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Both Wishes and Happily Ever After are two of the most beloved fireworks shows at Magic Kingdom. Guests staying near the Magic Kingdom were delighted to see that they both returned…sort of. Could we see these shows again in the future?
Wishes and Happily Ever After
Did you know before Wishes and Happily Ever After there was only one other fireworks show at Magic Kingdom? Fantasy in the Sky ran from 1971 to 2003! While the show has undergone changes, we can still experience it during New Years at Magic Kingdom!
Wishes ran from 2003 to 2017. Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy hosted the show, and it revolved around the wishes of our favorite Disney characters. Of course, Tinker Bell flew from Cinderella Castle and the castle changed colors throughout the show. The 12 minute performance was a favorite of many…until Happily Ever After came along.
Don’t even get me started on Happily Ever After! The show ran from 2017 until 2021, which really isn’t long enough considering how long the previous two shows ran. Let’s not forget the performance did not run for 15 of those months. The show combined projections, fireworks, and an emotional story line with some really fantastic songs.
Unfortunately, Enchantment does not hold a flame to the other shows according to Guests and fans. We desperately wish we could see Wishes and Happily Ever After just one more time. Well, maybe we will be lucky enough.
Return to Magic Kingdom…sort of.
Fireworks testing will take place in the coming days as Disney prepares for Cast Member appreciation events. In the early hours of January 18 (that’s today), Twitter user @ariipariee shared a couple videos from Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
In the short clips, you can hear the music from both Wishes and Happily Ever After! How exciting for those staying close enough to hear these amazing sounds!
It appears that just the music was playing. There were no fireworks on projections in the videos (from what I could see). Could Disney be testing music for the shows that will be performed for the Cast Member event? Possibly! Or, maybe they were just playing music for the Cast Members working late.
If you are staying at any of the Magic Kingdom resorts (this includes the Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Wilderness Lodge), you may soon see Wishes or Happily Ever After at the Magic Kingdom from your resort. Here are some great places to watch. What a special treat! And, here’s a nudge to Disney to bring these shows back in some capacity in the future.
Check out the videos below:
Do you miss Wishes and Happily Ever After? Will you be staying at any of the Magic Kingdom resorts soon? I hope you will try to catch a glimpse and let us know what they do for the Cast Member events!
Share the love!
Elissa+H.
Tuesday 18th of January 2022
I am a die hard Wishes fan - the music. The way the fireworks were perfectly synced with the music…Wishes always brought tears to my eyes. Happily Ever After was just ok to me. Maybe I can’t fully appreciate it b/c I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Wishes. Either way, Disney, PLEASE bring back Wishes!
Alane Stolkovich
Tuesday 18th of January 2022
We saw a fireworks show called “Summer Nightastic” in June of 2010. I guess it replaced Wishes for a short time, and Captain Hook attacked the castle, if I remember correctly. Something went wrong the night of our performance though; they stopped the fireworks in the middle of the show, the lights came up, and Tink never flew. We headed for the exit, thinking that was it, but it started back up again, lights on, and the soundtrack timing was off.