Impressions de France
Impressions de France is an attraction located within the France pavilion in World Showcase.
| Impressions de France | |
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| The entrance sign to Impressions de France. | |
| Epcot | |
| Land | World Showcase |
|---|---|
| Attraction type | Travelogue Film |
| Opening date | October 1, 1982 |
| Ride duration | 18:00 minutes |
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Contents
Attraction History
Although Disney had always planned on creating a travelogue movie for the France pavilion, Impressions de France went through many changes before making it's debut. Original models for the France pavilion, showed the Impressions de France theater as being round. This has led to speculation that like Canada and China, the concept for the France film may have called for a Circle Vision 360 film.
Instead of being a Circle Vision 360 film, it was decided that Impressions de France would be shown on a 200 degree screen. This allowed guests to sit down while watching the film, although the screen still covered their peripheral vision. Initially, Disney film crews shot 140 different locations for the film, although this number was cut down to 46 for the film's final cut. At filming was complete, Buddy Baker recorded the soundtrack with the National Philharmonic Orchestra at the Abbey Road Studio in London. Impressions de France made it's debut with the rest of Epcot on October 1, 1982, and it has not seen any changes since.
Film Plot
Impressions de France shows guests 46 locations in France, set to classical music arranged by Buddy Baker. Claude Gobet gives guests sparse narration during the film. The scenes (in order) that appear in Impressions de France are:
1. Cliffs at Étretat in Normandy 2. Marais Poitvin, a swamp near La Rochelle 3. Château Chenonceau, shot from the Loire Valley and the gardens 4. Horsemen and hunting dogs in the Cheverny Forest, with Château Cheverny in the background 5. Chambord in the Loire Valley 6. Vézelay Village and church interior 7. Horsecart riding through Riquewihr Village in Alsace 8. Marketplace in Bouvron in Normandy 9. Wine harvest at Monbazillac Vineyard 10. Cognac cave near city of Cognac 11. Fountain of Apollo, gardens, west face and Hall of Mirrors at Versailles 12. Castle Beynac in Dordogne Valley 13. Forest near Château Montpoupon 14. Bicyclists at La Rogue-Gaceac in Dordogne Valley 15. Bicyclists at Château Montpoupon 16. Bugatti race cars in Cannes 17. Hot air balloons near Chaumont Castle on the Loire River and in cliff city of Rocamadour 18. French Alps in spring 19. Mont Blanc in winter 20. Skiers on rocky peaks in the French Alps at Chamonix 21. La Rochelle harbor 22. Brittany fishing boat at sea 23. Rocky beach in Normandy 24. Mont St.-Michel 25. Small church in Brittany 26. Wedding reception at a Brittany farmyard 27. Cliffs at Normandy in Étretat 28. Cliff city of Bonifacio in Corsica 29. Villefranche near Nice 30. Cove at Calanque Cliffs near Cassis 31. Pier in front of Carlton Hotel in Cannes 32. Rooftop restaurant overlooking Cannes harbor at night 33. Railway tracks in hills of Chaporoux 34. Gare du Nord rail station in Paris 35. Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe 36. Boat on Seine River in Paris, under the Pont Neuf 37. Balloon release at Notre-Dame Cathedral 38. Garde Republicaine rides through the archways at the Louvre 39. La Concierge in Paris 40. Garde Republicaine Stables in Paris 41. Eiffel Tower 42. Étretat Cliffs 43. Alps near Chamonix 44. Château Chambord 45. French Alps near Mont Blanc 46. Eiffel Tower
Film Credits
Director- Rich Harper
Producer- Bob Rogers
Score- Buddy Baker
Narrator- Claude Gobet
Watch the Film
To watch Impressions de France, click play below:
Fun Facts and Trivia
- The screens in the Impressions de France theater are 21 feet high an 27 1/2 feet wide.
- The theater that houses Impressions de France is based on a theater in Founteinbleau.
- Impressions de France marked the first time that a film had been completed with an entirely digital soundtrack.
References
http://progresscityusa.com/2012/02/07/82if/
http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2011/09/france_pavilion_part_two.html
