First Look: EPCOT's New Voices of Liberty Costumes Inspired by Vintage Americana

7 days ago in "Voices of Liberty"

Voices of Liberty New Costumes for 2025
Posted: Tuesday January 14, 2025 3:07pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

EPCOT's International Festival of the Arts is known for showcasing creativity in every form, from live performances to culinary art. This year, the Voices of Liberty a cappella group is joining the celebration with a new set of costumes that will be worn year-round, except during the holidays. The design represents a blend of traditional inspiration and modern sustainability.

The new costumes will debut during the festival later this week, highlighting the art of costume design. The pieces were crafted by Disney Live Entertainment's Creative Costuming team and were carefully tailored to enhance the group's performance experience in both style and functionality.

A Design Rooted in History and Harmony

Costume Designer Josh shared that the team drew inspiration from the grandeur of the American Adventure rotunda where the group performs. The color palette was influenced by a vintage American flag, creating individual yet cohesive looks for each performer. "We wanted the costumes to reflect how individual voices come together as one," Josh explained.

The result is a set of looks that captures both the elegance of their surroundings and the musicality of their performance.

For comparison, here are the current Voices of Liberty costumes as seen in late 2024.

Sustainable Materials and Thoughtful Construction

Sustainability played a key role in the costume design. Costumer Aubry selected fabric made from over 50% recycled materials, which could also be custom-dyed to match the specific shades chosen by the design team. "This allowed us to stay true to our vision while making environmentally conscious choices," Aubry noted.

The group's daily performances require comfort and mobility. Each fitting included movement demonstrations to ensure performers could sing and gesture freely. Special attention was given to the costumes for vocal captains, who often need added flexibility in the shoulders and back while conducting.

The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts begins January 17, 2025.

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    Ayla3 days ago

    The tops are way too similar to the Dumbo CM's costumes.

    wdwfan223 days ago

    They are better than what they had before. They still look like they should be in fantasyland outside small world.

    Mr. Sullivan3 days ago

    I know, it was a rhetorical question.

    HauntedPirate3 days ago

    The most recent costumes were clearly mentioned in the post.

    Mr. Sullivan3 days ago

    Have you like...seen the ones these are replacing?

    TrainsOfDisney3 days ago

    Prejudice of who? Bob? I don’t get him at all. I get Eisner, and can at least understand some of his faults (and he indeed had faults) but Iger I have no clue what makes him tick. But if you meant of Bob’s fans on this site? Just don’t defend everything he does with “Disney is a business” - which you don’t.

    HauntedPirate3 days ago

    Shill. 😉 You’ve asked out loud many of the questions I had in my head on these new costumes.

    MisterPenguin3 days ago

    Collaboration is key in a project like this – not just within the Costuming team, but also in partnership with the Voices of Liberty cast. “When we fit our performers for costumes, we make sure they demonstrate movements they might need to make during the show, which can vary person to person,” Aubry explained. “For example, our vocal captains use a wide range of arm movement while conducting, so comfort and mobility in the back and shoulders is of extra importance.” Marketing lies... 1. The vocal captain's arm movements are barely movements. They don't direct the singers like an orchestra conductor needs to. They bring their hand chest high and pinch their fingers. 2. If one person needs room in their shoulder for this minimal conducting, how does that explain that every other peice of clothing on every other performer is oversized and baggy? Are they going to do Rockette kicks? Are they going to do gymnastics? “We wanted to create a cohesive look that celebrated the grandness of the rotunda in which they perform and the impact of their musical presentation through incorporating a visual aesthetic of music itself,” explained Josh, Costume Designer with Disney Live Entertainment. When it came to the color palette, he found inspiration from a vintage American flag. This allowed him to create unique looks for each performer while still coordinating with the whole group, illustrating the way in which individual voices come together as one. Marketing lies... 3. What vintage flag? I'd like to see it. What vintage flag had three shades each of burgundy, yellow, and blue? 4. What they're wearing does not mesh with the rotunda in color or design. 5. The visual aesthetics of music? You put musical decals on them? Like a little boy putting fire decals on a toy car to make it go faster, do musical iconography make the performers sing better? Do they clue the guests listening them sing realize that what they're doing is... music? Maybe they could wear drum and cello costumes instead to better get the idea across.

    WorldExplorer3 days ago

    The women look like they should be hanging out in front of a cottage in the woods offering my MMO character in-game currency if I get their magic staff back from the goblin that stole it. The men look...um... I don't like it.

    MisterPenguin3 days ago

    What if The Voices of Liberty guest-starred on an episode of Scooby Doo? 🤔 (From a post in another thread...) What if American Colonialist wore leisure suits? 🤔 (And now, to roast the original costumes...) What if The Voices of Liberty could only wear curtains and sofas? 🤔 The holiday costumes are perfect, tho. 😍

    MisterPenguin3 days ago

    This "Bob's friend" doesn't like it. So, what are you going to do with that information? The question's rhetorical. I know it won't lead to a re-evaluation of your prejudice.

    Old Mouseketeer3 days ago

    Absolutely hideous. Why would they ever think of borrowing costumes from Toontown? Of the four generations of Voices of Liberty costumes, these are far and away the worst. The original opening day costumes were loosely based on a college project of mine from the US Bicentennial in 1976--each singer was an American archetype and the unifying factor was a muted pallet of red, white, and blue. This is totally undocumented so I'm not offended by skepticism (but I was there and I know what happened). In hindsight this was a clever look for a college choir, but a little academic for Disney. The longest lived were the mid-late 19th century ball gowns. These were identified by the year they represented (such as 1860 or 1883). They were magnificent and worthy of the stately rotunda of the Pavilion. The most recent contemporary red and blue outfits and their predecessors were a long-time alternative for Voices, mostly for special events outside the pavilion. I suspect that Post-Covid they were a convenient, cost-effective alternative because some garments could be purchased off the shelf. Remember, union performers don't share costumes. Now we have these abominations. They remind me of the so-called "Donald Duck Chair" in the Haunted Mansion. At least they're not mint green like the gown Carrie Coons wore as Bertha Russell in the Finale of The Gilded Age season 1. I truly hate these. They detract from the performance rather than enhance it.

    ᗩLᘿᑕ ֊ᗩζᗩᗰ4 days ago

    All I see is Circus Ringmaster. Scratch that, it's seemingly equal parts: Frontierland, Fantasyland, Liberty Square and Main Street USA.

    Disone4 days ago

    They are better than the choir looking costumes. They're nowhere near as good as the original costumes. Overall I don't really like them. There's just something..... Off about them.