Hold on because EPCOT’s new nighttime show is a rollercoaster of emotions

Grab a tissue, Disney fans because Walt Disney World’s newest nighttime spectacular show is a tearjerker.

“Luminous The Symphony of Us” debuted Tuesday at EPCOT, the same day as the park’s unveiling of World Celebration Gardens and the new Walt the Dreamer statue.

“A lot of emotion is where we kind of went with this one,” Steve Davison, creative executive for Disney Live Entertainment, told USA TODAY. “You just feel it, and even without seeing some of the visuals now, people just cry when they hear the soundtrack.”

Here are five things to know about “Luminous”:

1. There are no projections

Unlike other Disney nighttime spectaculars, “Luminous” does not use projections.

“This will be a whole thing, ‘Ooo, why aren't there projections in the show?’” Davison predicted. “On purpose. Because by putting projection in the show, we're telling you what to see. By not putting it there, by using color and light and texture and sound, we're letting you paint your own journey in your mind.”

Instead of projecting clips from films, “Luminous” personifies water, conveying human experiences like love and loss with fountains coming together and drifting apart. Loss doesn’t necessarily represent death in the show.

“We don't want to tell you how to feel. We want to give you the opportunity to take your own life experiences and apply that,” said Tom Williams, executive producer for Disney Live Entertainment.

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2. As its name implies, the show is about us

“With the last show (“Harmonious”) for the 50th, it was great because we kind of explored how Disney and the world came together,” Davison said. “For this show, it's about the human connection and bringing people together. Especially post-COVID, I think people have had a hard time connecting again, like how do we talk to people?”

“Luminous” gets the conversation going by gathering everyone around the World Showcase Lagoon.

“It starts with this big invigorating (drum sequence), kind of gets you all excited and then we launch it into a blackout. And then out of the blackout comes the first voiceover and it basically says welcome to the great gathering, and then we go around the lagoon,” Davison said. Each country pavilion joins in. At one point in the show’s development, the voice of Figment also welcomed guests, but that portion was changed.

Using music, water, light and fireworks, the show takes guests on an emotional journey from birth through family, friendship and love. “Even loss – we have a section called loss that's very endearing – and then found,” Davison said. “I guarantee you if you have children, you will hug them at some point in this because it makes you remember those special things.”

3. It’s still Disney, but different

In addition to two original songs, “Luminous” features several songs from Disney films in new ways.

For example, four mothers from around the world sing “You’ll Be in My Heart” from “Tarzan” in various languages. “There are dads that come in too, but I did it like a round, almost like ‘Row Row Row Your Boat,’ so it just layers on top of itself in a beautiful way,” Davison said.

Other familiar songs include “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin, and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from “Lion King.” The loss section tugs on heartstrings with “When She Loved Me”  from “Toy Story” and “Recuérdame” from “Coco.”

“They're great storytelling devices. And secondly, it lets children into the show in a different way because children know this music, but now they're hearing it differently,” Davison said.

4. It may make you cry, but not for long

“People will cry,” Davison said. “It's just one of these things where if you allow yourself to have that emotion, let it … just for once in the darkness.”

The show’s creators actually crafted a moment for just that kind of reaction at the end of the loss section. But they don’t dwell there for long. With bursts of light and brand-new types of fireworks, the show’s finale reminds guests that they are never alone.

“‘Luminous’ is about how we all bring our light to the world and how we can let that shine and let others see it,” said Williams. “The thing that takes us out of that time where we feel like we're all alone is calling out to others and letting them shine their light so that we can see it, so our light can shine back.”

5. The barges aren’t permanent

The show’s creators want guests to talk about “Luminous.”

“Even if you end this experience and you look at somebody you didn't even know and say, ‘Well that was really beautiful,’ and you have even a simple conversation, it starts exactly what we want to have happen,“ Davison said. “Not people being isolated anymore.”

One thing that won’t be a talker with this show, however, is the barges. Unlike the “Harmonious” barges that critics panned for remaining parked in World Showcase Lagoon throughout Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebrations, the “Luminous” barges go away.

“They come out every afternoon. They go back to their little home to get ready for the next day,” Williams said.

Davison called their profiles purposely demure, but that doesn’t mean they’re less powerful. The bigger barges actually house smaller ones that break away and move around the lagoon.

“We used to have eight surrounding barges on the outside. We've expanded that to 12, which then makes the experience even bigger.” Davison said. “It will feel a lot bigger than it did before.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: EPCOT’s new ‘Luminous’ show is trying to make us all cry