On May 11, 2017, Disney’s nighttime fireworks show at Magic Kingdom, Wishes, will have its final show. Happily Ever After, the new show, will debut May 12. Reactions from Disney fans range from devastated to hopeful.
Over the past 14 years, Wishes has been a favorite of visitors to Walt Disney World. The story of believing in your wishes and dreams, and being careful what you wish for, has tugged at the heartstrings of the young and old. So the new show has a lot to live up to.
We first saw Wishes in 2005 on our honeymoon, so it has special meaning to us. We make a point to see it multiple times every trip, even getting park hopper passes just so we can return to Magic Kingdom after spending the day at another park. We’ve even watched Wishes from the Polynesian beach on a trip to Orlando when we didn’t have any park tickets. When we heard that Wishes would be ending, we were not happy at all! So, you can say it’s going to take a lot for this new show to impress us.
That being said, I’ve learned to never judge something from Disney before you have experienced it yourself. This past week, the Disney Parks Blog released a preview of Happily Ever After and I have to admit the music was promising. Disney’s castle projections have always been impressive and who doesn’t like lasers, but I hope the story makes it a show that goes beyond just visually appealing.
In just a few days (hopefully sometime this summer for us) people will get to experience it for themselves. I predict that some will hate it, some will love it, and others will be somewhere in the middle. Or maybe it will be so amazing that we all develop a new love. Only time will tell.
Word of Mouse 
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