The Tapestry of Nations was a

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

at the

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States, that ran around the World Showcase Lagoon from 1999 to 2001, after which it was rethemed as Tapestry of Dreams. The parade had a unity and

world peace World peace, or peace on Earth, is the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on Planet Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts on how such a state would ...

theme and featured a variety of large

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

s and massive rotating drum units with drummers dressed like kings. The puppets were designed by Michael Curry who also designed the puppets for ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

'' on Broadway and a variety of Disney theme park shows. The leader of the parade was the Sage of Time (better known as the fabled

Father Time Father Time is a personification of time. In recent centuries he is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, sometimes with wings, dressed in a robe and carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device. As an image, "Father ...

), who was represented as a stilt walker in an elaborate

costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people. The term also was tradition ...

featuring

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

trim on a white

robe A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoils" ...

(featuring the

Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

MM for 2000 at the bottom), a staff, and a

headpiece A headpiece is an object worn on the head for decoration or protection. Headpiece may refer to: *A typically thin metallic crown, headband, or tiara worn around the forehead. Commonly worn by ancient rulers, such as Cleopatra, headpieces usua ...

resembling a

sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

with a face. The Puppets included: * ''Reverse Marionette'', a large multicolored puppet with a little

marionette A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or reveale ...

being held in its arms. * ''Disc Man'', a large character with discs within the body and

dreadlocks Dreadlocks, also known as locs or dreads, are rope-like strands of hair formed by locking or braiding hair. Origins Some of the earliest depictions of dreadlocks date back as far as 1600–1500 BCE in the Minoan Civilization, one of Europe' ...

. This was the heaviest and tallest of all the puppets. * ''Hammer Man'', a

humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and ''-oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. The earliest recorded use of the term, in 1870, referred to indigenous peoples in areas colonized by Europeans. By the 20t ...

character made of pieces of

sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Thicknesses can vary significantly; ex ...

. * ''The Sprite'', a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

ed character with a three tiered tail. * ''Angel Girl'', a

feminine Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered fe ...

figure with a massive

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

and human face. * ''Wiggle Girl'', similar to Angel Girl, but had a smaller wingspan and lacked a face, also had movement in the hips. * ''Bird Man'', with a large wingspan and a crane-like face. This puppet was the hardest to control. * ''Aztec Man'', with an

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...

-style head, small wingspan and several

flap Flap may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film * Flap, a boss character in the arcade game ''Gaiapolis'' * Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' Biology and he ...

s at its end, similar to

kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...

s. The parade (or a variant of this) was also the theme for the

halftime show A halftime show is a performance given during the brief period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of div ...

Super Bowl XXXIV Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 NFL season, 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champ ...

in 2000. Both the parade and the halftime show were directed by Gary Paben. Footage of the parade could still be seen on the Earth Globe in IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth through that show's closure in 2019.

Tapestry of Dreams

In 2001, the parade became Tapestry of Dreams. Wishes from children around the world were heard throughout the parade's soundtrack. The middle of the parade had a tribute to

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

, "...the greatest and most wonderful dreamer of all!" with Bill Rogers (the voice behind most of the announcements at Walt Disney World Resort) narrating. In this version, the Sage of Time was replaced with the Dreamseekers, a trio of elf-like

characters that would open and close the parade and collect Dreamtale coins that children would receive at the

Kidcot stations. These three (voiced by Jodi Chase, Chris Truelson and Scott Wayrock) included: * Leonardo Columbus, who represented discovery,

invention An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...

and genius. * Elfin, who represented

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

and emotions. * Cosmo, who represented

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

and the unknown. It ran nightly, although in a reduced fashion compared to Tapestry of Nations and was canceled in March 2003 as a result of degrading show elements over the course of the show's lifespan.

Variations

Besides the Tapestry of Dreams version, there were three variations of Tapestry of Nations, each having differences in audio. The original version, with only the ticking and chiming of clocks with narration from a more stoic Sage of Time being used, ran from the parade's debut in October 1999 to the middle of December 1999. Known as the Diversity Pass, this version included a parade lineup of repeating segments separated by floats, with each segment containing one of each style of puppet. This version was shown during the first performance each night (usually at 6:30 PM). For the second nightly show (usually 8:10 PM), the introduction was changed with the addition of the legend of the Sage of Time and a re-recording of the Sage's voice to give him a more gentle tone. This pass was known as the Unity Pass, and grouped all of each style of puppets together in the parade lineup. Sometime in December 1999, this version became the standard, running twice nightly until the Millennium Celebration's conclusion in the spring of 2001. After this, changes to the script brought in the theme of human dreams, which would carry on to the Tapestry of Dreams version, though still retaining the opening narration and the character of the Sage of Time. This version ran to the middle of the summer of 2001 when the Tapestry of Dreams version finally debuted. Outside of Epcot, Tapestry of Nations served as the theme of the

halftime show and featured a massive sized Sage of Time as a backdrop in addition to an appearance by the parade's walkaround version.

Soundtrack

The music for the parade was written by

Gavin Greenaway Gavin Greenaway (born 15 June 1964) is an English music composer and conductor. He is the son of Roger Greenaway. Early life and career Educated at Strode's College and Trinity College of Music, Greenaway started working with his father bef ...

, who was suggested to Disney by

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, Oscars and four Grammy Awards, Grammys, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmys and a Tony Awar ...

. Regarding the lyrics, Greenaway said:

The words are made up to sound like a language, as I didn’t want to have some people understanding and others not. So, this way, nobody understands the words! But I chose the sounds and syllables to sound like some sort of proto-language. Very simple vowels and limited consonants. Each listener can attach their own meaning.

The ''Millennium Heartbeat'' section, which was released on the ''Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration'' CD track, was not featured in the parade, as it lasted about a minute and a half, and was substituted by a different transition section which lasted about 50 seconds and still heavily featured drums, but added a slower version of the theme including lines from the chorus. On September 25, 2019 during a 20-year cast reunion, Gavin Greenway along with Gary Paben finally revealed the meaning of the word A-La, known only to Greenway, Paben, Davies, and a select few Disney executives. During a presentation to the more than 250 performers who attended the reunion, it was revealed that A-La translated to "grateful." For Epcot's twenty-fifth anniversary celebration on October 1, 2007, a special fireworks finale to Illuminations was set to the Tapestry of Nations and the Tapestry of Dreams soundtrack. Tapestry of Nations *''Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration'' (1999) Tapestry of Dreams *''Illuminations: Reflections of Earth / Tapestry of Dreams'' (2001) Tapestry of Dreams "Suite of Dreams: Discovery" *''Magic in the Streets: Parade Memories'' (2001) The music from the "Hymn to the North" segment from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony, composed and produced by

David Atkins David Atkins, OAM (born 12 December 1955) is an Australian dancer, choreographer, music-theatre director and producer. Career Stage and television Atkins began his performance career aged 12 with a role in the musical ''Mame''. As an adult p ...

was based on the Opening section from the Tapestry of Nations soundtrack.

COVID-19 Performance

When the COVID-19 Pandemic closed much of the country, the Tapestry Alumni joined other current and former Walt Disney World stages and attractions in creating independent, unofficial performances to bring Disney parks experiences to the homes of fans. Along with such alumni groups as the Kids of the Kingdom, Festival of the Lion King, and The Great Movie Ride, the cast and crew of Tapestry of Nations recreated their show during the COVID-19 quarantine. Premiering live on YouTube on August 15, 2020, Tapestry of Nations: Quarantine Edition featured a panel of former performers and staging specialists talking about their time with the show, followed by a performance of the entire parade. More than 150 alumni cast members and their families recreated the processional, building homemade puppets, performing the original choreography, and recreating the special effects used with the original show. As an added element, the cast read real messages of thanks to the first responders and essential workers, replacing the original show's Sage of Time dialogue. Tapestry Alumni and Tapestry of Nations: Quarantine Edition Executive Producer William Campbell has expressed interest in continuing to build upon the next generation of interest in the show and connecting with fans through the performance's YouTube Channel, Tapestry of Nations Alumni Archives. According to posted videos and associated comments, the Alumni Archives is working on extended footage reels, as well as a long-form documentary.

References

External links