IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth was a nighttime show performed nightly at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The show utilized fireworks, pyrotechnics, water fountains, fire effects, lasers, searchlights, and a large rotating globe with curved LED screens to create a visual production on the park's World Showcase Lagoon.
| IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth | |
|---|---|
| Epcot | |
| Area | World Showcase (World Showcase Lagoon) |
| Status | Removed |
| Cost | US$25,000 per show |
| Soft opening date | September 22, 1999 |
| Opening date | October 1, 1999 |
| Closing date | September 30, 2019 |
| Replaced | IllumiNations '98 |
| Replaced by | Epcot Forever |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Fireworks, laser, water, fire, and light show |
| Designer | Walt Disney Creative Entertainment |
| Theme | Story of Earth/New Millennium Celebration (2000) |
| Music | Gavin Greenaway |
| Site area | 21,120 sq ft (1,962 m2) |
| Propulsion | Conventional fireworks with limited additional Air Launch Fireworks technology |
| Sponsors | General Electric (1999–2003) Siemens (2005–2017) |
| Firework shells | 2,800 |
| Previous name | IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth (1999–2001) |
Fastpass+ available | |
Assistive listening available | |
The show told the story of Earth and was divided into three movements titled "Chaos," "Order," and "Meaning", emphasizing the idea of humanity as a single unified tribe on this planet. The lagoon was surrounded by nineteen large torches signifying the first 19 centuries of the common era, and the show culminated in the globe opening like a lotus blossom to reveal a twentieth torch, representing the now-completed 20th century.
Created and directed by Don Dorsey, the show premiered on October 1, 1999 as IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth as part of the Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration. It was so successful that after the celebration ended, the 2000 was dropped from the name and the show continued. The show has received several awards throughout the years including 11 straight Best Outdoor Night Production Show Golden Ticket Awards (2005–2015). The show's final performance was on September 30, 2019. It was initially replaced by Epcot Forever which premiered on October 1, 2019 and later by Harmonious which premiered on September 29, 2021. A week after the last-ever show, the globe was disassembled and destroyed and sent to a scrapyard.
IllumiNations and the versions of the productions before it remain the only Disney nighttime spectaculars at EPCOT that did not feature any intellectual company property (other than their original songs) and focus solely on cultural soundtracks that honor the countries represented in World Showcase. The only remotely similar production is LuminAria at Disney's California Adventure in Winter 2001.