A half hour before the night show at EPCOT, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, begins; the torches placed around World Showcase Lagoon light up and a selection of carefully chosen ‘world’ themed music begins to play. In my opinion this collection of music is a Disney Treasure. The sound and theme of each song captures the essence of what Illuminations is meant to communicate and builds anticipation for show.

Unlike much of the other music you’ll hear around the Walt Disney World resort, Disney did not write nor compose these songs. Rather these songs were licensed for use from their respective artists. As such, you can’t find this music on any ‘Disney: Music From the Park’ album or collection — though why Disney hasn’t seen this collection of music as a sales opportunity escapes me. To build your own playlist of these songs, you’ll have to purchase each of them separately. Currently, the only tack unavailable for single -MP3 purchase is Tula by Cucso.

The songs, in the order they play are (click on the song title to hear a sample):