Are you kidding me! The DIS WISHES/HAPPILY EVER AFTER compare

[JDUCKY]

I'll preface this by saying I love fireworks shows everywhere. I cry every 4th of July because I love them so much. Wishes is very special to me and I've only seen HEA on YouTube.

I really, really love Happily Ever After.

I agree with people who are saying it's hard to take in the projections and the fireworks all at once, but the flip side of that is that I'll probably get something different out of the show every time I see it.

I'm curious to watch the show from outside the park. I've seen several blogs and guests suggest you won't get as much out of the show if you can't see the castle projections, but I suspect I would enjoy the show just as much from the California Grill or beach at the Poly.

Also, I'm not generally a big Tinkerbell fan, but I positively LOSE IT when she flies in HEA. I liked seeing her in Wishes, but something about the swell of the music and the cheer of the crowds when she flies in HEA just turns me into a blubbering mess.

We saw it Saturday night from a window table at California Grill.

We could see there was projection on the castle and could tell what some things were but the view of the fireworks, themselves, was really good!

Can't wait to see it from the hub one day, when crowds die down, maybe, hopefuly....

 

[GeneralTso]

I think they are both fantastic. It's OK to like both.
Any time anything (ever) changes at Disney there is an outcry--"Walt is turning over in his grave!!!"
Claims that it's not magical anymore or doesn't make you cry doesn't make it bad. It's change.

Same thing with Soarin'
I wish they would show the original Over California sometimes. Love Over the World. Both are awesome.

 

[Lothlórien]

Because they're focused on a) what's relevant to children & families today, b) characters with memorable/moving songs and/or c) characters that personify the concept of "finding your own Happily Ever After" rather than forcing a fit with the "original" characters that are great but don't belong in HEA any more than they belonged in Wishes?

Well, you know what they say about opinions. LOL
We can just agree to disagree.

 

[AquaDame]

I think I came too late to Wishes... the first time I would have seen it would have been 2008 since that was my first trip. By then it just kinda came off as cheesy and a little outdated. That said, I still LOVE the old fireworks shows from Disneyland - cheese and all. Nostalgia is a huge force...

For me, I much prefer the new show.

 

[Accident]

I do really like the message of the new show about going out and pursuing your dreams and isn't just about waiting "for your prince to come" - so will be interesting to see how I react seeing this new show in person with my family. I know I "liked" Moana - but didn't really get emotional about it until I thought about that being my daughter and the lessons she can take from it and I suspect it will be similar with HAE

The way I look at it, this is all the stuff I experienced with my daughter wrapped up in one. So while not emotional for the same reasons it's just as emotional with far more moments of what these characters meant to my daughter and our time together over the years with these movies.. She has almost no connection to the dozen movies people keep calling classic. Let's face it the library of movies post the "classics" far out number the classics. I know some still have that growing up bond to them, but I don't, my daughter doesn't. Disney is finally updating itself for the current 30 and under crowd. The classics are still around and integrated elsewhere, but this is finally a moment for my daughter and her generation and the parents that raised them on these films....

 

[DLgal]

The way I look at it, this is all the stuff I experienced with my daughter wrapped up in one. So while not emotional for the same reasons it's just as emotional with far more moments of what these characters meant to my daughter and our time together over the years with these movies.. She has almost no connection to the dozen movies people keep are calling classic. Let's face it the library of movies post the "classics" far out number the classics. I know some still have that growing up bond to them, but I don't, my daughter doesn't. Disney is finally updating itself for the current 30 and under crowd. The classics are still around and integrated elsewhere, but this is finally a moment for my daughter and her generation and the parents that raised them on these films....

This is a great point. This show, by and large, is made for people aged somewhere between 10 and probably 45. Sure other ages can love it too, but it is a fair point to say that the majority of visitors to WDW at any given time are less familiar with the movies Pre-Little Mermaid, and they are bringing their kids, who have a completely different idea of what "Disney" is. I have a 12 and 11 year old and they haven't seen hardly ANY of the classics, but they have seen many of the movies featured in this show. They are just not interested in the older movies. I got my younger son to watch Snow White and he was fairly bored, and doesn't want to see any more of the older movies. It is what it is.

FWIW, I always thought Wishes was rather pathetic and just over the top cheesy. I LOVE this new show. It's fantastic!

 

[ministrychick77]

Ok, so I never saw Wishes live, and I watched HEA on the Disney parks blog. Wishes made me cry every time I watched it. HEA? I cried in small parts, but that's it. I just didn't feel that connection, that emotion. It was good, yeah. It was nice. I'm hoping something changes by the time I go in January.

 

[Planogirl]

I made it a point to get my son to watch the classic films so he has some of that connection. He was interested too which of course makes a difference. I'd hate for the classics to be forgotten.

 

[linzbear]

Ok, so I saw it live on Saturday, and my first impression was that it was technically amazing, but the story was nowhere near wishes.

I've since come home and watched it a few other times in the TV, and I'm completely changing my opinion. "Go out and face adversary to find your happily ever after, whether it's friendship, love, or something else." That message is so much better than "Just do as dreamers do, and make a wish, and your dreams will come true." HEA surpasses Wishes in every way (but it took a few viewings to get there).

 

[WebmasterJackie]

Thought I'd share the side-by-side video here for those who haven't had the chance to see it yet!

 

[OSUPhantom]

I can't say I agree with some of the criticisms of HEA. I have a connection to Wishes as well, it was brand new on my first trip to Disney and has stayed throughout my trips almost ever year since but I don't think nostalgia should create a bias towards something new. I think if we open our hearts and let Happily Ever After in, it can find a place in our hearts like Wishes had.

 

[loves to dive]

I've only seen HEA here via UTube and not in person yet but from what I saw, I'll probably watch it once and that will be it. I love FWs, I'm a height challenged person so FWs are perfect for me since, well you can see the sky even if some 6 ft tall daddy wedges himself in front of you after you have been standing there a hour and then puts his darling little one on his shoulders. Projections are a problem for us height challenged people unless we want to pay a silly price for some not so great desserts and even then, you don't always get a good view. I had the perfect place to watch wishes, right where Tink flew over, it didn't matter that you couldn't see all of the castle since it was mostly FWs and I'll be honest, half the time I'd start walking out after Tink did her thing and watch the FWs from the front of the park, again in the sky you can see them from everywhere. Now, miss thing doesn't fly until the end, which means 1. I have to stay for the entire 20 minutes and 2. my favorite spot will no longer work because it's all about the projections now. MK was my go to night time experience because I'm not a fan of the whole globe thing at Epcot (sorry, just never liked it) although getting a good spot there is easy, the SW show doesn't work for me at HS, I've tried it twice both times had the perfect spot and both times two huge men sauntered up about 5 min. before the show and wedged in front of me, no way could I see the projections. I like ROL at AK and frankly don't mind using a FP for it since I don't need FPs for anything else at AK, I don't mind standby lines, grabbing a refreshing adult beverage and grabbing a seat early and just relaxing so that is still something I can at least see.

 

[DisneyFive]

Happily Ever After will become Wishes for anyone visiting for the first time.

Our family only knows Wishes, and because of that, it has a special place for us. This will be the same for any family or child seeing HEA on their first visit to WDW. It becomes their special memory.

I'm sure we'll enjoy HEA, and I can't wait to see it, but nostalgia and memories will always keep Wishes in that special place for us.

Dan

 

[Dallas_Lady]

If everything stays the same, people complain that there's no innovation. If things change, people complain that they're not the same as they used to be.

Exactly.

 

[Juliet0778]

I never saw Wishes...not usually a late night park goer and my last round of fireworks was at Epcot. I am hoping my son can make it late enough to see the new show though and am looking forward to it. I don't generally have emotional attachments to fireworks though...it's just cool/fun.

 

[HopperFan]

Just watched the comparison video ........... well there is no comparison.

Even on just a computer screen I got goosebumps.

Going to see HEA this weekend, and kinda more excited about that than Pandora!

 

[isabellea]

To me, HEA is more impressive than Wishes technically. I am not the type to be sentimental and cry at an opening ceremony or firework display. I cannot wait to see it in person!

 

[NuJoy]

Just watched the side by side video at work with no sound. HEA looks sensational. Before, the castle was just there with a show going on around it. Now the castle is alive and vivacious and the colors are spectacular. Looking forward to watching it live in September.

 

[JenniKleims]

I'm excited to see HEA live in November - I don't remember seeing wishes but looking at the dates, it seems that I did see it...way back when.
we saw a stream on Disney's blog and I was impressed...but I guess I don't have much to compare it to.

 

[Flamingeaux]

I can't wait to see HEA!!! It has big shoes to fill as I feel that watching Wishes during the Christmas season is about as Disney as you can get. Also, I listen to Wishes quite frequently while at work. I finally burned it, Fantasmic and Paint the Night so I can listen to it while I work in the garage...