With the conclusion of Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary, the Enchantment Fireworks at Magic Kingdom and Harmonious shall be changed by their predecessors, Happily Ever After and EPCOT Forever. This submit covers dates and particulars in regards to the triumphant returns (properly, not less than HEA) of those nighttime spectaculars plus our commentary.
This was first introduced final fall throughout the “A Boundless Future: Disney Parks, Experiences and Products” presentation on the D23 Expo. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro provided a sneak peek at idea artwork for the long run as well as and teased what was to come back in a couple of years. However, no timing for the conclusions or returns of the nighttime spectaculars was given.
More just lately, Walt Disney World has quietly up to date its official web site for the World’s Most Magical Celebration, suggesting that the Disney Enchantment Fireworks and Harmonious nighttime spectacular would conclude together with the top of the fiftieth Anniversary on March 31, 2023. Well, that’s not fairly right, but it surely’s shut!
Walt Disney World has now shared the precise dates and particulars for the conclusion of the present nighttime spectaculars and returns of the beloved fan-favorites. Here’s the official announcement:
Happy 2023! A brand new yr means contemporary recollections ready to be made at Walt Disney World Resort, and top-of-the-line moments for many people is watching fireworks pop above the skies to wrap up an ideal Disney day.
Well, I hope you’re “Ready to begin…” as a result of fan-favorite nighttime spectacular “Happily Ever After” returns to Magic Kingdom on April 3, 2023. Happily Ever After will characteristic all-new projections down Main Street, U.S.A. “Disney Enchantment” shall be provided via April 2, 2023. Whether it’s your first time, or the park is your private home away from residence, prepare to achieve out and discover your fortunately ever after with us at Cinderella Castle quickly.
And as we shared at D23 Expo in September, an all-new nighttime spectacular is deliberate to debut at EPCOT later this yr. Before the brand new present launches, we’ll deliver again “EPCOT Forever” as an interim present over the skies of World Showcase Lagoon beginning April 3, 2023.
Similar to the way it appeared in 2021, “EPCOT Forever” is the proper providing whereas the Disney Entertainment staff preps the Lagoon, together with a phased elimination of fireworks platforms following the ultimate “Harmonious” efficiency on April 2, 2023. A limited-time spectacle of lasers, lighting, particular results, and fireworks, “EPCOT Forever” returns with a group of songs that supply each a visit down reminiscence lane and a glance towards the long run.
In phrases of commentary, let’s begin with the conclusion of Harmonious. I used to be shocked when this was introduced again on the D23 Expo, as Harmonious was by no means meant to be a short lived nighttime spectacular for Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary. The firm invested a ton of cash on this–Harmonious was rumored to value north of $100 million–placing it in the identical budgetary league because the Little Mermaid darkish trip.
That funding was not for an 18-month nighttime spectacular, both; Harmonious was speculated to be EPCOT’s reply to World of Color, lasting a decade or extra. It would’ve been Walt Disney World’s distinct nighttime draw, pulling folks to EPCOT within the evenings to spend cash on meals & drinks, and recouping a lot of its funding. In equity, it did draw folks to EPCOT for some time…however largely as a result of Animal Kingdom has no nighttime spectacular and Fantasmic took longer than anticipated to refresh.
Unfortunately, Harmonious garnered combined evaluations amongst Walt Disney World followers, us included. (Read our Harmonious Review for rather more.) We have heard quite a few credible studies that its visitor satisfaction scores have been low for a nighttime spectacular, proper across the identical degree as EPCOT Forever–not good since that was an interim present.
Harmonious additionally, supposedly, was met with a combined response by excessive degree management on the Walt Disney Company. There was chatter about this previous to Harmonious debuting, with Chapek and others being upset with the nighttime spectacular when it was screened for them. (For all of his different faults, this truly will not be the one rumor about Chapek demanding higher of a notably underwhelming addition.)
This was strengthened by interviews with sure creatives, who recommended that the songs have been shuffled round comparatively final minute. If you’ve ever had the sense that Harmonious feels disjointed and a few songs slotted in nearly at random, you’re not that far off; the ordering of scenes may very well be modified by dragging and dropping songs on a pc. (It was additionally designed for future updates to maintain it contemporary.)
Perhaps equally as essential, Harmonious seems to be maintenance-intensive. While I can not corroborate this, it’s a type of issues that sounds believable. The infrastructure has loads of shifting components (actually) and we’ve seen crews out engaged on the Stargate and water tacos many days whereas strolling round World Showcase. That can’t be low-cost.
Speaking of which, the Harmonious barges add simple visible blight to World Showcase Lagoon. The daytime fountains that might make the barges ‘blend in blue’ by no means got here to fruition. Feeble makes an attempt to hide them with cloud-covered screens have been laughably unhealthy. Given that the announcement to finish Harmonious got here shortly after a Board of Directors website tour of Walt Disney World, I ponder if that performed an element within the nighttime spectacular’s downfall.
Beyond that, Harmonious doesn’t truly tackle the core complaints regular company had with IllumiNations. Once you look past the pyro and different results–options that might’ve been a part of any new nighttime spectacular–Harmonious will not be actually engaging in something distinctive or spectacular. That’s an issue for a present that’s elaborate and heavy-handed with its presentation.
Harmonious stumbles in a few of the very same methods as IllumiNations. It has restricted viewing angles and pacing issues together with some wow-inducing segments. Like its predecessor, Harmonious feels destined to alienate some company and partially fulfill others. It’s arduous to examine this being a homerun or beloved nighttime spectacular for a lot of company, but it surely additionally shouldn’t be an entire flop for a lot of company. It succeeds greater than Magic Kingdom’s new fireworks present (and fails much less), however given what Disney invested in Harmonious and its larger stakes, that’s not precisely a ringing endorsement.
Rather than constructing the bizarre tribute to Kang and Kodos from the Simpsons, Disney actually would’ve been higher off upgrading the infrastructure from IllumiNations, constructing a much bigger floating globe, and swapping out the soundtrack. (As a lot as I liked IllumiNations, I notice it’s not what common company need.)
Turning to Magic Kingdom, I’ve made secret that I’m not a fan of the Disney Enchantment fireworks. I’ve been brazenly rooting for it to flop from the start, with the hope that decrease visitor satisfaction scores that might consequence within the return of Happily Ever After.
Just for the file, we have been at all times on board with Happily Ever After. From our commentary to its unique announcement: “While we enjoy Wishes and the nostalgics in us will miss the show, it has a good, long run…Disney Creative Entertainment has demonstrated what it is capable of in the intervening years, fully harnessing technological innovations to create an entire new generation of nighttime spectaculars. If Wishes was Disney Fireworks 2.0, these new shows…are Disney Fireworks 3.0.”
“Magic Kingdom deserves a ‘3.0’ show like Paris and Shanghai, and we are really rooting for this to be a worthy successor to Wishes! The big question is whether it will deliver on an emotional level, because all the technology in the world is meaningless if it doesn’t have heart…We suspect Disney will deliver. They no doubt realize the stakes are high: fans love Wishes and many are going to be predisposed to favoring their nostalgic favorite over anything new, no matter how good.”
Then there was our Happily Ever After Review printed instantly after that present’s debut, which put it bluntly: “Happily Ever After is the best regular fireworks show to ever grace the skies above Magic Kingdom.” Moreover, “it’s better than Wishes, and also better than the nighttime spectaculars in Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.”
The level is that at no time have been we towards Happily Ever After changing Wishes, regardless of our nostalgia for the latter. Likewise, within the lead-up to Disney Enchantment, you gained’t discover any feet-dragging on our half in regards to the change. We went into this new nighttime spectacular with an open thoughts, assuming that Walt Disney World was fairly assured in it in the event that they already introduced it will not simply be a short lived alternative for Happily Ever After.
With the “what” out of the way in which, let’s flip to the “why” and canopy the corporate’s potential motivations for retiring Disney Enchantment so quickly after its debut. Guest satisfaction is the massive one, and every thing else actually flows from that.
At this level, I wish to flip again to an article we printed final July, lengthy earlier than followers began clamoring for its return or anybody had even seen its successor: Happily Ever After Ending “Permanently.” That submit got here after Walt Disney World formally introduced that the beloved nighttime spectacular was being completely retired, an announcement of which we have been extremely skeptical on the time. (Hence the air quotes round completely.)
In explicit, we shared this: “Happily Ever After’s guest satisfaction scores are through the roof…It’s my understanding that a decision about Magic Kingdom fireworks post-50th Anniversary will depend almost entirely on which nighttime spectacular scores better. If it’s close, Disney Enchantment will continue.”
I haven’t heard something exact for Disney Enchantment, besides that its visitor satisfaction is significantly decrease than its predecessor. Honestly, this isn’t saying a ton. Happily Ever After had one of many highest visitor satisfaction scores of something ever at Walt Disney World (it may need had the highest ever, however I’m not 100% certain about that).
Surpassing the recognition of Happily Ever After was going to be a herculean activity for even an ideal new nighttime spectacular, which Disney Enchantment will not be. This is why we have been assured way back to final summer time (lengthy earlier than understanding Enchantment was a dud) that Happily Ever After’s destiny had not but been decided.
With that mentioned, I do wish to be truthful right here. Disney Enchantment is undeniably standard and fairly well-received by first-time guests and rare company. There’s a minimal baseline to visitor satisfaction for any Magic Kingdom nighttime spectacular, and even a “bad” one remains to be “good” relative to most different points of interest.
All Magic Kingdom fireworks reveals have the identical core qualities, with pyro exploding over Cinderella Castle to conclude a protracted, memory-filled day at Walt Disney World. The music is pulled from sentimental moments in memorable Disney motion pictures and the visuals are dazzling. The complete manufacturing tugs on the heartstrings, overwhelming the senses and feelings in one of the best ways attainable. While followers can simply evaluate recollections of Happily Ever After to Disney Enchantment and attain the conclusion that the previous is much better, most first-timers missing that body of reference nonetheless take pleasure in Enchantment.
To make certain, Disney Enchantment remains to be attaining respectable visitor satisfaction scores…but it surely’s doing so relative to regular rides. That Enchantment is outdoing the Magic Carpets of Aladdin will not be a lot trigger for celebration. That’s an apples to cupcakes comparability, and nearly everybody prefers the latter. (Enchantment is the dessert in that analogy, simply to be clear).
However, Enchantment will not be doing so properly as in comparison with Wishes, Happily Ever After, or any of its direct counterparts. However, that was at all times going to be a tricky activity. None of the opposite up to date fort park nighttime spectaculars wherever on the planet hit the identical excessive notes or kind a cohesive complete like Happily Ever After. That nighttime spectacular actually captured lightning in a bottle.
Back when Disney Enchantment added the Florida Project and Walt Disney-centric introduction, we cynically speculated that it was being accomplished to reposition that nighttime spectacular as the fiftieth Anniversary nighttime spectacular. Again, the corporate said that Happily Ever After was being completely retired, with Disney Enchantment changing it. Not simply at some point of the fiftieth Anniversary, however for an open-ended run.
However, including a pair minutes of Roy and Walt Disney to the entrance of the present turned Disney Enchantment into the Magic Kingdom fiftieth Anniversary fireworks, even when that’s not what the remainder of the present is within the least. That made for simpler revisionist historical past, and claiming that Enchantment was at all times meant to have a restricted run, concluding just a few days after the remainder of the World’s Most Magical Celebration.
Ultimately, I’m fairly excited in regards to the triumphant return of Happily Ever After to Magic Kingdom on April 3, 2023. While it’s nice to see Walt Disney World evolve and usher in new issues, there’s additionally the truth that evolution connotes progress. Disney Enchantment was not progress, it was change for the sake of change. Had it been higher, we’d’ve liked seeing it stick round. But that was not the case, and it’s going to be a tricky activity for any fireworks present to surpass Happily Ever After. So on this case, updating and increasing the projections is precise evolution of Happily Ever After.
With that mentioned, we’d nonetheless like to see Walt Disney World proceed testing out new nighttime spectacular concepts for Magic Kingdom. There shall be some duds, and though disappointing, that’s the character of the beast. What could be nice is that if Walt Disney World finally has a “portfolio” of fireworks reveals, a la Disneyland, that it will probably rotate or deliver again for momentary runs to excite followers. Actually, they’re already fairly near that–are you able to think about a restricted run of Wishes or the Magic, Music & Mayhem fireworks…and even Holiday Wishes at Christmastime?!
As for EPCOT Forever, I’ve no sturdy opinion on the return of that. That present truly grew on me over time, and I don’t assume it was almost as unhealthy as a few of its detractors recommend. It was a short lived present following a beloved nighttime spectacular–and nearly destined for failure consequently. Some of the track remixes have been a bit odd, certain, but it surely had some attraction and enjoyable visuals, too. I’m truly wanting ahead to seeing EPCOT Forever once more, however I additionally wouldn’t shed any tears if I by no means noticed it once more.
What has me actually optimistic is the subsequent nighttime spectacular at EPCOT. I hope classes have been discovered from the failure of Harmonious, and in addition the success of the Disneyland Paris thirtieth Anniversary nighttime spectacular additions. There’s undoubtedly a option to do one thing wow-inducing over World Showcase Lagoon with no bunch of hideous everlasting infrastructure inflicting daytime blight. In a phrase: drones.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about accommodations on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips submit takes a novel have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to begin is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for every thing it’s good to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you concentrate on the everlasting return of Happily Ever After and interim look of EPCOT Forever in April 2023? Excited about this information, or want Disney Enchantment or one other fireworks present have been returning? Any questions we may also help you reply? Hearing your suggestions—even while you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!