Sometimes Walt Disney World does the right thing and fixes bugs, big or small. That’s exactly what happened today when EPCOT’s Best Picture schedule was (partially) restored. This post shares the updated hours of operation for Impressions from Franceand pats you all on the back for a job well done.
We talked about that earlier this week Clearly unpatriotic changes for Impressions from France. I won’t repeat this post in full, but in short, Walt Disney World updated its operating plan, which resulted in this Impressions from France officially opens at 9:00 am and closes at 9:30 am daily. The Beauty and the Beast sing-along ran the rest of the day from 10:00 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
That was the content of the change, but of course we spent another 2,000 words complaining about the decision. It also included a call to action for fans of Impressions from France to express their dissatisfaction with Walt Disney World. Many of you have reported doing just that and, well, Mission accomplished!
According to the latest Walt Disney World operating hours calendar on both the official website and the My Disney Experience app Impressions from France still opens at 9am and closes at 9:30am but also reopens at 7pm and operates until 8:45pm.
Over and beyond, Impressions from France will also be screened at the Palais du Cinema during Early Entry at EPCOT for hotel guests at the Walt Disney World Resorts onsite from 8:30am to 9:00am. So that’s it technically an extension of the seasons for Impressions from France compared to the same time last week!
The Sing Along for Beauty and the Beast is now shown from 10am to 6:30pm. Regardless, we strongly recommend avoiding the Palais du Cinema of the French Pavilion between 10am and 6:30pm.
Better alternatives are Mission: Space Orange, even if you suffer from motion sickness, or, I don’t know, climbing the Mexican Pavilion. (Both are jokes. Don’t do those things, but neither do the awful sing-alongs.) If you need a nap, consider the Pixar Film Festival instead. That is, unless you need nightmare fuel! Then be sure to check out the stupid sing-along.
We’ll likely never know why Walt Disney World went back to the previous schedule Impressions from France so fast The company certainly won’t come out and say it was a mistake or that this change was due to fan backlash. They probably wouldn’t even use softer language, like “due to feedback from our guests and popular demand…”
All of this would open Pandora’s box and lead to more letter campaigns and petitions, even with the slightest changes that upset fans. And it’s not as if that hasn’t already happened – if the links to change.org spammed in random comments on this blog are any indication, Walt Disney World fans love their petitions!
I doubt Walt Disney World will offer an explanation for this Impressions from France Restoration of game times. If they did, it would likely be to minimize things. That there was a planning error Impressions from France move to the morning and that it was quickly fixed as soon as it was identified. That’s about the only thing lie statement that I could see offered, and even that will probably not come true.
Personally, I’m hoping this is a prequel to the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along being fully retired. No one should be subjected to this atrocity, not even the people who say Dino-Rama is good because of its (allegedly) brilliant backstory. As a reminder/warning, this sing-along ranks #88 on our list Ranking of all 88 attractions at Walt Disney World. We gave it a 0/10 in our attraction rating; the next lowest attraction score is 3/10. There are only a handful of attractions that score below 5/10, and no other park in the world achieves a 0/10.
As we noted in the previous post, this isn’t just a personal vendetta. The Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along isn’t particularly popular even with its target audience. It doesn’t draw large crowds or lines, and I refuse to believe it does well on guest satisfaction surveys or that families are clamoring to see it late at night. Although it’s relatively new, features a popular animated film, and is one of the few family-friendly attractions in World Showcase, it seems to underperform.
In trying to understand the shifting of seasons, one possibility that was raised by readers in the comments to the last post was that there was an internal argument over singing along to Beauty and the Beast could. As a result, a “test” could have been conducted to see if the sing-along performed better when presented at night. While I don’t have insider insight, I found this to be a plausible scenario.
However, I don’t think this would have happened in less than a week. If Walt Disney World had actually monitored popularity at different seasons, the test would have taken longer…unless the immediate results were very conclusive.
My strong suspicion is that respectful fan feedback actually made all the difference here, prompting Walt Disney World to quickly restore evening show times Impressions from France.
This story has garnered a lot of attention from the fan community and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the number of people who have sent polite emails voicing their concerns or who have stopped by EPCOT Guest Relations at the thousands would have gone. For a film over 40 years old Impressions from France has a strong and passionate fan base. (I suspect it also has favorable demographics on its side — older fans who frequently dine at World Showcase.)
So kudos to you all for a job well done. It’s not every day that the fandom actually convinces Walt Disney World to reverse a decision. On the contrary, the success rate of such things is quite low. Your emails must have been pretty convincing – maybe some of you have a future in the wonderful world of blogging! 😉
With that in mind, I would caution you not to feel encouraged to complain about anything and everything. Certain changes cannot and will not be undone because greater forces are at play. The key is to recognize such opportunities and seize them. If you complain about anything at Walt Disney World—but keep visiting and spending money—you are effectively silencing your own voice. It becomes easy for the company to ignore you because you never settle for words, but always give the impression that you are taking action.
Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting that fans shouldn’t speak up if they’re unhappy (that much should be obvious – I’ve previously encouraged you to reach out to Disney about this Impressions from France). What I’m saying is that it’s important not to let it get to your head. Choose your battles, realize what a losing cause is and only fight the winnable battles.
Finally, give praise where it is due. If the only time Walt Disney World ever hears from you is when you’re upset about something, but you take 4 trips a year and lose an obscene amount of money, it belies your words. As a final note, you could send a thank you email after your next trip or stop by Guest Relations when you leave EPCOT after a lovely dinner and show. Let them know how much you appreciated being able to catch Impressions from France!
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HER THOUGHTS
What do you think of the change of date Impressions from France? Will this make it easier for you to watch the best film in EPCOT? Happy that this means fewer guests aren’t accidentally exposed to the “Beauty and the Beast” sing-along? Do you have questions that we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback – even if you don’t agree with us – is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts in the comments below!
