Palais du Cinéma

Palais du Cinéma: attraction at EPCOT, Walt Disney World — live wait times, operating status, and planning data on MouseHub.

Wait time history

Historical wait patterns for Palais du Cinéma accrete daily as MouseHub records waits every 15 minutes. Charts appear here once enough history exists.

Visitor sentiment

4.4· 5 Google ratings

The MouseHub take

Palais du Cinéma is the theater in EPCOT's France pavilion, and it runs two films on one screen. Most of the day belongs to the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, a 15-minute film directed and produced by Don Hahn, the producer of both the animated and live-action Beauty and the Beast, with narration from Angela Lansbury, who played Mrs. Potts in the original. The rest of the schedule goes to Impressions de France, which has played here since EPCOT opened on October 1, 1982, spreading the Loire Valley chateaux and the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles across a 200-degree widescreen view.

Which film you get depends on when you walk in, and that is what decides who leaves happy. Families with young kids get songs they already know, while EPCOT regulars come for the travelogue and sometimes arrive an hour off. The building itself does the same job either way. It is dark, it is cold, and the seats are padded, which counts for a lot halfway around World Showcase. The lobby holds Tales As Old As Time, six gallery cases of costumes, music, and artwork from French stories that reached the screen and the stage.

At a glance

Best for
Anyone who wants a cold, seated break in the middle of a World Showcase lap, and EPCOT regulars who still plan around Impressions de France.
Skip if
Screen-based shows do nothing for you, or you have one EPCOT day and cannot spend part of it sitting through whichever film happens to be running.
Ride type
Indoor theater running two films in rotation
Intensity
Gentle. A dark room and a loud score, with no motion at all.

The good

  • Buddy Baker's score carries the travelogue
    Baker wove original music together with Debussy, Ravel, and Satie, then recorded the digital score in London with a 100-piece philharmonic orchestra.
  • The 1982 film is still on the schedule
    Impressions de France has run here since EPCOT opened on October 1, 1982, and Disney upgraded it to 4K projection in 2020. Few opening-day films anywhere are still showing on their original screen.
  • Angela Lansbury narrates the sing-along
    Don Hahn directed and produced the film, and Lansbury narrates it after playing Mrs. Potts in the original animated feature.
  • There is a gallery inside the building
    Tales As Old As Time fills six cases with costumes, music, and artwork from French literature as it reached cinema, theater, ballet, and opera, including the stories behind Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast.
  • The air conditioning does half the work
    The theater runs colder than most rooms in World Showcase. Sitting in it during the afternoon heat does more for the rest of your day than either film does.
  • You get padded seats, not benches
    Cushioned individual theater seats, which is a real chance to rest your feet rather than a few minutes off them.
  • Wheelchair and ECV users stay put
    Disney's guest policies list this theater as May Remain in Wheelchair/ECV, so there is no transfer at the door. Confirm on the official page before your trip if that affects your party.

The bad

  • The sing-along rewrites the story
    Disney bills the new animation as a twist on a tale as old as time. Viewers who came for the film they grew up with tend to find the rewrite unnecessary.
  • You do not get to pick the film
    Both films share one screen and one schedule, so the one you want may not be the one running when you walk in. People hoping for the travelogue report turning up to the sing-along instead.
  • Nowhere to sit before the doors open
    The holding area is hard tile with no benches, so that part of the wait happens on your feet.
  • The screen shows its seams
    The joins between the projection panels are visible during both films, and the picture does not hold up next to a modern digital theater.

Veteran tips

  • Check showtimes before you cross the pavilion
    The two films alternate on the same screen. Look up the day's schedule in the My Disney Experience app or the Times Guide before you commit the walk, because the France pavilion is a long way to backtrack.
  • Sit back and toward the center
    The screen wraps 200 degrees, and the back rows are where it resolves into one picture instead of three. Cast members will send you to the far end of the row, so choose your row on the way in.
  • Use it as the afternoon heat break
    Cold air and a padded seat in the worst part of the day is why plenty of people go in, whichever film is running. Save it for the stretch when World Showcase stops being fun.
  • Bring a layer if you are damp
    A rainstorm or a water ride earlier in the day plus this much air conditioning makes for a cold sit.
  • Give the gallery cases a few minutes
    The wait for the doors is when to look at Tales As Old As Time. It is the one part of the building you can see without committing to a film.
  • A crowd outside is not a long wait
    The theater empties all at once between films, so the line you see clears when the show inside ends rather than moving a few people at a time.
  • Skip the Lightning Lane planning here
    Neither film is on Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Pass at EPCOT, so there is nothing to book and no selection to spend. Walk up.

MouseHub editorial, written from visitor reports and official Disney sources. Last reviewed .

Sources