WISHES vs HAPPILY EVER AFTER

[CarrieR]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who feels HEA is missing the emotion. I loved Wishes... almost irrationally much. HEA is beautiful, the projections are cool, the soundtrack is growing on me. But for me, it's missing the "heart" that Wishes had. IDK. I get that it was time for a change, and mostly I'm okay with it, but... *sigh* I still miss it.

 

[disneygirlsng]

Absolutely no comparison for me, HEA is faaaaar superior IMO. Gets me in the heart every time, something I never felt with Wishes. I feel a much stronger emotional feeling with HEA than I ever did with Wishes. I cried like a baby the entire time the first time I saw it and still do every time.

 

[Disnsyncey]

I LOVE WISHES.....I worked at CRT when it premiered, so I have seen it probably 100+ times, I know where/when the fireworks shoot off, and you could see me directing them and singing along....it was magical, but since I had seen it so many times, I can almost see it from anywhere possibly in front-ish of the castle and I am fine, as I know it inside and out....

I haven't seen HEA yet, but I refused to watch the first live stream because I want to EXPERIENCE it for myself for the first time....I have heard bad things right off the bat, but I guess people have come around......but with the projections along with the fireworks, everybody knows you have to be in front of the castle....so its much worse to get a good spot....but don't want it to be non-magical the first time I see it.....but I am making a quick trip to the Four Seasons next week and I have to consciously remove myself from the area (going to DS cuz I don't have my AP activated yet haha) so that I won't see the fireworks without the full effect

alas, I will be one of those people I used to make fun of at the Plaza garden viewing dessert party in October

 

[Lothlórien]

While I have seen Wishes several times, and enjoyed it, I really had no emotional connection to it. I saw HEA a few weeks ago and was very impressed. I think it is a good replacement.

Regarding some of the above comments, perhaps it is the 'magic' vs creating your own future. I'm not a big proponent of magic.

I agree on that last sentence.... but when I say "Disney Magic", I am not referring to sorcery, spells, etc.

 

[melanielll]

Well - happily ever after isn't exactly an achievable goal. So I'll go with making a wish.

 

[ThistleMae]

I guess I'm a sucker for the new fangled projections... I love HEA! Seeing it in person absolutely blew me away (much more amazing in person rather than online); Wishes just never did that for me.

I think we are amongst the few who feel this way. I thought HEA was spectacular. Not crazy about the music, but the castle was spectacular....just so awesome!

 

[TinkandGoofy'sMom]

Wishes was always one of my favourite parts of our trips. I loved the music and the fireworks. We have seen HEA twice this week and I cannot wait to see it again! I do find that I barely notice the fireworks though becauseI am so focused on the castle. I think it is absolutely amazing. And if it doesn't hit you emotionally when Tinkerbell flies down I don't know what will! I think it does tell a story just in a different way, and you may have to pay closer attention.

 

[ArwenMarie]

It found it hard to watch both the fireworks and the castle in HEA.

We watched it twice, the first time I focused on the castle (we were at the dessert party that night so we had a great view) and the second time I focused on the sky.

 

[lchuck]

For my wife and I, we both agreed that the message is what makes the show. The old Wishes show was nice, but when we saw HEA for the first time, I felt like it really spoke to me. Here I was, on this wonderful Disney vacation with my family, and we got there because we all worked our butts off (kids included) to make it happen. At some point our kids may have said, I "wish" we could go to Disney World, but wishing didn't get us there. I know Disney is all about the magic, but I know those who have the best Disney vacations are those who make their own magic!

 

[erin1715]

I agree that HEA is missing the emotional aspect. I LOVED Wishes and could watch it multiple times in a trip and it got me every time. We watched HEA once on our most recent trip and that was enough. I didn't feel like I needed to see it again. It was a nice show and the projections are cool but I think they could have done better.

We visited Disneyland last summer and their nighttime show was fantastic and utilized the entirety of main street, and I was hoping that MK in WDW would be similar to that. I just think they took the easy route with projections. I'm also not crazy about the soundtrack. I'm sure we will catch HEA once a trip but once will be enough.

I can only hope when they replace Illuminations they don't screw that up!!

 

[leebee]

Wishes. No contest. I am getting really tired of Disney relying on technology instead of actual exhibits/attractions. (I am sure the new Mickey ride replacing TGMR is going to be all about tech and video game kind of stuff... like the end of Spaceship Earth).

 

[HarperLeigh]

Wishes was always one of my favourite parts of our trips. I loved the music and the fireworks. We have seen HEA twice this week and I cannot wait to see it again! I do find that I barely notice the fireworks though becauseI am so focused on the castle. I think it is absolutely amazing. And if it doesn't hit you emotionally when Tinkerbell flies down I don't know what will! I think it does tell a story just in a different way, and you may have to pay closer attention.

Tink flew during Wishes, too.

 

[karrit2000]

Tink flew during Wishes, too.

But It's different when Tink flies during HEA. It fits better when she flies now in my opinion. During Wishes everyone knew she was suppose to fly but the timing never seemed quite right because she didn't start or end the show. It works better during HEA.

 

[bryanb]

I truly enjoyed Wishes so so much and maybe they will bring it back for an encore someday. But the first time I saw it I said to myself, it's a lie. Things do not come true for you just because you wish them in your heart.

HEA is about optimism and confidence. It doesn't promise your dreams will come true but it dares you to have the courage to pursue your dreams. It has the strength that our Disney heros have had since Hercules, Moana, and more. That moment when they sing "Go the Distance" to the first finale is one of the more amazing moments in any Disney fireworks show.

 

[Cheyflan]

I guess I'm a sucker for the new fangled projections... I love HEA! Seeing it in person absolutely blew me away (much more amazing in person rather than online); Wishes just never did that for me.

I absolutely loved the Tangled projections!

 

[Cheyflan]

I truly enjoyed Wishes so so much and maybe they will bring it back for an encore someday. But the first time I saw it I said to myself, it's a lie. Things do not come true for you just because you wish them in your heart.

HEA is about optimism and confidence. It doesn't promise your dreams will come true but it dares you to have the courage to pursue your dreams. It has the strength that our Disney heros have had since Hercules, Moana, and more. That moment when they sing "Go the Distance" to the first finale is one of the more amazing moments in any Disney fireworks show.

I agree with Go the Distance, but Wishes had the instrumental version of the Go the Distance in it (I believe I could be mistake). Which is what I loved about Wishes because instead of just directly hearing the song you have the imagination of the song in your head.

 

[Cheyflan]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who feels HEA is missing the emotion. I loved Wishes... almost irrationally much. HEA is beautiful, the projections are cool, the soundtrack is growing on me. But for me, it's missing the "heart" that Wishes had. IDK. I get that it was time for a change, and mostly I'm okay with it, but... *sigh* I still miss it.

I love the actual song "Happily Ever After," and the covers they had (EX Love is an Open Door) that were slower to try and provoke emotion, it just didn't do it. The title song for HEA and I See the Light from Tangled made me cry, but that's about it.

 

[Cheyflan]

Wishes was always one of my favourite parts of our trips. I loved the music and the fireworks. We have seen HEA twice this week and I cannot wait to see it again! I do find that I barely notice the fireworks though becauseI am so focused on the castle. I think it is absolutely amazing. And if it doesn't hit you emotionally when Tinkerbell flies down I don't know what will! I think it does tell a story just in a different way, and you may have to pay closer attention.

It does have a story and the Tink part made me happy, but the thing I don't like is that is relies too heavily on visual things. You cannot see the show from almost anywhere in the park and for people at The California Grill (or other resorts on the loop) they no longer can experience the full show.

 

[Lisa P.]

I truly enjoyed Wishes so so much and maybe they will bring it back for an encore someday. But the first time I saw it I said to myself, it's a lie. Things do not come true for you just because you wish them in your heart.

Same here. Maybe the extreme fantasy of it just tripped a cynical cord in me. It seemed to nudge me OUT of enjoying the pleasant escapism that is Disney.

A different perspective: My mom is in her 70's, grew up in a war-torn country, worked sooo hard her whole life, and she's been profoundly deaf for over 20 years. So she has become more visually sensitive and she appreciates color, light, and visual beauty intensely. While she likes fireworks and laser light shows, these newer, beautiful projection shows literally bring her to tears. It's a joy to watch them "through her eyes" with her.

 

[Disnsyncey]

I agree with Go the Distance, but Wishes had the instrumental version of the Go the Distance in it (I believe I could be mistake). Which is what I loved about Wishes because instead of just directly hearing the song you have the imagination of the song in your head.

you aren't crazy, it did

I am interested by people talking about the "message" of the show.....I never looked into the message, I just took it as the soundtrack......