The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
The story of HEA is driven by what happens on the castle, by what is projected through projection mapping. This is the essence of the show. At heart, HEA is a projection mapping show with an inordinate amount of fireworks thrown in because that's what people have come to expect in a castle park (and from the castle + fireworks combo that opens every Disney movie - even if that can no longer be seen at the actual parks)It’s a bit much for me, too. Disliking HEA due to artistic decisions is perfectly reasonable (full disclosure: I loved Wishes and love HEA) but claiming it’s not a firework show is a bit unreasonable. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for folks to say it’s #NotMyFireworksShow
Even the non-fan mainstream press caught on to the change from fireworks to projection mapping shows:
With the new Happily Ever After fireworks show at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, however, the fireworks have been upstaged. In fact, no pyrotechnics appear until well over a minute into the presentation. It's not that the fireworks are incidental exactly. Plenty of bursts still light up the Florida park's sky. But they've been relegated to a co-starring role at best. Along with the musical soundtrack, spotlights, and lasers, fireworks often support the show's true main player: digital projections.
Projection mapping, in which digital content is projected onto three-dimensional surfaces such as buildings, first appeared at the Disney parks a few years ago. Initially, the shows were stand-alone presentations that were occasionally punctuated with a few fireworks. The imagery, which is designed to fit the contours of the structures, used to be more abstract, with bright colors and shapes lighting up and animating buildings such as Disneyland's "it's a small world" façade and the Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle.
As the artistry and technology evolved and the imagery became sharper and brighter, the projected content included brief animated vignettes featuring Disney's beloved stable of characters. Essentially, projection mapping shows have turned the parks into drive-in theaters with the castles and other structures serving as enormous screens.
Essentially, projection mapping shows have turned the parks into drive-in theaters with the castles and other structures serving as enormous screens.
Now, virtually every nighttime show at a Disney park incorporates projections. (The show technology is even making its way indoors on rides and attractions.) It's likely that Wishes, the fireworks spectacle that debuted in 2003 at the Magic Kingdom and closed earlier this year to make way for Happily Ever After, will be the last Disney World show to focus solely on pyrotechnics.
With so many things competing for attention in Happily Ever After, it's sometimes hard to know where to look. However, the focus is often more on the castle than the fireworks bursting above it. "For this show, we wanted the castle to be the storyteller itself," says Michael Young, the show's creative director.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ngdom-happily-ever-after-fireworks/479786001/
Projection mapping, in which digital content is projected onto three-dimensional surfaces such as buildings, first appeared at the Disney parks a few years ago. Initially, the shows were stand-alone presentations that were occasionally punctuated with a few fireworks. The imagery, which is designed to fit the contours of the structures, used to be more abstract, with bright colors and shapes lighting up and animating buildings such as Disneyland's "it's a small world" façade and the Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle.
As the artistry and technology evolved and the imagery became sharper and brighter, the projected content included brief animated vignettes featuring Disney's beloved stable of characters. Essentially, projection mapping shows have turned the parks into drive-in theaters with the castles and other structures serving as enormous screens.
Essentially, projection mapping shows have turned the parks into drive-in theaters with the castles and other structures serving as enormous screens.
Now, virtually every nighttime show at a Disney park incorporates projections. (The show technology is even making its way indoors on rides and attractions.) It's likely that Wishes, the fireworks spectacle that debuted in 2003 at the Magic Kingdom and closed earlier this year to make way for Happily Ever After, will be the last Disney World show to focus solely on pyrotechnics.
With so many things competing for attention in Happily Ever After, it's sometimes hard to know where to look. However, the focus is often more on the castle than the fireworks bursting above it. "For this show, we wanted the castle to be the storyteller itself," says Michael Young, the show's creative director.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ngdom-happily-ever-after-fireworks/479786001/