EPCOT IllumiNations - The ORIGINAL - 1988 - Part 4 of 4

This is the original version of IllumiNations, recorded back in March 1988, shortly after EPCOT began presenting it. For about the first half of this presentation (parts 2 and 3), each of the countries are highlighted that, at that time, were located around the World Showcase.

Yes, this video is dark, and zooming was not implemented while taping, so each of the countries are difficult to see, especially at the smaller size. Hopefully, you can still tell what's going on and get the gist and feel of Disney's first and ORIGINAL presentation of EPCOT's IllumiNations.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• epcot
• illuminations
• disney
• fireworks
• laser
• world
• showcase

[shadowfox1383]

Wait for it! Here comes the crescendo! 3:05 YES!!! (Laughing maniacally) How beautiful! Is it not? (continues to laugh maniacally)

[shadowfox1383]

1:56 Hey, I believe that's the ending to the Firebird Suite.

[cancerman50]

However I also now remember was green lasers from the American Adventure. It did turn out that we were there, unknownly, on their 25th aniversery. I wonder if that had anythign to do with it?

[cancerman50]

Yeah, I remember that zip zag fashion in 1997. However I can't find that anywhere on YouTube. This is the cloesest.

[ajs41]

Thanks for the reply. Some people in our family assumed the reason they changed IllumiNations in the 1990s was because there were too many dumb people who didn't understand anything about classical music and the different countries, etc. I don't know if there's any truth in that, but I loved the version from the early 1990s.

[nairda38]

The music stayed the same until the 25th anniversary edition.

What did change was the order of the countries. Whereas the original showed the countries in a clockwise motion around WS, later versions showed the countries in a zig-zag motion (I think the order was Jpn, Mex, Mrc/Fra, Chn, UK, Ger, Can, Ita, USA). Don't know what year they changed it up, though.

Another difference was that they upgraded the fireworks technology so that there were fewer errant shots (as seen in this video).

[ajs41]

Thanks so much for posting this! We have a video of IllumiNations from February 1993. Do you know whether that was still essentially the same version as this video in 1988? Our first trip to Disney World and Epcot Center was in October 1988, followed by trips in Feb 1990, Dec 91-Jan 92 and Feb 93. We used to love the classic version of IllumiNations where music was played from a composer from each country and the lights of that country would come on at the same time. Shame they stopped it.

[dbuck12001]

Fantastic! Brings back many happy memories as this was the ILLUMINATIONS I saw first. It is the first and for me, the best.

[rackas321]

I love ROE but this one's nice too, and for the time it's amazing.

[pauld0672]

well it was interesting seein this as ive only ever seen reflections so i was excited at the chance of seein the original, however im so dissapointed at it, i no it was prob great bein there at the time but compared to reflections there are hardly any firworks, i think the new show is much more heart warming and makes a better message of we go on!!