilion to replace the Ziti Sisters, as part of a wider World Showcase entertainment refresh.
Disney's fall World Showcase entertainment changes were reported, retiring the World Showcase Players after a final performance set for September 25, 2014 alongside the exits of Off Kilter, Mo'Rockin' and the Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps.
New World Showcase acts were announced for that fall, including a Celtic folk ensemble for the United Kingdom pavilion.
Disney told cast members that Mo'Rockin would be retired along with Off Kilter, the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps and the World Showcase Players, with Berber music and dancers planned for the Morocco pavilion instead.
The Disney Parks Blog announced that Off Kilter would leave Epcot along with Mo'Rockin', the Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps and the World Showcase Players, and the post's Disney author confirmed in the comments the same day that Off Kilter's final performance would be September 27.
The Ziti Sisters performed their final show at the Italy pavilion and permanently ended their run at Epcot after nearly three and a half years.
The Ziti Sisters' final performance was announced for February 22, 2014, with no replacement act named at the time.
The act was introduced as part of a 2014 overhaul of Epcot World Showcase live entertainment that also added B'net Al Houwariyate in Morocco and a lumberjack show in Canada.
Los Tres Reyes performed for the last time in front of the Mexico pavilion pyramid at the close of the 2013 Holidays Around the World season and was retired from the storyteller lineup.
The Three Kings were still telling the story of Mexico's Christmas traditions at the Mexico pavilion during the December 2013 Holidays Around the World season.
Miyuki gave her final performance at the Japan pavilion on November 23, 2013, ending a run of about 17 years.
Los Tres Reyes Magos appeared in Epcot's Holidays Around the World storyteller lineup during the December 2012 holiday season.
Disney Phineas and Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure officially opened at Epcot, taking over the interactive World Showcase game from Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure.
Disney Phineas and Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure officially opened in the same seven World Showcase pavilions the Kim Possible game had used.
Agent P's World Showcase Adventure entered a soft opening at Epcot, running missions in the Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Japan, France and United Kingdom pavilions.
Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure operated its final day at Epcot and closed permanently after about three years and four months.
Disney confirmed that the Kim Possible game would be re-themed that summer into an adventure starring Agent P, Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb.
The game reused its predecessor's props and animated effects at the same seven World Showcase pavilions - Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Japan, France and the United Kingdom - with guests borrowing a handheld F.O.N.E. (Field Operative Notification Equipment) device in place of the Kimmunicator to receive voice prompts, animated clips and location-triggered effects.
The Jeweled Dragon Acrobats, a troupe of six men and two women aged 18 to 21 who had trained together for three years, took over the China pavilion performance spot on a year-long engagement about eight months after the Dragon Legend Acrobats left.
A new four-piece British rock act debuted on the same United Kingdom pavilion stage three days later, billed first as The English Channel and renamed British Revolution the following month because other bands used a similar name.
The British Invasion played its final performance at Epcot's United Kingdom pavilion, ending a run of more than 15 years.
Disney confirmed that the band's final Epcot performance would be April 30, 2011, after the band gave notice to Disney Talent and Casting that it would not play beyond that date.
The Dragon Legend Acrobats' run at Epcot's China pavilion ended with a final performance scheduled for Sunday, February 6, 2011, and the act did not return.
A farewell post documented the act's repertoire, including hula hoop manipulation, a flexibility routine that balanced a bowl, and plate spinning performed while the performer contorted.
WDWMagic reported that the Dragon Legend Acrobats would end their run at Epcot's China pavilion in early 2011.
The Ziti Sisters debuted as an interactive comedic atmosphere act in the piazza of Epcot's Italy pavilion, taking over the performance slot previously held at Italy by the World Showcase Players.
The Ziti Sisters debuted at the Italy pavilion and took over the World Showcase Players' Italy residency, leaving the troupe performing only at the United Kingdom pavilion.
Si Xian had stopped performing by August 27, 2012, when a WDWMagic forum thread about the act opened by asking when and why it had ended and drew no answer.
Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure had its grand opening at Epcot, sending guests on Kimmunicator-guided missions through seven World Showcase pavilions.
Disney announced an interactive attraction inspired by the Disney Channel series Kim Possible for Epcot's World Showcase, slated to premiere in late 2008.
A shortened, modified version of the show ran during the summer while the Earth Globe was refurbished with a new LED video system that improved the clarity of the video.
Reopened September 1, 2007 (closed August 6) with a revamped film: new and reordered footage, a new orchestral score by Bruce Broughton with the theme song re-recorded by Eva Avila, runtime trimmed to about 14 minutes, and Martin Short added as a comedic on-screen narrator.
A rebuilt O Canada! debuted with Canadian actor Martin Short as host, new footage, an orchestral score by Bruce Broughton and a re-recording of the theme song "Canada (You're a Lifetime Journey)" by Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila.
The original 1982 film played its final showings and the theater went dark for the installation of a newly produced version.
The Mexico pavilion's boat ride reopened on April 6, 2007 as Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, which kept much of the original attraction's physical space and scenery while adding Donald Duck, Jose Carioca and Panchito Pistoles.
Reopened as Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, a retheme keeping the same boat layout and most scenery but adding a new storyline with Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, and Panchito; the first World Showcase attraction to feature Disney characters from an existing property.
El Rio del Tiempo closed permanently on January 2, 2007 after more than 24 years of operation.
Added roughly 45 seconds of new footage to the end of the Golden Dream finale montage, the first update since 1993, most notably brief imagery of NYPD/FDNY rescue crews following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The Inferno Barge was pulled from the show after a firework exploded inside its mortar tube, and it returned to service on February 1, 2006 without its air launch system.
Retheme: "Wonders of China" closed March 25, 2003 and was replaced by an updated Circle-Vision 360° film, "Reflections of China," which reused some original footage and added newly shot scenes including Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Reflections of China, a shorter Circle-Vision 360 degree film with newly shot footage that added Hong Kong, Macau and a modernized Shanghai, took over the same China pavilion theater in May 2003.
Tapestry of Dreams was canceled in March 2003 as a result of degrading show elements, ending the parade's run at Epcot.
Wonders of China gave its final Epcot showings in March 2003, after more than twenty years in the China pavilion theater.
Tapestry of Nations gave its final performance on September 9, 2001, ending the parade's run under that name.
The Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration that the parade was created for concluded on January 1, 2001, while the parade kept running.
Millennium Village closed permanently on January 1, 2001, the final day of the Millennium Celebration, after fifteen months of operation.
Disney dropped the "2000" from the title after the Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration ended on January 1, 2001, and the show continued as IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.
The parade returned in 2001 rethemed as Tapestry of Dreams, replacing the Sage of Time with three Dreamseekers named Leonardo Columbus, Elfin and Cosmo and rebuilding the soundtrack around wishes from children, with a mid-parade tribute to Walt Disney narrated by Bill Rogers.
Tapestry of Dreams ran nightly but in a reduced fashion compared with Tapestry of Nations, which had run twice nightly during the Millennium Celebration.
The building was kept and rebranded World ShowPlace, converted from a guest attraction into a special-events and festival hall used for functions such as the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
An entirely new show, IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth, took over the lagoon with a soft opening on September 22, 1999 and an official premiere on October 1, 1999 for the Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration.
IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth premiered on World Showcase Lagoon as part of the Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration, which opened the same day.
Tapestry of Nations debuted on the World Showcase promenade on October 1, 1999 as the signature parade of the Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration, led by the stilt-walking Sage of Time and featuring large puppets designed by Michael Curry.
Millennium Village opened in a purpose-built 60,000-square-foot pavilion between the Canada and United Kingdom pavilions in World Showcase, on the opening day of Walt Disney World's Millennium Celebration.
IllumiNations played its final performance over World Showcase Lagoon on September 21, 1999, ending an eleven-and-a-half-year run across four versions.
Composer Gavin Greenaway scored the parade with vocals sung in an invented language, saying the words were made up to sound like a language because he did not want some people understanding and others not.
The walkthrough pavilion presented interactive exhibits from Brazil, Chile, Eritrea, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Scotland and Sweden, development-project displays from eight Expo 2000 partner nations, a 250-seat World Showplace Theater for international performers, and the Gift of Cuisine food court serving eight regional cuisines.
An artisan marketplace inside the pavilion housed craftspeople from Lebanon, Peru, Thailand, Egypt, Greece, Korea, Venezuela and Ecuador working in a replica Kyrgyz yurt.
Mo'Rockin began performing at the Morocco pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase, playing rock and roll set to Arabian rhythms.
The 25th anniversary announcement was cut from the soundtrack on February 1, 1998, and the resulting version ran to the end of the show's life, catalogued by reference lists as IllumiNations '98.
Off Kilter, a kilt-wearing Celtic rock band fronted by piper Jamie Holton, debuted as a resident live act at Epcot's Canada pavilion on July 1, 1997.
A second version of IllumiNations 25 took over on May 19, 1997, returning to classical music and running about 13 minutes while still marking the 25th anniversary.
The show was restaged as IllumiNations 25 for Walt Disney World's 25th anniversary, running about 12 minutes on a new soundtrack produced by Steve Skorija that set contemporary compositions alongside classical pieces.
The British Invasion, a Beatles tribute band, began performing daily sets at Epcot's United Kingdom pavilion, changing into different Beatles-era costumes for each set.
Miyuki began performing amezaiku, traditional Japanese candy sculpting, as a resident live act at the Japan pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase.
The Magical World of Barbie gave its final performance at America Gardens Theatre in May 1995, and the theatre returned to rotating live-entertainment bookings.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that the show would leave Epcot the following month, with Disney publicist Pam Brandon saying, "Epcot is moving in a new direction. It's just one of those things."
A seasonal edition, Holiday IllumiNations, began playing on World Showcase Lagoon with holiday music and narration by Walter Cronkite, and ran each season through 1998.
Barbie was named Epcot's "Ambassador of Friendship" in 1994.
The original version of the show was pulled for rewrites the day after it premiered, and a revised version returned in time for Christmas 1993.
The Magical World of Barbie, a Mattel-backed live musical, premiered at Epcot's America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase during the Thanksgiving season of 1993, with live performers playing Barbie, Ken, Skipper, Midge and Stacie on a song-and-dance trip that took in an Australian koala rescue, an African safari and a Paris fashion show.
Refurbished with all-new Audio-Animatronic figures and a re-recorded version of the closing theme, 'Golden Dream'.
America Gardens Theatre, until then an open-air stage with bench seating, was rebuilt for the production, gaining a covered stage, a scenic shell in the pavilion's colonial style, upgraded lighting and sound, and backstage space for storing sets and props.
Surprise in the Skies ended its run over World Showcase Lagoon in 1992.
The Epcot Center Ultralight Flightpark closed for theme park use when Surprise in the Skies ended.
Surprise in the Skies opened at Epcot Center as a daytime show staged over World Showcase Lagoon using aircraft.
The show's aircraft were launched from the Epcot Center Ultralight Flightpark, a private-use ultralight airport in Bay Lake, Florida owned by the Walt Disney World Company that had previously launched the 1985-1987 show Skyleidoscope.
Si Xian, the Chinese music ensemble at EPCOT's China pavilion, was already performing by 1990, the year zheng player Ann Yao moved to Florida and began focusing on its show program.
Maelstrom opened on July 5, 1988 in the Norway pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase, carrying guests through Norwegian myth and coastline aboard longship-styled boats before a five-minute post-show film, The Spirit of Norway.
The Norway pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase was dedicated on June 3, 1988 by Norway's Crown Prince Harald, but Maelstrom was not finished and did not open with it.
IllumiNations debuted over EPCOT Center's World Showcase Lagoon as the park's nightly closing spectacular, sponsored by General Electric and taking over from Laserphonic Fantasy.
IllumiNations premiered on the same lagoon six days later, reusing most of the arrangements from A New World Fantasy and Laserphonic Fantasy but rescored for full orchestra instead of synthesizers.
Laserphonic Fantasy performed for the last time on World Showcase Lagoon after more than three and a half years.
Pilot Rick Harper, a 27-year-old cast member, was killed at the Epcot Center Ultralight Flightpark when a bracket joining his ultralight's right wing to the fuselage broke during a practice session and the aircraft nosedived.
Skyleidoscope ended its run in 1987 after the fatal practice crash, with sources placing the final performance at either August 8, 1987 or the fall of that year.
The Dragon Legend Acrobats, a troupe of boys and girls aged 10 to 18 from the Pu Yang Academy of Acrobatics in China, began performing at the China pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase.
Skyleidoscope premiered over the World Showcase Lagoon as a roughly 15-minute daytime spectacle staging ultralight aircraft, boats, kites and fireworks.
A Jules Verne-styled blimp fitted with paddles and gears, designed as Dreamfinder's flying platform, was cut before opening because Florida winds made it difficult to launch and maintain.
In its first season the show played each Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m., and high wind could scrub an entire performance.
The storyline had Journey Into Imagination's Dreamfinder direct about 60 flying, whirling and sailing craft and roughly 80 performers across the 45-acre lagoon against a family of villainous dragons.
Laserphonic Fantasy premiered on the lagoon on June 9, 1984, carrying over A New World Fantasy's soundtrack while adding lasers fired from the barges and from around the lagoon.
Laserphonic Fantasy premiered on World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT Center, succeeding A New World Fantasy as the park's nighttime spectacular.
A New World Fantasy ended its run on World Showcase Lagoon in 1984 after roughly a year of performances.
The show fired lasers from the barges and from around the lagoon, and its "Skater" segment used the first non-continuous lines in a laser animation and the first laser graphics projected onto a water-droplet screen.
A New World Fantasy opened on World Showcase Lagoon as EPCOT Center's second regular nighttime show, taking over from Le Carnaval de Lumière.
Le Carnaval de Lumière ended its run in June 1983 after roughly eight months on World Showcase Lagoon.
A New World Fantasy took over the World Showcase Lagoon slot in June 1983, reusing the same rear-projection barges.
The show reused Le Carnaval de Lumière's floating barges, running two 80-by-30-foot rear-projection screens alongside four fountain-and-firework barges and nearly 700 firework shells, and added "Pichel lights" that moved automatically.
The show was scored to classical music performed on synthesizer, most of which was later released on Don Dorsey's album Busted, though the "Great Parades and Pageants" segment was left off that release.
Le Carnaval de Lumière premiered on World Showcase Lagoon as EPCOT Center's first evening presentation, celebrating world festivals with fountains, film, music and other effects.
The show was staged on floating barges carrying rear-projection screens, with fountain and firework barges between them controlled by Apple computers, scored to "The Festival of Festivals" by Don Dorsey.
Opened on EPCOT Center's opening day as "O Canada!", a roughly 18-minute Circle-Vision 360 film surrounding guests on nine screens in the Canada Pavilion.
Opened as "Wonders of China," a 19-minute Circle-Vision 360° film in the EPCOT Center China pavilion, on the park's opening day.
Opened on EPCOT Center's first day as the centerpiece show of the U.S. pavilion, a roughly 29-minute Audio-Animatronic stage show narrated by figures of Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain.
Opened with EPCOT Center as an original World Showcase attraction: an 18-minute film of French scenery projected across five screens for 200-degree coverage in the France pavilion's Palais du Cinema, scored with French classical music.
O Canada! opened as an opening-day attraction of EPCOT Center, showing a Circle-Vision 360 film of Canada in the Canada pavilion theater.
El Rio del Tiempo opened on October 1, 1982 as an opening-day attraction of EPCOT Center, housed inside the Mesoamerican pyramid of the Mexico pavilion in World Showcase.
The eight-minute boat ride carried 16 guests per craft past a volcano, Audio-Animatronic figures in folk dress, marketplace merchants who bargained directly with riders, live-action film footage, and a finale of fireworks over modern-day Mexico City with oversized marionettes.
Wonders of China opened with EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982 as the China pavilion's Circle-Vision 360 degree film, a 19-minute travelogue narrated by Keye Luke in the guise of the ancient poet Li Bai.
Opened as El Rio del Tiempo (The River of Time), a slow-moving boat ride through Mexico's history and culture, on EPCOT Center's opening day in the Mexico Pavilion.
AllEars documented the Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps as having opened with EPCOT Center and The American Adventure pavilion in 1982.
A local comedy troupe billed as the Olde Globe Players began performing audience-participation street comedy in EPCOT Center's World Showcase, the act that later ran as the World Showcase Players.
The show could be seen only from the stretch of promenade between the Mexico and Canada pavilions rather than from all around the lagoon.
That's every change on the record in World Showcase since 1982.
The spotters in our Discord catch the next one first — and the record only grows when someone notices.