Credit: Anthony Quintano, FlickrA walk around World Showcase is one of EPCOT’s quieter pleasures. Each pavilion gives a taste of a different country, and a loop can take as long or as short as you like. Because the pavilions are places guests wander through again and again, even small changes tend to get noticed, whether it’s a new banner on a lamp post or a showtime that slips off the schedule.
Right now, two pavilions are in the middle of changes of very different kinds. In Germany, a new permit points to signage work, following a string of projects over recent months. In France, the classic film Impressions de France is set to lose its evening showings when the calendar flips to 2027. We’ve kept what’s confirmed separate from what isn’t, and we’ve noted a few places where the details don’t quite line up. Here’s the full picture.
Germany: A New Signage Permit
Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a new Notice of Commencement permit for the Germany pavilion at EPCOT. The permit lists Kentavo as the contractor, with a scope of work to install signage. This is a confirmed notice from Disney, as the patent was filed.
Germany’s Recent Run of Projects
The permit is the latest in a series of projects at the Germany pavilion over the past few months. Recent work has included:
- Restroom renovations
- New roofing on pavilion buildings
- New banners around the pavilion
- Updates to the model railway display
The Banners Already in Place
The new banners are already up. You’ll see them outside Biergarten Restaurant, including a “Celebrating Oktoberfest Every Day” banner that hangs on a lamp post overlooking the outdoor seating area. It’s visible among the pavilion’s stone archways and lamp posts, alongside the Das Kaufhaus sign.
France: Evening Showings End January 1
Impressions de France is losing its evening showings when the calendar flips to 2027. The film has been part of EPCOT since the park opened in 1982. Beginning January 1, the My Disney Experience app only lists showtimes in the morning, so fans who like ending a World Showcase loop with a trip across the French countryside have a few weeks left to do it. This is confirmed by Disney, as it is on their official calendar.
The Palais du Cinéma in the France pavilion splits its operating day between two films. Currently, Impressions de France opens and closes the day, while the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along fills the hours in between. That balance shifts in the new year.
What the App Shows Now
Through December 31, Impressions de France shows from 9:00am to 9:30am, then returns from 7:00pm to 8:45pm. Those are the same hours the theater came back with in May, as we shared when Disney set the reopening date for the France pavilion films. The app shows the 7:00pm window on every date through December 31, including New Year’s Eve.
The 2027 Schedule
Starting January 1, only the morning window remains. The app lists Impressions de France from 9:00am to 9:30am each day, and the 7:00pm to 8:45pm block is gone from every 2027 date currently listed. The Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along keeps its 10:00am to 6:30pm hours.
A few dates take the film off the schedule entirely. EPCOT opens at 10:00am on January 7, 9, and 10, and Impressions de France has no hours on those days. On those dates, the Sing-Along shifts its start to 11:00am.
One caveat: schedules past January 12 aren’t available yet, so “every 2027 date” means every date listed so far. Disney could still bring evening showings back later in 2027.
A Familiar Move
Disney made a nearly identical move in March 2023, when it greatly reduced Impressions de France showtimes to a single 9:00am to 9:30am window, and the Sing-Along took over the theater until 8:45pm. Three days later, Disney added the evening showtimes back, moving the Sing-Along’s closing time to 6:30pm and returning the film to its 7:00pm slot.
That split schedule held until the theater closed for refurbishment in February, and it returned in May without changes. Impressions de France has shared the theater since the Sing-Along debuted in January 2020, and even then, the film kept a spot at the end of the day.
One Difference This Time
In 2023, the Sing-Along picked up the evening hours Impressions de France gave up. The 2027 schedule leaves those hours empty, with no films listed in the Palais du Cinéma after 6:30pm.
It’s possible that the lack of evening showtimes and no backfill indicates an error. We reached out to Disney World for clarification but haven’t heard back.
Planning Around the Change
Guests who want to see Impressions de France in 2027 will need to head to the France pavilion first thing. The 9:00am window lines up with EPCOT’s standard opening time on most dates. With an 18-minute film and a 30-minute window, there isn’t much wiggle room, so plan to arrive right at rope drop.
Evenings through the end of the year are the last chance, for now, to pair dinner in the France pavilion with the film.
The Story So Far
- September 30, 2019: Disney announced that Impressions de France would close October 2 for Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along upgrades.
- January 17, 2020: The Sing-Along debuted and took over most of the theater’s daily hours.
- March 7, 2023: Disney cut Impressions de France showtimes to a 9:00am to 9:30am window.
- March 10, 2023: Disney restored the 7:00pm to 8:45pm evening showtimes.
- November 2, 2026: The My Disney Experience app shows Impressions de France dropping its evening showtimes starting January 1, 2027.
Two Pavilions, Two Kinds of Change
In Germany, the changes are physical and underway: roofs, restrooms, banners, a model railway, and now a signage permit. In France, the change is on the calendar: a film’s evening showings disappearing from the schedule. Nothing we’ve seen connects the two. Together, though, they show a World Showcase with a lot in motion, and a good reason to check what’s open before you plan your loop.
Tell Us What You’ve Noticed
Have you spotted the new banners in Germany, or do you have a favorite memory of Impressions de France? Tell us in the comments what you’d like to see in World Showcase, and whether you’re planning a last evening showing before the new year.
