What a week celebrating the World’s Most Magical Celebration, Disney’s 50th Anniversary kick-off!

I have so much to share with you. New rides, restaurants, attractions, and shows are not in short supply! But, today, I’m going to focus on the newest two nighttime shows that debuted this weekend and will run for the full 18 months of this celebration. Beyond that, we are unsure if they will continue, but I will always endeavor to keep up with the latest updates!

Enchantment is the newest nighttime spectacular at Magic Kingdom Park, replacing the beloved Happily Ever After and Harmonious replacing Epcot Forever at Epcot. I had the privilege to view both of these nighttime shows and I definitely have some not-so-typical opinions in comparison to many of the reviews that I have read.

Let’s start with Enchantment

Boy oh boy, you have some huge shoes to fill. Following up Happily Ever After would be tough even with the best of shows, but after hearing the reviews from the private preview showing, I was not optimistic about this follow-up.

I had made peace prior to our preview that this show may indeed be a letdown, but, shockingly, I was pleasantly surprised. Now, don’t get me wrong, I will preface by saying that this is not HEA, but in defense of this show, the music and projections for the most part were beautiful!

While I do agree with most opinions that this show lacked any throws to the parks, Walt, Roy, or even our favorite mouse, I do feel like the show was well done. There were parts that were entirely breathtaking, but with that being said, I do feel this show lacked the typical heartstring-pulling, tear-jerking Disney feels. The theme of Disney is there and in addition to the projections and music, the fireworks seem to be the main focus. Being fireworks-heavy is not a bad trait, especially for those Disney fans that love the pyrotechnics, but I do wish this show had a bit more balance and a dash of teary end moments!

Overall, this show was not the disappointment and cause for riot it was made out to be. And, after all, do we really see Disney running this longer than the 18-month celebration? I, for one, will be surprised if it outlives that timeframe, but for the moment, it’s fun.

Next up is the much anticipated, Harmonious!

We’ve watched the Imagineers and engineers change the landscape of Epcot and the World Showcase. We’ve listened to the theme, we’ve seen the snippets. And Epcot has lagged behind in terms of nighttime entertainment for so long that I may have felt like, just get on with it Disney!

Tell me I am not the only one here! And every time the creation of something new is announced, I and 1 billion other Disney fans start concocting in their imagination these grand ideas of what should happen. I admit this may have very well played into my initial opinions of this show. Like I said of Enchantment, Harmonious is visually stunning.

The scenes are beautifully projected on fountains of water and surrounded by huge wands of lights and water as well as floating screens in the lagoon. Reviews from the private viewing of the show were really good, so I went in very excited to see what would unfold. And then…..from here I will try to be as fair as possible.

The familiar Disney songs sung in many different languages throughout the show were a definite theme of world unity and inclusion. And we all know we could use a little more of that these days. However, I felt the scenes of this show were a little disjointed and lacked flow. And for me, I had hoped that I would get the gut wrenching emotion that is sparked in me when watching World of Color at Disney California Adventure.

Emotion, in my opinion, was not part of this show. The fireworks were unreal and completely spectacular but much like the Enchantment show, it was truly lacking all those Disney feels that I crave on the daily. Is this show something I will want to see again? Of course! But will I be rioting when it’s the time comes to an end……me thinks not! 

Overall

Both these shows are visually spectacular and will likely thrill visitors young and old alike, I am hoping Disney takes this 18 month timeframe to construct nighttime shows that make you sob every time you see them or even play them on your playlist! When it comes to me, I wear my heart on my sleeve, especially at Disney and I look to these shows to evoke that flood of childhood emotion and wonder. I don’t want just a visually spectacular experience, I’m going for ALL the Disney feels!  I cannot wait for each of you to experience these shows and I am so excited to hear your opinions once you have! Disney is ever-evolving and changing, just like Walt dreamed and I am here for it….I know you are too!