IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth

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IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Epcot
Opening date October 1, 1999
Sponsored by Sylvania

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth is a nightly fireworks show, performed at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort.

  • Debuted in 1999 as "IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth.
  • Presented by Osram Sylvania, a Siemens company.
Lasers are emitted from the buildings around the lake during the show.
Lasers are emitted from the buildings around the lake during the show.
In the finale, the globe at the center of the lake opens to reveal a 20th torch.
In the finale, the globe at the center of the lake opens to reveal a 20th torch.

Contents

[edit] Show structure

The lights dim, and torches are lit around the lagoon. A male narrator then says: "Good evening, and welcome. We've gathered here tonight, around the fire, as people of all lands have gathered for thousands and thousands of years before us, to share the light and to share a story, an amazing story as old as time itself but still being written. And though each of us has our own individual stories to tell, a true adventure emerges when we bring them all together as one. I hope you enjoy our story tonight; Reflections of Earth." (The narration has recently been updated to incorporate the Walt Disney World Resort's "Year of a Million Dreams" campaign.)

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth is split into three acts:

  • Act I: Chaos. (This part uses the Inferno Barge) Chaos signifies the Big Bang and the creation of the Earth.
  • Act II: Order. Order is brought to Earth and the Earth Globe appears. It changes from hot white to red to blue. Images appear on the Globe of countries, famous places, objects, and people.
  • Act III: Celebration. The Earth Globe opens revealing a torch and 1,000 white fireworks are ignited. The final loud fireworks explode and white, perimeter flash and end with a loud crackle.

The show ends with, "Ladies and gentlemen, the entire Epcot family thanks you for having been with us for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, presented by Sylvania, a Siemens company. We hope that your visit to the Walt Disney World Resort has been truly a Magical Gathering to you and yours. We wish you a pleasant evening and a safe journey home. Thank you and good night." The song Promise plays directly after this, followed by the Tapestry of Nations medley as guests exit the park. As the music plays, the continents are laser-projected onto the Spaceship Earth, making it appear as a spinning globe.

[edit] Show technologies

[edit] The Earth Globe

The centerpiece of the show is the Earth Globe, the world's first spherical video display system, which is wrapped in 15,000 light-emitting diodes. The Earth Globe starts its journey from the edge of the World Showcase Lagoon, a 40-acre man-made lake in Epcot, before anchoring itself in the middle of the lagoon. The Globe is 28 feet in diameter and sits on top of a 10-foot pedestal. It weighs 350 tons with 258 strobe lights and 6 computer processors that control the Globe. An infrared guidance system allows the barge to be steered around the lagoon. Slightly fewer than 300 pictures appear on the Globe's spherical 15,000 LED video screen during the show. Century III, an Orlando area film company, edited the video portion of the show. The pictures came from the stock libraries of Image Bank, National Geographic and Archive Films, live footage, and custom created 3-D graphic animation. Jerold Kaplan designed and engineered the Earth Globe. At the end of the show, the Earth Globe blossoms like a flower, revealing the 21st torch towering high above the lagoon. The Earth Globe is considered to be the most complicated piece of show equipment in the world.[citation needed]

The LED video display is run by a Pentium II server running Windows 95/8 using a Serial ATA drive. There are two servers constantly running the same programs at the same time for failover support. If one goes down, they can instantly switch to the other server which presumably will still be running. The video control software, written by Brian Seekford (now CEO of Seekford Solutions, Inc.) for Hitech Electronic Displays of Clearwater, Florida, communicates with on-board PLC's using two interfaces. The serial interface is used to receive the 4 character command codes separated by spaces to signify the end of each command. The NIDAQ (National Instrument Data Acquisition) card is used to provide status back to the PLC's. There are 8 optically isolated status channels. One channel is used to provide a heartbeat signal to tell the PLC that the software is on and functioning. The software was called QuickCon Multimedia Presenter. It was originally so name because it used the Quicktime engine, but was modified to use the Windows Media Player engine. The file formats are uncompressed AVI's passed through a masking filter to put the pixels in the spots for the countries.

[edit] The Inferno Barge

The Inferno Barge is a liquid-propane system that sends balls of fire soaring 40 to 50 feet into the air and on to the surface of the lagoon from 37 nozzles. Up to 300 gallons of propane are used every night for the show. After the park closes, at around 10:30 PM, the "Inferno Barge Burn Off" takes place where any extra propane is blown out, creating a huge explosion.

The Inferno Barge also houses a fireworks launching system. On September 19, 2005, the Inferno Barge was pulled from the show due to the explosion of a firework still inside its mortar tube earlier in the day. The structure took heavy damage; fortunately, no one was injured. The Inferno Barge returned to service on February 1, 2006.

[edit] Fireworks

Walt Disney Entertainment created a new way of launching fireworks by using a compressed air system, instead of black powder, which pollutes more and causes the trail of an igniting firework shell to be seen. The compressed air technology allows for explosions to be timed perfectly with the music and for the desired height of the shell to be reached. A sensor is attached to the shell which allows technicians to control when it is to ignite and explode. Eric Tucker, an award winning pyrotechnics designer, was brought on board to design new fireworks effects. Eric and other IllumiNations creators traveled to China, the birthplace of fireworks, to meet with fireworks manufacturers to create these new dazzling effects. 1,105 fireworks shells are ignited during each show and are launched from 750 mortar tubes and 56 firing modules at 34 locations around the lagoon.

[edit] Lasers

Lasers light the sky with a wide variety of colors including lagoon blue, mint green, pumpkin orange, and lavender. These lasers are so powerful, in fact, that Orlando International Airport has to be notified every night when the show begins, so they can direct airline traffic safely.

[edit] Fountain Barges

There are 4 fountain barges with 40 water nozzles per barge. Each barge pumps approximately 4,000 gallons of water per minute.

[edit] Torches

Nineteen torches are spaced surrounding the World Showcase Lagoon, representing the nineteen centuries that have passed in the Common Era. A twentieth torch is lit at the end of the show when the Earth Globe blossoms like a flower. Each torch reaches 27 feet above the lagoon's surface.

[edit] Soundtrack

Audio samples:

Gavin Greenaway is the composer for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. Greenaway's friend Hans Zimmer, composer of The Lion King, asked Greenaway to take on the project because he was busy with other projects. Zimmer collaborated with Greenaway in the beginning of the process. The score from "Reflections of Earth" was used for ABC 2000 Today, ABC Television's 25 hour-long program that followed the beginning of 2000 around the globe on December 31, 1999/January 1, 2000. ABC also used a modified version for their program ABC 2002 on December 31, 2001/January 1, 2002. Finally, ABC News used a version of the theme for their televised election coverage throughout 2000 and 2004. Most of the score (excluding the Chaos section and the start of We Go On) was used in a laser light show at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill.

[edit] Production

"Reflections of Earth" (Working Title: "EARTH 2000")

  • Executive Music Producer: Steve Skorija
  • Music Score Composed, Produced, and Conducted by Gavin Greenaway
  • Show and Music Director: Don Dorsey
  • Recorded and Mixed by Alan Meyerson
  • Music Supervisor: Dan Savant
  • Music Preparation: Express Music Services
  • Music Editor: Michael Atwell
  • Music Contractor: Isobel Griffiths Ltd
  • Music Recorded: at Abbey Road Studios by members of the London Session Orchestra, possibly including some players from the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Music Mixed at Media Ventures
  • Music Coordination by Savant Productions
  • Video project manager for Century III and editor for the Earth Globe visuals: Oliver Peters [1]

"We Go On"

"Promise"

  • Executive Music Producer: Steve Skorija
  • Music Score Composed, Produced, and Conducted by Gavin Greenaway
  • Lyrics: Don Dorsey
  • Recorded and Mixed by Alan Meyerson
  • Music Supervisor: Dan Savant
  • Vocal Solo: Kellie Coffey

View pictures of the show taken by creator Don Dorsey at his website: Don Dorsey Productions

[edit] Releases

The complete show soundtrack can be found on these releases:

There was also a shortened version of the show soundtrack on a promotional CD when you bought Energizer batteries in 2000.

[edit] Narration

Jim Cummings (the voice of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, as well as other characters) provides the narration at the beginning of Reflections of Earth:

Good evening, and welcome. We've gathered here tonight around the fire as people of all lands have gathered for thousands and thousands of years before us... to share the light... and to share a story. An amazing story as old as time itself, but still being written. And though each of us has our own individual stories to tell, a true adventure emerges when we bring them all together as one. I hope you enjoy our story tonight: Reflections of Earth.

[edit] Christmas version

Starting in 2004 during the holiday season, the finale from Holiday lllumiNations is played after "We Go On". A female announcer says, "And now, at this special time, as we embrace a promise of a new year, we would like to offer one final message." The song "Let There Be Peace On Earth" is played as the Earth Barge closes. After that, there were messages of "Peace on Earth, good will to men" in several languages. When a language is spoken, the pavilion lights up. Walter Cronkite then says, "During this glorious time of year there is one message that rings out around the world in every language. Peace on earth. Good will to men is a wish to hold in our hearts throughout each passing year. A gift of immeasurable value. A treasure being handed down with care, from generation to generation. And so our holiday wish is that everyone, everywhere share in the spirit of the season. Peace on earth, good will to men." The song continues with an uninterrupted firework display, ending with a loud explosion of fireworks.

[edit] 4th of July version

The show is shown around 10:00 PM and after the show, the song Yankee Doodle plays and fireworks shoot up from the roof and back of the American Adventure Pavilion. There were more fireworks in the lagoon as if fireworks were marching along with the drumbeat. Then Stars and Stripes Forever plays. There were tons of cheers when the song is played and the Earth Barge displays images of American independence during a flute solo. Then there were tons of fireworks during the finale, which creates a smokescreen and as the music ends, the smoke has been cleared out. And the show ends. However, in 2006, it's in a different way. Selected songs were played for the 230th year of US independence. At the end, the song The Battle Hymn of the Republic was heard, as fireworks shoot up from the back of the American pavilion. Just before the end of the tag, hundreds of fireworks shoot up in the lagoon as the show ends. Just as the crowds exit, a song is played, the American pavilion is outlined, and the Earth Barge displays the US flag. The laser projection in the US pavilion (projecting to Spaceship Earth) displays "America: Celebrating 230 Years of Freedom".

[edit] New year version

The show is shown twice during New Year's Eve, at 7:45 and 11:45 PM. After the last show (11:45 PM), an introduction for the New Year's Eve countdown was heard. The Asian pavilions (Japan and China) go first, followed by those in Europe (Italy, Norway, France, Germany), after that, the countries of those in the GMT time zone (Morocco and the United Kingdom). During that presentation, fireworks shoot from the back of each pavilion. After those, it's finally the turn of North America (United States of America, Canada, Mexico). Then the people, along with the female announcer, count down along with a dong (which came from the American pavilion). Then Auld Lang Syne plays. The people cheer and greet "Happy New Year!" along with a dazzling display of fireworks. It ends with a huge fireworks display. After that celebration, everything (but the people) calms down. Every New Year's Eve, Epcot stays open until 1:00 AM.

[edit] Notes

  • IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth was originally named IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth for the Millennium Celebration that took place from October 1, 1999 to January 1, 2001. The show was so popular that its run was extended, and the "2000" was dropped from the title.
  • IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth replaced IllumiNations (98).
  • The show lasts about 12 minutes.
  • The music was recorded with a 71-piece philharmonic orchestra and a 30-voice chorus.
  • The show was co-devised by longtime Disney entertainment producer Ron Logan.
  • Footage of the now defunct Tapestry of Nations parade can be seen on the globe towards the end of the show prior to We Go On.







[edit] Show facts

[edit] References

  1. ^ Siemens 2005. "Siemens will sponsor several rides and attractions at Walt Disney World Resort including ... the nighttime Epcot fireworks show, “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth,”" http://www.sylvania.com/AboutUs/Pressxpress/Innovation/LightingNews%28US%29/USLIGHTINGNEWS0106.htm
  2. ^ Siemens 2006. "Siemens will sponsor several rides and attractions at Walt Disney World Resort including ... the nighttime Epcot fireworks show, “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth,”" http://www.sea.siemens.com/automat/GOAmerica/Archive/2006%20March.pdf

[edit] External links

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