Harmonious soundtrack now available

It only takes a hum to know the music that kicks off the Electrical Parade. One tiny snippet of sound and instantly you know you’re listening to Fantasmic! Just the opening beats of “When Can I See You Again” and you can see Tinker Bell in your mind’s eye leading Paint the Night. Disney music is a gateway to fond memories and the new Harmonious at Walt Disney World’s Epcot has that same power to spark the imagination. This new nighttime spectacular includes vivid imagery and fireworks, but what will be most memorable is the music.

Harmoniouus literally brings the world together through music. Featuring 240 voice from around the world performing 15 different classic Disney songs would be impressive enough, but Disney takes it to a whole new level as they incorporate different sounds and languages into the mix. Listening to the Ndlovu Youth Choir singing a medley of songs from The Lion King in both English AND Zulu is beauty for the ears. Hearing “Out There” from Hunchback of Notre Dame sung in French by France’s own Damien Sargue gives the song new life. Having the opportunity to enjoy songs from Coco in Spanish from Luis Fonsi and Joy Huerta is amazing whether you speak the language or not. Plus, each set of songs is arranged with instruments indigenous to each country giving these classic songs a breath of fresh air. Musically, this is one of the most well done shows produced for a theme park in a very long time (and considering how good many of them are that’s impressive).

Maybe the most impressive song is the multi-lingual mash-up of “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana and “Go the Distance” from Hercules. But you’ll certainly have your own favorites. The entire soundtrack is already available digitally and will soon be released on disc beginning January 21, 2022. With an international cast of singers and musicians, it embodies the spirit of harmony the show tries to invoke. Broken up into ten different tracks, it is largely broken up into segments by geographic area – Middle East (Aladdin), India (Jungle Book), China (Mulan), Afric (The Lion King), Europe (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Brave), Latin America (Coco), and USA (The Princess and the Frog). It closes with a rendition of “Someday” from Hunchback and if you listen to the words it fits perfectly into the theme for the entire show. This collection is a must-have for Disney fans everywhere.

• Thanks to Disney Music Group for a digital copy for review

Album: Harmonious: Globally Inspired Music from the Epcot Nighttime Spectacular
Artists: Various Artists
Cost: $9.49
Produced by: Walt Disney Records / Disney Music Group
Genre: Soundtracks