Figment Fiascos and Guardian of the Galaxy Glimpses at the 2022 Epcot International Festival of the Arts
January and February were always weeks where Epcot seemed especially dead. But Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts has not only helped fill the park, it’s become a classic of its own. From the rainbow colored lights of Spaceship Earth to the sights and sounds of Disney on Broadway at the American Gardens Theatre, we explore what’s new and what’s returned to this annual event. We talk about progress on projects around Epcot to include the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy coaster. We also deep dive many of the dishes offered during the festival, and we explore what’s up with this whole Figment popcorn bucket. If you are still planning on attending in the little time remaining, or if you are looking at this possibility in the future, check out this podcast where we give you the inside scoop. And we look ahead to what’s happening with the International Flower & Garden Festival coming up shortly.
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Spaceship Earth & Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Spaceship Earth added a touch of the muppets as they created a light show based on “The Rainbow Connection.” See it in this video on YouTube.
Meanwhile a New Nova Corps Starblaster has emerged in front of Guardians of the Galaxy. Imagineer Kevin Doxey takes us on a tour of this ship’s installation below:
You can see stylized theming occurring on the backside of the side panels making you wonder if this pathway directly from Spaceship Earth is a permanent one. Let’s hope so!
By the way, have you ever wondered why Guardians of the Galaxy is in Epcot and Tron is in Magic Kingdom.
Festival Foods
Below is a list of treats sampled during the festival, with a rating system of 1 star (* Not Worth It) to 2 stars (**Pretty Good, but not Repeatable) to 3 Stars (*** You Definitely Must Try It!)
- Pop Eats: Port of Entry: Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese**
- Pop Eats: Almond Frangipane Cake layered with raspberry jam and Belgian chocolate***
- Deco Delights: Dulce Chocolate Mousse with chocolate crémeux and dark chocolate truffle
- Deco Delights: Decadent Valrhona Chocolate with dark chocolate mousse, chocolate brownie, and cassis mousse
- Deco Delights: Orange Mousse with lemon cake and raspberry meringues**
- Mexico: Taco de Chocolate: Chocolate candy shell filled with Mexican chocolate mousse with a touch of chile topped with seasonal fruit*
- Canada: Wild Mushroom Risotto, Aged Parmesan, Truffle Shavings, and Zinfandel Reduction**
- American Adventure: Beef Wellington: Mushroom duxelle, prosciutto, and puff pastry with red wine demi-glace and baby vegetables**
- American Adventure: Pistachio Cake with cherry mousse and morello cherries**
- American Adventure: Symphony in Chocolate Flight: Cream liqueurs paired with Sipping Chocolates***
- Encanto Cocina: House-made Chorizo and Potato Empanada with turmeric aïoli and annatto aïoli **
- Encanto Cocina: Spicy Ajiaco Soup with guajillo and árbol chili-spiced chicken, potato, avocado, corn, and crème fraîche*
- Japan: Chicken Kushiage: Breaded and fried chicken with yum yum sauce and vegetables***
- Japan: Sushi Donut: Donut-shaped sushi featuring salmon, tuna, shrimp, cucumber, and sesame seed over a decorated plate of wasabi aïoli, sriracha, and eel sauce***
- Japan: Sake in a traditional personalized wooden cup
Figment Premium Popcorn Bucket with Rainbow Popcorn–Sold Out
Retail
There has been recent criticisms around the retail for this festival. Consider the following:
- The bulk of the retail for this festival resides in tented kiosks along World Showcase Promenade.
- The presence of these artists date back to the Festival of the Masters, held in Downtown Disney, and previously as part of Lake Buena Vista Marketplace
- Someone on another podcast suggested it would be nice if all of this was kept inside World Showplace.
- The tents occupy a great deal of spectator space for Harmonious
- Some of the product looks the same year end, year out. Still other pieces, were unique and very cool.
Exclusive Festival Activities
From Artful Photo Ops to Chalk Paintings; From the Paint-by-Number Murals to a Chalkful of Characters found throughout World Showcase.
Disney on Broadway
My personal favorite highlight of the Festival of the Arts is the Disney on Broadway Concert series. Below are two performances by Arielle and Adam Jacobs who played in differing tours of “Aladdin”. They are brother and sister.
The first is “Whole New World” sung by both.
The second is “Circle of Life” sung by Adam.
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