Walt Disney (DIS) has based a lot of its business around nostalgia. That's true in its movie division where it has mined its animated classics for live-action films that parents who saw the former as kids take their children to see the new versions.
The company's deep history and archive of content has been a key part of its Disney+ streaming network and nothing that has ever been successful for the Mouse House seems to go away forever. That has often been true at the company's theme parks where both Disney World and Disneyland have brought back fan-favorite parades and nighttime shows periodically.
That's nostalgia the company has doubled down on during Disney World's 50th-anniversary celebration, but sometimes an old favorite returns because it makes economic sense for the company, not due to popular demand. That's sort of what's about to happen at Epcot where a major show is ending and an old one will be brought back until a new one is ready.
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Epcot Forever Makes a Surprise Return
Disney World's nighttime fireworks shows are highlights of many people's visits to the company's theme parks. The nighttime spectacular at Magic Kingdom, which includes projections on Cinderella's Castle, might be the best-known of these shows, but Epcot has a grand tradition of fireworks/laser shows that can be seen around the lagoon at the World Showcase.
"Harmonious" has been the nighttime show at since 2021. It indirectly replaced "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth," which was Epcot's nighttime show for years. In the interim, between the two shows, "Epcot Forever" was the nightly show.
That happened because Disney needed a show that required very little special equipment while it built what was needed for "Harmonious." Now, after the company had told fans at the D23 Expo that the current shows would close in 2023 to make way for a completely new show later this year.
In the interim, Disney will bring back "Epcot Forever."
Big Epcot Fans Saw This Coming
Many regular Epcot visitors assumed that the theme park would not be able to transition from one complex nighttime spectacular to another without time for work to be done. They speculated that "Epcot Forever," or a variation on it, would fill the void.
That's exactly what's happening as Disney shared a statement laying out the end of "Harmonious."
"Before the new show launches, we will bring back 'Epcot Forever' as an interim show over the skies of World Showcase Lagoon starting April 3. Similar to how it appeared in 2021, 'Epcot Forever' is the perfect offering while our Entertainment team preps the Lagoon, including a phased removal of fireworks platforms following the final 'Harmonious' performance on April 2,' the company shared.
Disney has not said when the new show would debut (or what it will be called) but it did remind people what "Epcot Forever" was (and will be again).
"A limited-time spectacle of lasers, lighting, special effects, and fireworks, 'Epcot Forever' returns with a collection of songs that offer both a trip down memory lane and a look toward the future," the company added.
