Epcot’s beloved ‘Impressions de France’ closes, as pavilion prepares to welcome ‘Beauty and the Beast’

In keeping with the rest of Disney World’s efforts to cram as many intellectual properties into park experiences as possible, the Guinness World Record-holding Impressions de France film at Epcot has closed, at least for now.

The France pavilion theater is now preparing for a new Beauty and the Beast sing-along, ending what had been the longest-running daily screening of any film. When the theater reopens, it will host both Impressions de France and the branded sing-along.

Known as the Palais du Cinéma, the Impressions de France theater will receive a new digital projection system and a new exhibit in the pre-show gallery area. During the closure, the Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure stop within the pre-show lobby will be unavailable.

The updates to the France theater are part of a broader multi-year overhaul of Epcot. Both Canada and China, the only other country pavilions to host film attractions, will see completely new films debut next year. France will receive the Ratatouille dark ride in a brand-new expanded area of the pavilion that will also see a new crêperie, both of which are expected to open within the next twelve months.

Next door, in the U.K. pavilion a new Mary Poppins attraction is in the works, though a timeline for its opening has yet to be shared, and isn’t expected within the next two years. But the most substantial updates to Epcot will take place in the front of the park, where Future World will be reimagined as three distinct lands, each with brand new offerings and upgrades to existing attractions.

New attractions within the area currently 

known as Future World include a Moana walk-through attraction, a coaster themed to Guardians of the Galaxy, and a Play pavilion filled with Disney characters. A new multi-level Festival Center is also planned for Future World. Those updates will open in phases beginning next year and stretching well into the mid-2020s.

Last week also saw Epcot’s long-running “IllumiNations” nighttime show retire, with a temporary Epcot Forever show taking its place ahead of Disney intellectual property driven HarmonioUS show debut next year.
No opening date for Palais du Cinéma has been confirmed, but the new Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along will debut in the updated theater in January.

Stay on top of Orlando news and views. Sign up for our weekly Headlines newsletter.

This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2019.