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

[stuart]

Watched it again with the video here and you can appreciate it even more when viewed from distance compared with the parks blog video - which had to showcase everything best it could.

Picked up on more things this time too, such as the single shell at the start of the Brave segmemt representing the arrow, and the twin circle being the target. Absolutely first class.

 

[huwar18]

Wishes will always have a special place in my heart. However, Happily Ever After blew me away. It exceeded all of my expectations. I loved that they used Hercules and Hunchback. They are so underrated. Hunchback has some of the best music (IMO). One of my favorite parts was they used Love Is an Open Door instead of Let It Go. I am so glad they did not over use Frozen. Hopefully, we are on the downswing of Frozen-mania.

 

[KrazyKat]

Holy $%I! did they use a ton of pyro/fireworks for this new night time spectacle! My family and I gathered round the TV to watch the livestream and we were all VERY impressed and there were many "WOWs" said. THIS is the kind of great stuff DISNEY WORLD deserves being the biggest resort in the DISNEY company! Hopefully it's a sign of GREAT things to come leading up to the 50th.

Well done DISNEY!!!

 

[danlb_2000]

I find it a bit strange that many of you don't see the flow in this show. The songs picked for the segments match.

I see it as:
-Wishing/wanting/determination (Tiana, Part of Your World, Out There, Brave, Moana, even Cars and Up have elements of that "wanting more.")
-Friends/Family (Genie, Trashing the Camp, Toy Story, Hakuna Matata, Big Hero 6, Inside Out, Monsters Inc, etc)
-Romance (That Olaf narration and redo of Love Is an Open door , You'll Be in My Heart, I See the Light)
-Villains/Adversity (Mulan narration, villains, Pirates, etc)
-Triumph (Go the Distance)
-Finale

Maybe I'm reading too far into it, but do we really need a constant narrator to spell it out for us? There's no lag between the segments. It flows well in my eyes. I feel like the people who put this together (who are professional storytellers) don't expect to have to dumb down an obvious story for those familiar with Disney songs and films, and their messages.

Very well said. I was thinking along these lines after I saw it I just couldn't put it all together last night.

 

[Scuttle]

This show was phenomenal. I mean it absolutely blew me away, -no pun- (and I'm not even crazy about fireworks) The Aladdin/Toy Story/Moana etc segment was so well done. Disney absolutely crushed this one.

 

[Walter Elias Disney]

Pretty Amazing work there! The MAGIC continues...Thanks for making me proud!

 

[MTBaymax]

I've been obsessing about this show since the day they announced it.

Glad to see my obsession has not been misplaced. (Also, the new finale method - color shifts instead of shape shifting. Love it.)

 

[Clamman73]

Watching again closely and sees the water fountain in the hub color coordinates to the show.

 

[Brenthodge]

I find it a bit strange that many of you don't see the flow in this show. The songs picked for the segments match.

I see it as:
-Wishing/wanting/determination (Tiana, Part of Your World, Out There, Brave, Moana, even Cars and Up have elements of that "wanting more.")
-Friends/Family (Genie, Trashing the Camp, Toy Story, Hakuna Matata, Big Hero 6, Inside Out, Monsters Inc, etc)
-Romance (That Olaf narration and redo of Love Is an Open door , You'll Be in My Heart, I See the Light)
-Villains/Adversity (Mulan narration, villains, Pirates, etc)
-Triumph (Go the Distance)
-Finale

Maybe I'm reading too far into it, but do we really need a constant narrator to spell it out for us? There's no lag between the segments. It flows well in my eyes. I feel like the people who put this together (who are professional storytellers) don't expect to have to dumb down an obvious story for those familiar with Disney songs and films, and their messages.

I totally agree. I don't need narrartion to "get it". It doesn't have to have every classic Disney character to tell a story. The theme song reflects current musical styles with a dash of grandeur thrown in. I think it's great. People complain nothing ever changes then complain when it does.

 

[Goofnut1980]

I hope they release the full soundtrack for this new show. It was truly spectacular!!!
Disney take my money!
I truly welcome the new show, and can't wait to see it in 146 days! Love how they blended so many of the classic movies into this.

edit: can't count, had to fix my countdown

 

[aladdin2007]

Just to put my two cents in, I think this is the best projection-fireworks hybrid show Disney has done (not counting the projections on Remember recently added at DL, since its original incarnation). One perk of this format is that it allows for greater use of different IPs by content or value, as opposed to music. One instance is how during "Touch the Sky," we see other characters instead of having the song from Brave 100% devoted to Brave, and, in case you are wondering, that is why Disney was able to use lesser known songs like Go The Distance, was because they could be paired with well known images.

I agree with that, kudos to whoever put Go the Distance together. Visually I think its the most stunning show we have ever had here, musically I find it disjointed and didnt care for the pop song at the beginning. I was hoping that was just going to be exit music, it was just weird or off how it all opened and it lacks something at opening. It would have been nice to have some kind of nod to Mickey, or the Magic Kingdom since thats where this is after all. And unless I missed it I am shocked there was no beauty and the beast?

 

[Disney Analyst]

I agree with that, kudos to whoever put Go the Distance together. Visually I think its the most stunning show we have ever had here, musically I find it disjointed and didnt care for the pop song at the beginning. I was hoping that was just going to be exit music, it was just weird or off how it all opened and it lacks something at opening. It would have been nice to have some kind of nod to Mickey, or the Magic Kingdom since thats where this is after all. And unless I missed it I am shocked there was no beauty and the beast?

Beauty and the Beast is heavily featured in Once Upon a Time... so they chose not to feature it here.

 

[JiminyandTink]

I was really impressed last night... The live feed was so much fun (it fed the WDW withdrawal a bit).

So do they still do "Celebrate the Magic" now that this show is here, or is that gone with Wishes?

 

[FigmentJedi]

Beauty and the Beast is heavily featured in Once Upon a Time... so they chose not to feature it here.

Yup. Same reason why Let it Go isn't in the show.

 

[dennis-in-ct]

Wonderful show. I makes me wonder if Disneyland CA will consider modifying its castle - ala Hong Kong - to allow for a new canvas for projection mapping shows such as Happily Ever After. Or would modifying the DL castle be off-limits due to it being Walt's original?

 

[Disney Analyst]

I was really impressed last night... The live feed was so much fun (it fed the WDW withdrawal a bit).

So do they still do "Celebrate the Magic" now that this show is here, or is that gone with Wishes?

"Celebrate the Magic" ended a long while ago now... but "Once Upon a Time" is still being performed.

 

[Biff215]

So many of us have personal connections with Wishes. For me it was there the trip we got engaged, our honeymoon, first anniversary, both kids' first trips, birthdays, 10th anniversary, from a boat on the lagoon, from our balconies at WL and Poly...the list goes on and on. Because of this it can be hard to let go and move on, which is actually pretty cool that a fireworks show can do that.

HEA blew me away last night on the live stream and I can't wait to see it in person and begin making new memories. This isn't simply fireworks choreographed to music, and we will notice new things every time we see it. Personally I love the new song and think it will grow on some of those who don't think it compares to Wishes. Again that decade plus of moments we've experienced it can't help but get in the way, but give it some time, and I don't think too many of us will be "wishing" for the last show.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

One thing I had a chuckle while rewatching.. During the pan and scan of the entire Hub of MK there was only one person wearing a Made with Magic/Glow with the show pair of ears..Wondering if they did sync to the show or drop this idea entirely?

 

[KYWDW]

Overall decent show. Pyro still needs some adjustments/fine tuneing but in time they'll have all that lined out. Does anyone know the shell count for this show versus wishes?

 

[dreamscometrue]

Hello everyone, I'm new here! I just had to join after "lurking" for the past few weeks to express my overwhelming joy for HEA.

I'd like to preface by saying I'm currently interning on Broadway for theatre tech, specifically lighting, so I'm obsessed with entertainment technology (i.e. lighting, projections, pyro, etc.) and working for Disney has always been a life goal of mine. IMO Disney puts on the best shows in the world like World of Color and now Happily Ever After. They're so great at what they do that people have emotional connections to their shows!

I've been to Disney World 4 times with my High School to compete in their Festival Disney competition from 2009-2012 so Wishes brings back so many memories. As much as I'll miss Wishes, I am so amazed by HEA and happy to see Disney moving on.

The first thing that stood out to me was how vivid and bright the projections were. I expected them to washed out by the pyro but they remained so bright and colorful the entire time. The last projection show I've seen in person by Disney was The Magic, The Memories, And You so to see such progress is amazing. I LOVE the addition of moving heads at the side of the castle.

I'm taking my parents to Disney World in late August for the first time and I cannot wait to see it in person and enjoy it with them! They'll finally understand why I'm so obsessed with Disney shows!

Welcome to the boards.
I too loved Wishes and have many great memories attached to it, but I think this new show looks amazing. I can't wait to see it next March.
Also, if you love and appreciate lighting and entertainment tech, be sure to check out Rivers of Light at DAK during your visit.. A beautiful 16 minute show without pyro, is an impressive feat as well.