3 years ago I went to Epcot for the first time in 10 years and near openly wept at the audio-visual spectactular that was Harmonious. We listened to the soundtrack in the car on Spotify on the way back to the hotel that night and have done so frequently ever since.
Imagine my surprise to hop on the internet and read the Harmonious was an abomination that will surely herald the antichrist. "Ok", I thought. "I'll give the learned park-goers the benefit of the doubt".
Fast forward to last week when I visited Epcot again to watch Luminous.
I'm not saying Luminous is a bad show. What I cannot understand is why there was such vitriolic animosity towards Harmonious when, in my view, Luminous just doesn't hit the same at all.
Harmonious had spectactular music; incredibly thoughtful arrangements of Disney classics across multiple languages with each section inspired by a different region of the world. Coupled with awesome visuals and fireworks timed perfectly to the music, it was moving, powerful and uplifting in every way.
Now, before you jump in the comments, allow me to read your thoughts right out of your brain:
"Harmonious was a terrible show because there were barges that were blocking the views across the lakes, also there shouldn't be Disney IP in the Epcot show, also there was 'no story', therefore it was 'objectively bad'"
Putting aside the somewhat gatekeep-y tone, none of the above are dealbreakers for me at all.
Barges - sure, it is better to have an unobstructed view across the lake, but what you'll notice is that Luminous also has barges that are rolled out mid-afternoon (though not as large as Harmionious', sure). To me this is a technical challenge to address - find a way to have barges for Harmonious that can be collapsed/removed during the day without scrapping the show altogether.
Disney IP - I don't see the issue here. It uses recognisable songs in a creative way to resonate with the international (and "harmonious") core idea of the World Showcase. The "internationality" element is the central point of Harmonious.
No story - I saw IllumiNations many years ago and it is entirely possible that it is far better than I remember. I don't remember it well enough to really know "what's missing" from Harmonious, but I do completely respect that Harmonious may have been quite the departure from what many people were used to with IllumiNations.
In conclusion: I can only assume that IllumiNations was positively life-changing to witness, because all the complaints have meant that Harmonious is now gone and what's replaced it just doesn't do it for me at all. If Luminous is your favorite show, I completely respect that.
Now come forth and downvote me into the nether regions of hell next to Harmonious where I clearly belong.