The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure Exhibit debuts today at EPCOT’s American Adventure Pavilion. File this under opinion because I have a lot of opinions on this “exhibit.”

Unlike other exhibits brought into the pavilions, this one was not placed in the American Heritage Gallery and instead replaced the many paintings showcasing the history and spirit of America.

I’m not trying to be contrary, but these look ridiculous!

The instruments, music and small exhibits on pedestals look okay and are interesting, but the IP laden, infographic posters, in place of the paintings look terrible. They look rushed and cheap.

The “Soul” posters don’t even do justice to the actual important pieces like Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, being showcased.

FULL TOUR: ‘The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure’ Debuts at EPCOT https://t.co/L5AYHks0rQ pic.twitter.com/jx0LMEqkwO

— BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) February 1, 2021

The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure display is now open in the rotunda of the American Adventure. #WDW #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/xz4o30cYjD

— LaughingPlace.com (@laughing_place) February 1, 2021

The Disney Parks Blog said:

“Our team at Walt Disney Imagineering is thrilled to bring the compelling story of jazz to EPCOT, and we were honored to work with jazz experts and institutions across the country to explore the rich history and influence of this ever-evolving genre of music. We hope you are as inspired by what we discovered as our Imagineers were bringing this exhibit to life.”

This doesn’t seem like you put in a lot of work. Honestly, it’s a bit insulting to the subject matter, given how much effort, consideration and beauty seem to go into the American Heritage Gallery.  All to shove in “Soul” IP.

Disney you can do so much better than this!

The Disney Parks Blog also mentioned that:

” And soon you’ll be able to use the Play Disney Parks mobile app to interact with the exhibit and test your knowledge of jazz.”

Is that where all the effort went? Into the mobile app?

We replaced the iconic paintings in the rotunda area with infographic posters?

For comparison:

I would think Jazz deserved better, but since it’s really about promoting “Soul” and Disney+ the effort must not have mattered as much.

I knew they were going to change it and I wasn’t happy about it, but I thought they would try harder than that. You are allowed to like it, but for me it’s a hard pass. Hopefully we’ll get either the original paintings or something better soon. I would have thought they would at least do some kind of painting to showcase Jazz at the same level the other paintings were done at. Then they could have one more painting to display later.

It is what it is. Maybe I’m more critical because I’m an art teacher and I’ve seen the amazing displays they’ve done before.

Source: Disney Parks Blog, Twitter (all tweets belong to the accounts that posted them.)