So it's been almost 1 year now with Happily Ever After. Better than Wishes?

[Dug720]

Don't worry, they are not doing projections *over* fireworks. There will be PLENTY of the latter, and they are amazing (better than Wishes actually).

Ok. We’ll see what I think after tomorrow...

 

[deedubb]

Ok. We’ll see what I think after tomorrow...

Have a great time, and you will be glad you did the dessert party. There is no better way to watch HEA.

 

[Dug720]

Have a great time, and you will be glad you did the dessert party. There is no better way to watch HEA.

Thanks!

 

[kwdw]

I preferred Wishes. Storyline, fireworks, and music was better. The projections in HEA are definitely much better, but the music falls flat for me and I think need to be in the center of the hub hurts my enthusiasm for the show. HEA is too busy, too disjointed for me. Wishes tugged at my heart from the first time to the last time I saw it. HEA does not do that for me, it's just impressive projections.

 

[Punkrockbebop]

Wishes is sentimental and pulls at your heartstrings.

HEA is a spastic, frenetic, loud, hyperactive mess of a show that needs some serious editing, and requires popping Adderall to watch.

 

[doodlemama]

Wishes hands down. All 3 of my kids nearly lost it when they found out (with sadness not a temper tantrum). They feel like mk was ruined. And they are 6 9 and 11. Haven’t been in 2 years. They loved wishes. We built up HEA and they asked to go to the hotel halfway thru

 

[soccermom54]

We loved Wishes and we are not really fans of the projection technology. We have been going to WDW for 25 years and the last 10 as Florida residents who can make day trips. We are fans of the classic Disney fireworks and on our last multi-day trip, did not even stay for the fireworks. I guess we are just "old school" but sometimes the simple, classic magic should be left alone.

 

[Dug720]

Take away the projections which IMHO add nothing and make the music transitions make sense - and match the music to some amazing fireworks that are the one element there, and they would have something.

I don’t see the need for projections with fireworks. If you want a projection show, do ONLY a projection show. If you want a fireworks show, lose the projections.

I have never had a WDW fireworks presentation leave me going “Meh” - but HEA did.

If I can’t have MSEP, bring back Wishes!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I love HEA, really two shows, projections and fireworks and both are top notch!

I also saw the last Wishes and cried.

 

[bsj1701]

I'm a WISHES fan. I've seen HEA 4 times now and don't see my opinion changing unless the show changes. You really need to be in the Casey's Corner/Hub area to get the effect of all of the projections. Of course everyone else has figured this out and the crowds in those areas are insane. You also do not get the full effect of the fireworks being that close. If you move further back, you increase the enjoyment of the fireworks but give up being able to make out all of the projections. I agree with an earlier post, either do a projection show or a fireworks show, combining the two does not work well and IMO is no where near as enjoyable as WISHES.

 

[Chaoticsweetness]

I miss Wishes. I have seen HEA exactly once. It was a great show, but it felt like a projection show, not fireworks.

 

[purplefern]

I LOVE Happily Ever After! The projections are so cool, I was floored when I saw it the first time, and couldn't wait to watch it again. (And I do watch it all the time on the Disney Now app). Music-wise, the arrangement is fantastic and very cleverly done, and somehow flows perfectly from song to song, before you even know it, the score goes from Mulan to Lion King to PotC, not to mention the fantastic arrangement of the Friendship segment! How the arranger goes between all those songs so flawlessly is constantly amazing to me. Just, listen to this, really listen at how the arranger transitions from one song to another, and realize how seemless it is:

The story is a visual/musical representation of the hero's journey, and the basic structure of a Disney renaissance movie. The "I want", the friendship, the struggle followed by the eventual success of the protagonist, it all works so well, and I love it more everytime I see it. I honestly hate fireworks, but even if I didn't, many times the projections and the fireworks work together, like during the Adversity part of the show, or the Moana segment. When I watched Wishes on Youtube, I honestly thought it was a little boring, but again, this is because I don't like fireworks. The show is also great in rewatchability, there's always some new little detail I notice each time I watch it, which only makes the whole thing better.
The scenes they put with the music are also apt, I can't say how cool it was to hear Mufasa's speech over the first bits of "Go the Distance", so powerful, or to watch a battle play out as the music goes between the fight music of Lion King, and "He's a Pirate" from PotC. Not to even mention how beautiful and wonderful the projections on the castle are, like when it turns into Legos, or when Genie makes the top shoot off like a rocket. Or when it catches on fire, and Syndrom's robot bashes holes in it! Also the fact that they animated entirely new and original segments, bringing back classic 2D animation with the old animators is just another cherry on top of the whole thing.
I understand that people like different things, but you gotta admit that a lot of work went into this show, and it is super impressive, in score arrangement, in visuals, in weaving the two together to illustrate the journey of a Disney protagonist.
Just aaauuugh I love this show so much, fireworks can never compare!