News Wishes to be replaced with new 'Happily Ever After' nighttime spectacular

[InsideDisney]

TIP: If you are gonna see the show don't stand right in front of the castle, To get the best fireworks view stand in the middle of mainstreet but not too far from the castle.

 

[mergatroid]

TIP: If you are gonna see the show don't stand right in front of the castle, To get the best fireworks view stand in the middle of mainstreet but not too far from the castle.

Looks great from a little way back

 

[Disone]

TIP: If you are gonna see the show don't stand right in front of the castle, To get the best fireworks view stand in the middle of mainstreet but not too far from the castle.

Excellent tip.

 

[AEfx]

If you think f! Is pop-ish in the context of HEA theme you need some help. F! Theme is orchestra oriented with brass and strings heading it... with choral singers. Its melodies are actually reminiscent of prior Disney parks soundtracks. If anything it sounds late 80s Disney stage show (the overplayed dance numbers and chorus singing). Contrast this with HEA which is straight from the Disney channel catalog of teen duet singers anchored with a regular drum line. That's why it's getting labeled pop-ish.

Yeah, when I read some of this I honestly wonder what show they watched, because while as I predicted, of course, there is a segment that will love this new direction, but I don't see how anyone can not clearly see what that direction is.

I also see many straw-man arguments. I may have missed it, but I don't see anyone complaining that they should have used more "old" films like people are claiming. What I have said, and I've seen others It's not the films they chose but the style of music itself. Even something as new as Frozen has "classic" style Disney music. This Radio Disney stuff isn't it.

 

[AEfx]

My vision is fine, thanks. This new direction is amazing!! I truly hope every new MK fireworks show is like HEA!!

That's great. Nothing wrong with being a fan of Teen Disney-style soft-pop ballads. It's not my cup of tea, I guess we will see how the public reacts once the guest ratings start coming in.

 

[The_Jobu]

Looks great from a little way back

That's the one. It's too bad they dont make that available for download.

Even something as new as Frozen has "classic" style Disney music. This Radio Disney stuff isn't it.

Having just listened to it, I know exactly what you mean. I'm not musical per se, so it's hard for me to quantify but it does have that "sound".

 

[marni1971]

TIP: If you are gonna see the show don't stand right in front of the castle, To get the best fireworks view stand in the middle of mainstreet but not too far from the castle.

It's kind of been like that since 1975

 

[aladdin2007]

has anyone found a vid yet or know of one without all the screaming and audience noise?

 

[dreamscometrue]

Thanks!

I did watch this..

As did I.

 

[EvilChameleon]

has anyone found a vid yet or know of one without all the screaming and audience noise?

Oh man, the audience noise is the best part of watching these videos. You can tell the crowds are really excited. Loud cheers after loud cheers every time some recognizable characters popped up on the castle. Loudest might have been for the Moana segment.

 

[Gringrinngghost]

Query, for my wishes video multi-angle... would you want a static shot of the castle or highlights of the show during the exit music?

I made a poll for this, if you can help out that's great! http://www.strawpoll.me/12966649

And to wet your appetite a bit a screen grab from it:

 

[MTBaymax]

has anyone found a vid yet or know of one without all the screaming and audience noise?

Maui: "You're welcome." (The cheering is a bit less; you at least get to hear more soundtrack)

 

[tirian]

That is my reaction.

I have no problem with the visuals whatsoever. I loved the projections, and more pyro is always better but I thought there was almost enough of that as well. My only real gripe was I wasn't terribly impressed with the spotlight/laser things - they need some color, they just kind of look too Studios to me.

But the music? I felt like at least half of it was like sitting on a bench having a smoke at (again) the Studios and listening to Radio Disney through an atmosphere speaker. I personally didn't know most of the songs. And I wasn't impressed with what I heard. Thing is, the music/narration is really what makes the show special. I've seen more impressive fireworks before, but I always feel like, "nah, it's just not right, only Disney does it right" and it's the music (along with the Castle itself, of course).

The majority of the music is way too pop ballad-y, over the top, cheesy, fake-heartstrings nonsense. With the vocals, it was almost like some of those Scientology propaganda songs. It's very...late 1980's, and not the fun 1980's - it's reminiscent of the part that started to get bland as we turned into the 90's, and comes across as utterly void of feeling.

You can hear it in the audience reaction. What are the parts they cheered at? The Genie music. Ursula. Pirates. Tink. What do they have in common? The only stuff that had music they somewhat recognized and/or related to Wishes.

As super-fans who want fresh, variety, etc., because we pay way too much attention to this stuff, I see why some like it. It certainly is...different. But if we are gonna be real about it, the one time to give people what they want and serve up the real classic Disney, it's the Castle Fireworks. The one time to pile on all the nostalgia and be unapologetic about it. Most people are only going to see the legendary Magic Kingdom Castle Fireworks once, or maybe a handful of times in their lives.

I agree it was far overdue for an update. Disney should be updating at some of the music yearly. Instead, they just pretty much started over, and in an attempt to get away from Wishes, they took out many of the things that are the very essence of what makes the Castle Fireworks a legendary thing to begin with.

Thoughtful response

 

[tirian]

For me, Wishes was more along those lines than HEA.

I really hate it when Disney pours on the syrup with children singing about dreams, magic, and wishes. Much prefer to have a show just based around the songs from the movies which almost always pack more of a punch than the stuff that's written specifically for these extravaganzas.


I was wondering whether this might not be smart considering that the generation that grew up on those films is now having their own children and getting to the stage of taking their first family WDW trips. I'm not much into Disney apparel, but I do have a t-shirt that just has the symbol from Hercules' medal from the film on the front and I almost never wear it when I go to the US as I get kind of tired of people recognising & commenting on it. So, perhaps it is a generational thing?

I'm a 20-something millennial. The movies showcased are totally my generation.

 

[tirian]

It IS a fact this show is better off not being polluted with the same songs over and over again. Whether YOU chose to accept that is an entirely different story. But like I said, you purists will hate everything which is why I don't even know why I bother. Lol.

Wow. Angry much? I really like this new show, but don't feel the need to rail against anyone who disagrees with me. Tacking an "Lol" on the end doesn't hide vitriol.

 

[freediverdude]

Well if it's all millennial Disney channel stuff then maybe I won't bother going to see it then. I was going to this week, but now I don't know. I feel like I'll walk away disappointed, and I don't want to do that at MK.

 

[peter11435]

Well if it's all millennial Disney channel stuff then maybe I won't bother going to see it then. I was going to this week, but now I don't know. I feel like I'll walk away disappointed, and I don't want to do that at MK.

Go see it for yourself. Don't let a few people on here influence your opinion.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Well if it's all millennial Disney channel stuff then maybe I won't bother going to see it then. I was going to this week, but now I don't know. I feel like I'll walk away disappointed, and I don't want to do that at MK.

It's not. It's Tarzan, Aladdin, jungle book, tangled, moana, frozen, lion king, little mermaid, princess and the frog, toy story, villains etc. It's a great range of Disney songs, with a beautiful new song for the open/finale.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Just finished watching the official Parks Blog video.

MUCH better than Wishes, there's no comparison here. Not that much pop-style music overall.

Love how many different movies they included. Hunchback, Hercules, Mulan, Moana, Princess and the Frog, plus the usual stuff like Toy Story and Frozen. No Star Wars (unlike Illuminations and Ignite the Dream) was also a plus.

MK finally has something new worth bragging about compared with the other castle parks.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Is it possible that some of us are not immature tweens but rather adults who can appreciate the artistic direction of converting the ironic "Love is an Open Door" into an acoustic ballad?

Let's be clear, Hallowishes was the first MK-style show to use contemporary versions of classic songs and it was the most-highly rated of the Wishes shows.

I have received word that the initial response from guests to Happily Ever After is terrific. Not that we should be surprised. And of course we should include the caveat that this is after two showings and the initial crowd for a new show likely has a bias. Not too many folks marching into City Hall demanding a refund due to song-style. In fact, the most-common response is some form of "amazing."