Q: I was listening to my recently purchased album of Four Parks: One World, and I could have sworn that I heard Fantasmic! playing. I checked the name of the song, and it was the entrance melody to Epcot. I just got back from Disney, so I know that the opening notes of Epcot’s theme are extremely similar if not identical to Fantasmic!. Is there any connection between the two songs, or am I just hearing things?
Jonathan, Aiken, South Carolina
A: That track, known as “Legacy,” is by composer Steve Wood; you can find out more about him at http://www.stevewoodmusic.com/stevebio.htm. The Fantasmic! theme was by Bruce Healey. According to Epcot composer Russell Brower, the “Legacy” track introduction is similar to John Williams’ Star Wars or Superman openings (a fanfare technically known as a “brass pyramid”), with a melody harkening back to The Rocketeer, Soarin’, and Fantasmic!.
Dave Smith