Harmonious Barges Damage the Beauty of Epcot: Guest Complaints Begin, Imagineer Mocks Complaints

Perhaps the new barges at Walt Disney World’s Epcot will create the most amazing nighttime show in the history of Disney Parks. Given their controversial appearance in World Showcase Lagoon, they’ll need to do just that. The pitch black monstrosities are being likened to giant metal tacos and a Stargate portal during the day; photos show they’re quite the eye sores when it comes to the park that once was a beacon of beauty.

EPCOT Mexico pavilion behind some of the staging of Harmonious. These barges will be a large fountain in daytime. pic.twitter.com/hsWbzVwxig

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 28, 2021

Water screen of Harmonious seen from the Japan pavilion. Compare to aerial view in first photo of this Thread. pic.twitter.com/ha4QgS6DtH

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 28, 2021

Japan pavilion behind center barge of Harmonious. pic.twitter.com/S3npBcT1A9

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 27, 2021

Sources say these garish, metal structures are already drawing guest complaints. Unfortunately, it would appear that the designers behind Harmonious don’t have a backup plan, and the fortune already spent means we’ll be blessed with the draconian barges for a decade or more. While you might think this article is a bit hyperbolic and over the top… just consider that World Showcase was an incredible view from every angle around the park — a marvel in theme park design. Now, when guests enter World Showcase and look across the lake to American Adventure, they see this instead:

American Adventure centered behind the center barge of Harmonious. This view from front of gift shop on West side of Showcase Plaza. pic.twitter.com/iQOLw0Zm1W

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 27, 2021

There was a time when WDI was focused on sightlines, on beautiful architecture, on making sure everything was superbly artful. But the same crew that brought us Galaxy’s Edge rubble has delivered another “beauty”, and this time it has desecrated what many artists and laborers worked so hard to achieve decades ago. It’s sort of symbolic of what Disney was and what it is now. A lake with so much love and attention put into celebrating the cultures of our planet, now marred by giant steel tacos and a death halo. It’s something…
_______

Update 10:27 PM EST:
We’ve just discovered that a Disney Imagineer is mocking the essentially universal complaints about the ugly barges destroying the visuals of Epcot. It’s hard to see why Imagineer Chris Kidder would think laughing at fans is good show.

DisTwitter vs Reality 🤣🤣🤣#Epcot #Harmonious #WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/OrQOhd7SQH

— chris kidder (@chriskidder) February 27, 2021