For years, fireworks have lit up the night sky overlooking the Magic Kingdom. However, over the years, each of Disney’s other parks have also added nighttime shows as well. As years and company leaders come and go, so do the shows, and, let me tell you, change is hard – just ask the fanatic followers of the Wishes fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom. When Disney swapped out Wishes for Happily Ever After, you would have thought the world was coming to an end, but now the new show is as loved as any of its predecessors. The replacing of Illuminations in 2019 will garner a similar response.
The following is our family’s take on the nighttime entertainment at Walt Disney World:
- Rivers of Light
This approximately 25-minute nighttime show at the Animal Kingdom’s Discovery River lagoon covers 5 Acts that combines laser lights, mist screens, water fountains, glowing floats, coordinating music, and video projection.
Excitement was in the air when Disney announced a new nighttime show at Animal Kingdom. That excitement lasted until opening night and quiet murmurs of “seriously, is this it?” began to float around cyberspace nearly immediately. So, I had to see what all the talk was about. And. . . all the rumblings were. . . unfortunately, true. The only remotely enjoyable aspect of this show was the costumed characters walking through the crowd, but that aspect has been deleted for cost savings. In my opinion, Walt would not have approved. I believe he would have chosen a quality experience over saving a few bucks. This show is not worth the time when you could be experiencing one of the other excellent attractions around this park.
- Tree of Life Awakenings
This show appears on the facade of Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life every 15 minutes after sunset and lasts around five minutes in length. If you’ve ever looked carefully at the Tree of Life during the light of day, you’ll notice incredible carvings of hundreds of animals on the trunk of the tree. Well, during this “Awakening” all those animals begin to come to life with the help of laser lighting and music.
I would not say it is a “must do” but it is intriguing to watch for the first time – you’ll never see the Tree of Life the same again.
- Illuminations: Reflections of Earth
This nighttime show has been at Epcot for nearly twenty years and when it first came on the scene, it was a technological wonder. Now, it is showing its age, but like nearly every Disney nighttime show, it has a HUGE following of faithful fans. Yet 2019 will be its last year of existence, as it is being replaced with a temporary show in the fall of 2019 with Epcot Forever and then permanently replaced in 2020 with a show “to-be-named-later.”
Illuminations: Reflections of Earth is around 20-minutes in length and is comprised of fireworks, laser lights, spot lights, water fountains, and floats all synced with music.
Maybe it’s because I have seen this show so many times, but I do not feel like it is a must-do at this point. However, I will see this show one more time before it closes up shop. I suggest heading over to the kiosk outside the French pavilion and grab a crepe or two before heading to the lake front for this nighttime classic.
- Once Upon a Time
This 14-minute Magic Kingdom nighttime show is supposed to tie in to Happily Ever After, but I am unsure whether it really does. It does not matter because both shows can stand on their own. Once Upon a Time was “borrowed” from Tokyo Disneyland but was cut down by five minutes with a few scenes deleted. As with many of the others, this show incorporates laser lights, spot lights, and video projections on Cinderella’s castle as well as commentary from Mrs. Potts along with some Disney music.
You have two choices: (1) sit through both Once Upon a Time AND Happily Ever After or (2) get that last ride in and watch ONLY Happily Ever After. I’m not sure both are worth it, but Happily Ever After certainly is, so don’t miss that!
- Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular
Since 2016 this Hollywood Studios nighttime show has been projected upon the façade of the Chinese Theater with Star Wars imagery. This show is accompanied with Star Wars music as well as an abundance of fireworks and laser lights. If you are a Star Wars fan, then this is not to be missed!
The difficult part of seeing this show is that it is usually just after Fantasmic and our family LOVES Fantasmic and do not want to miss it. So, we usually sit near the back at Fantasmic and begin our exit from there just as the finale is starting so we can watch and hear it as we walk toward the exit and head straight to the center of Hollywood Studios to get a decent spot to watch this Star Wars Spectacular.
- Fantasmic (HS)
Fantasmic is fantastic! I could leave it at that, but I will expound a bit more on why it is so great. When this show came out twenty years ago, it was something to behold and to me the most amazing thing was the mist screens with Disney projections on it. It was incredible! When you add fireworks, black-lit creature movements, fire-on-water, and floats of the best Disney characters accompanied with an awesome Disney music soundtrack, it is mesmerizing.
Before Happily Ever After came to the Magic Kingdom, Fantasmic was the number one nighttime show in all of Walt Disney World. My boys are split on which one they like better. In essence, you need to see both Fantasmic and Happily Ever After on your next visit to Orlando.
- Happily Ever After
Happily Ever After came on the seen at the Magic Kingdom in 2017 with very mixed feelings by the Disney faithful. First, it was replacing Wishes, which had risen to “legend” status in many people’s minds, and any change is hard for humans to endure when one’s comfort level has been upset. However, after watching Happily Ever After on several occasions now, I personally believe that it is better than Wishes – and I REALLY liked Wishes!
This show does a great job of combining Disney classic music from thirty-five Disney movies with laser lights, video projection on the castle face, and pyro-technics (fireworks) for a nearly 20-minute period of time of pure enjoyment. As you look around, all you’ll see is a sea of smiles, children pointing in the air, and literally 30,000 cameras all fixed on the wonderment in the sky. Of Trip Adviser’s over 23K reviews, 97% have ratings of “excellent” or “very good” – that is impressive!
Beware that exiting the park following the show will be a feat of character because you’ll have to endure hordes of people, several strollers running into your heels, and no busses available, and I know it can be exhausting trooping through the parks for twelve hours a day, but do whatever you can to muster up enough energy to take-in this incredible show – you’ll not regret it!
