Spend a little time in EPCOT's World Showcase, and you start to notice the details: banners on lamp posts, signs around the pavilions, the times posted for a film you love. Those small things shape a visit, which is why even a minor change can ripple through a loop around the pavilions.
Two pavilions are changing right now, in very different ways. In Germany, a new permit points to signage work. In France, a film that has been part of EPCOT since the beginning is losing its evening showings in 2027. We've separated what's confirmed from what isn't, and we've pointed out a few spots where the details don't quite line up.
At a Glance
- Germany: New Notice of Commencement permit filed by Walt Disney Imagineering, contractor Kentavo, scope of work to install signage
- France: Impressions de France loses its 7:00pm to 8:45pm showings starting January 1, 2027
- Morning showing in 2027: 9:00am to 9:30am
- Open question: Whether the missing evening showtimes are an error
The Germany Permit
Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a new Notice of Commencement permit for the Germany pavilion. It lists Kentavo as the contractor, with a scope of work to install signage.
The filing doesn't say what signage is being installed or where it will go in the pavilion. Disney hasn't shared details.
A String of Projects
The permit is the latest in a series of projects at the pavilion over the past few months. Recent work has included restroom renovations, new roofing on pavilion buildings, new banners around the pavilion, and updates to the model railway display.
The signage permit could tie in with these recent changes, but nothing confirms that.
The Banners You Can See Today
The new banners are already in place, including outside Biergarten Restaurant. One reads “Celebrating Oktoberfest Every Day” and hangs on a lamp post overlooking the outdoor seating area, among the pavilion's stone archways and lamp posts and near the Das Kaufhaus sign.
France: The Evening Slot Goes Dark
Impressions de France 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. Fans who like ending a World Showcase loop with a trip across the French countryside have a few weeks left to do it.
The Palais du Cinéma in the France pavilion splits its day between two films. Right now, Impressions de France opens and closes the day, with the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along filling the hours in between.
Today's Schedule
Through December 31, Impressions de France shows from 9:00am to 9:30am and again from 7:00pm to 8:45pm. Those are the hours the theater returned with in May, as we shared when Disney set the reopening date for the France pavilion films. The app shows the evening window on every date through December 31, including New Year's Eve.
The New Year's Schedule
From January 1, only the morning window remains: 9:00am to 9:30am daily. The 7:00pm to 8:45pm block is gone from every 2027 date currently listed, and the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along keeps its 10:00am to 6:30pm hours.
On January 7, 9, and 10, EPCOT opens at 10:00am, and Impressions de France has no hours at all. On those dates, the Sing-Along starts at 11:00am.
Schedules past January 12 aren't available yet. That means “every 2027 date” really means every date listed so far, and Disney could still bring evening showings back later in 2027.
Déjà Vu From 2023
Disney did something nearly identical in March 2023, cutting Impressions de France to a single 9:00am to 9:30am window while the Sing-Along took over the theater until 8:45pm. Three days later, the evening showtimes returned, with the Sing-Along closing at 6:30pm and the film back at 7:00pm.
That split held until the theater closed for refurbishment in February, and it reopened in May without changes. The film has shared the theater since the Sing-Along debuted in January 2020, and even then, it kept a spot at the end of the day.
The Empty Evening
Here's what's different this time. In 2023, the Sing-Along took over the evening hours the film gave up. The 2027 schedule leaves those hours empty, with no films listed in the Palais du Cinéma after 6:30pm.
That may point to an error. We asked Disney World for clarification and haven't heard back.
Seeing It in 2027
To catch Impressions de France in 2027, 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's little wiggle room, so aim to arrive 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.
Dates to Remember
- September 30, 2019: Disney announced the film 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 hours.
- March 7, 2023: Disney cut the film to a 9:00am to 9:30am window.
- March 10, 2023: The 7:00pm to 8:45pm showtimes returned.
- November 2, 2026: The app shows the evening showtimes dropping starting January 1, 2027.
What Ties the Two Together
Germany's changes are physical and underway, while France's is a schedule change set for the new year. Nothing we've seen connects them. Still, with roofs, restrooms, banners, a model railway, a signage permit, and a film's evening slot all shifting, World Showcase has a lot in motion.
Your World Showcase Notes
Have you noticed 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 around World Showcase, and whether you're planning a last evening showing before the new year.
