Just back. Not a big fan of HEA (breaks my heart!)

[Moliphino]

I wonder if this is part of the reason why the show doesn't resonate with some people. The movies in the show - Mulan, Tarzan, Hunchback, Hercules, etc - are the movies I grew up with. Of course, I love the classics too But those were the "current" movies at the time. It makes sense to me that someone who doesn't know them would find the show less appealing because the intended feeling/purpose of the chosen songs/scenes wouldn't be immediately clear.

I think my issues with the show are the exact opposite of this. "Love is an Open Door" should not be used in a section about love because it's essentially the villain song in Frozen, "That's What Friends are For" shouldn't be anywhere near a section on friendship if you've actually seen the movie and know the context. It's like whoever picked the songs for the show had never seen the movies. Why is Mufasa telling Hercules to remember who he is? Why are they using random covers of songs instead of movie versions? A lot of the show just makes no sense and the transitions are too abrupt.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm a very vocal HEA supporter. Just from the story standpoint it has a better message than Wishes, you're the key to unlocking your own magic, get out there and create your happily ever after... The sequence of songs is deliberate, you start wishing and move on to your journey where you get help along the way from family, friends, loved ones, you encounter bumps along the way and then you have your heroes welcomev when you reach your goals, it goes way past just wishing upon a star.

Oh - there's a theme? I honestly had not noticed it in the couple of times I've seen HEA whereas I thought the theme for Wishes was very prominent and just fine. HEA just seemed to be a compilations of randomly selected songs. But I spent the first time trying to figure out most of the songs and recognizing very few. I've watched a few movies just so I could enjoy HEA more but still missedy coherent story coming out in the show. Guess that's for next time!

I have found the transitions abrupt as others apparently do too.

 

[vinotinto]

What HEA has against it is that it's primarily a projection show (just like SWGS at DHS). You need to watch it at MK with a view of the front of the castle. Music and fireworks alone, unlike in Wishes, won't do the full effect.

 

[CeruleanMoon]

I wonder if this is part of the reason why the show doesn't resonate with some people. The movies in the show - Mulan, Tarzan, Hunchback, Hercules, etc - are the movies I grew up with. Of course, I love the classics too But those were the "current" movies at the time. It makes sense to me that someone who doesn't know them would find the show less appealing because the intended feeling/purpose of the chosen songs/scenes wouldn't be immediately clear.

Could be? Of the four movies you mention, I know them, but never really had strong feelings about any of those in particular. Actually, I just went and looked up a list of Disney animated movies and their release dates, and I can't really say that there was any one particular era that was my favorite. During the period when I was a child there seemed to be a dearth of good Disney films. I guess I was expecting Disney to choose some of their top "superstar" movies to showcase. More Lion King, Cars, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast. Or maybe they just tried to cram in too many movies, so that I barely had time to recognize each one. I don't know.

I think my issues with the show are the exact opposite of this. "Love is an Open Door" should not be used in a section about love because it's essentially the villain song in Frozen, "That's What Friends are For" shouldn't be anywhere near a section on friendship if you've actually seen the movie and know the context. It's like whoever picked the songs for the show had never seen the movies. Why is Mufasa telling Hercules to remember who he is? Why are they using random covers of songs instead of movie versions? A lot of the show just makes no sense and the transitions are too abrupt.

I think you may be onto something here. I didn't care for the more "modern" popish sounding versions of the songs they chose, or the way they mish-mashed the movies together.

Oh - there's a theme? I honestly had not noticed it in the couple of times I've seen HEA whereas I thought the theme for Wishes was very prominent and just fine. HEA just seemed to be a compilations of randomly selected songs. But I spent the first time trying to figure out most of the songs and recognizing very few. I've watched a few movies just so I could enjoy HEA more but still missedy coherent story coming out in the show. Guess that's for next time!

I have found the transitions abrupt as others apparently do too.

I guess I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt this way about the show! I am sad that I missed seeing Wishes. It sounds like it was very popular and well loved.

 

[yulilin3]

Oh - there's a theme? I honestly had not noticed it in the couple of times I've seen HEA whereas I thought the theme for Wishes was very prominent and just fine. HEA just seemed to be a compilations of randomly selected songs. But I spent the first time trying to figure out most of the songs and recognizing very few. I've watched a few movies just so I could enjoy HEA more but still missedy coherent story coming out in the show. Guess that's for next time!

I have found the transitions abrupt as others apparently do too.

I guess it helps when you've seen most of the movies, but you can actually get the theme from the lyrics of the song (I have yet to see Brave and Hunchback)

Intro: narrator tells us to look inside our hearts and unlock the magic within

Theme song: Dreams that we are meant to follow and taking steps to reach our happily ever after

Wishing section:
Princess and the Frog's :Tiana's makes a wish on a star
Little Mermaid: Part of your World
Hunchback: Out There

Journey starts to get your dreams:
Brave: I Will Fly (chase the wind and learn to fly)
Moana: How Far I'll Go

Friends help you along the way:
Aladdin:Friend like Me
Tarzan: Trashing the Camp
Lion King: Hakuna Matata
Toy Story: You've Got a Friend in Me
Jungle Book: Bear Neccesitties

You need loved ones:
Frozen: Love is an Open Door
Lion King: Can You Feel The Love Tonight
Tarzan: You'll be In My Heart
Tangled: I see The Light

You will find troubles and bumps along the way to reaching your goals:
Mulan: The flowers that blooms in adversity is the most beautiful of all
Lion King: music from Simba's and Scar's battle
Pirates of the Caribbean fight track

You reached your goals and get a heroes welcome:
Hercules Go The Distance with Mufasa's voice "Remember who you are"

Narrator: and so our journey comes to an end but yours continues on, grab hold of your dreams and make them come true, for you are the key to unlocking your own magic. Now go let your dreams guide you reach out and find your happily ever after
Theme song: ...just look up and reach to the sky, we all have the courage to fly (blending perfectly with Peter Pan's) You can fly, you can fly, you can fly and Tink flying

Seriously, I'm not trying to convince anyone to love this show but it does have a very thought out story, the entire soundtrack is coupled with what you see on the castle, I think people just want to see everything, I just let my eyes guide me to where they want to go. I've watched from inside MK and outside and each time have loved the show. It might not be for everyone and that is ok, but it does have a story and a very powerful message

 

[ChanduTail]

Could be? Of the four movies you mention, I know them, but never really had strong feelings about any of those in particular. Actually, I just went and looked up a list of Disney animated movies and their release dates, and I can't really say that there was any one particular era that was my favorite. During the period when I was a child there seemed to be a dearth of good Disney films. I guess I was expecting Disney to choose some of their top "superstar" movies to showcase. More Lion King, Cars, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast. Or maybe they just tried to cram in too many movies, so that I barely had time to recognize each one. I don't know.

Cars is an interesting one to mention - I've never seen it, but it seems really popular & is largely neglected in WDW, which is how I felt about the others before HEA.

I guess we will see what they do with the next show

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I guess it helps when you've seen most of the movies, but you can actually get the theme from the lyrics of the song (I have yet to see Brave and Hunchback)

Intro: narrator tells us to look inside our hearts and unlock the magic within

Theme song: Dreams that we are meant to follow and taking steps to reach our happily ever after

Wishing section:
Princess and the Frog's :Tiana's makes a wish on a star
Little Mermaid: Part of your World
Hunchback: Out There

Journey starts to get your dreams:
Brave: I Will Fly (chase the wind and learn to fly)
Moana: How Far I'll Go

Friends help you along the way:
Aladdin:Friend like Me
Tarzan: Trashing the Camp
Lion King: Hakuna Matata
Toy Story: You've Got a Friend in Me
Jungle Book: Bear Neccesitties

You need loved ones:
Frozen: Love is an Open Door
Lion King: Can You Feel The Love Tonight
Tarzan: You'll be In My Heart
Tangled: I see The Light

You will find troubles and bumps along the way to reaching your goals:
Mulan: The flowers that blooms in adversity is the most beautiful of all
Lion King: music from Simba's and Scar's battle
Pirates of the Caribbean fight track

You reached your goals and get a heroes welcome:
Hercules Go The Distance with Mufasa's voice "Remember who you are"

Narrator: and so our journey comes to an end but yours continues on, grab hold of your dreams and make them come true, for you are the key to unlocking your own magic. Now go let your dreams guide you reach out and find your happily ever after
Theme song: ...just look up and reach to the sky, we all have the courage to fly (blending perfectly with Peter Pan's) You can fly, you can fly, you can fly and Tink flying

Seriously, I'm not trying to convince anyone to love this show but it does have a very thought out story, the entire soundtrack is coupled with what you see on the castle, I think people just want to see everything, I just let my eyes guide me to where they want to go. I've watched from inside MK and outside and each time have loved the show. It might not be for everyone and that is ok, but it does have a story and a very powerful message

Interesting! I'll have to refer back to this prior to seeing it the next time. Thanks for taking the time to outline it so thoroughly.

 

[disneygirlsng]

I guess it helps when you've seen most of the movies, but you can actually get the theme from the lyrics of the song (I have yet to see Brave and Hunchback)

Intro: narrator tells us to look inside our hearts and unlock the magic within

Theme song: Dreams that we are meant to follow and taking steps to reach our happily ever after

Wishing section:
Princess and the Frog's :Tiana's makes a wish on a star
Little Mermaid: Part of your World
Hunchback: Out There

Journey starts to get your dreams:
Brave: I Will Fly (chase the wind and learn to fly)
Moana: How Far I'll Go

Friends help you along the way:
Aladdin:Friend like Me
Tarzan: Trashing the Camp
Lion King: Hakuna Matata
Toy Story: You've Got a Friend in Me
Jungle Book: Bear Neccesitties

You need loved ones:
Frozen: Love is an Open Door
Lion King: Can You Feel The Love Tonight
Tarzan: You'll be In My Heart
Tangled: I see The Light

You will find troubles and bumps along the way to reaching your goals:
Mulan: The flowers that blooms in adversity is the most beautiful of all
Lion King: music from Simba's and Scar's battle
Pirates of the Caribbean fight track

You reached your goals and get a heroes welcome:
Hercules Go The Distance with Mufasa's voice "Remember who you are"

Narrator: and so our journey comes to an end but yours continues on, grab hold of your dreams and make them come true, for you are the key to unlocking your own magic. Now go let your dreams guide you reach out and find your happily ever after
Theme song: ...just look up and reach to the sky, we all have the courage to fly (blending perfectly with Peter Pan's) You can fly, you can fly, you can fly and Tink flying

Seriously, I'm not trying to convince anyone to love this show but it does have a very thought out story, the entire soundtrack is coupled with what you see on the castle, I think people just want to see everything, I just let my eyes guide me to where they want to go. I've watched from inside MK and outside and each time have loved the show. It might not be for everyone and that is ok, but it does have a story and a very powerful message

This. I get not liking the show (I guess haha), but I will never understand when people say it's a random mish-mash, has no flow, random changes, etc, because it just doesn't. And it's not like it took several watches for me to take it all in, it was all pretty clear to me the first time I saw it. Repeat watches just made me love it even more!

 

[JerseyJanice]

I am just back from 8 nights at WDW where I got to see HEA three times, and I liked it more with each viewing.

I think you have to acquire a taste for some productions.

I didn’t love Wishes the first couple of times I saw it and missed Fantasy in the Sky. After seeing Wishes a few times, I became very fond of it, and now I feel the same way about HEA.

It’s a visually stunning show with rich colors in the projections and fireworks. The soundtrack really grew on me. At first, it seemed like a medley of Disney movie tunes. Hearing it over three shows, I can detect a flow to it now.

It is meant to be seen from the front of the Castle. If the OP saw it on Sunday, 5/20, it was easy to see it there that night. The rain kept the crowd low that day, and we scored a great spot in the Hub shortly before it started. No Tinkerbell that night though.

We saw it again the following night, and Tink was back to the amazement and delight of my baby nieces. The show was a highlight of our trip.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think the first viewing should definitely be in front of the castle. Maybe even the first couple of viewings.

After that, I think the music and fireworks are stunning in themselves and you can enjoy it from other places without a direct view of the castle

As far as watching the projections and the fireworks, I have a hard time with that. I just watch the projections if I am in front of the castle. I complained about that one night and my tween daughter said, "Mom, you just watch it, stop thinking so hard" LOL!

The theme to me is in the lyrics for the title song that they wrote for it.

 

[CeruleanMoon]

I wish I had enjoyed the show more! I didn't dislike it by any means. I thought it was stunning and beautiful, but I obviously didn't pick up on a cohesive story or message and left feeling disappointed and a bit confused. I don't know why what was so obvious to others wasn't so for me! A little too fast-paced maybe? Not using the movie versions of the songs, making them harder to recognize? I don't know.

 

[yulilin3]

Interesting! I'll have to refer back to this prior to seeing it the next time. Thanks for taking the time to outline it so thoroughly.

 

[clutter]

OP here. I did figure it was well thought out, and I was missing the point. But I truly couldn't follow - but there are a lot of movies in there that I maybe saw once, if at all (as opposed to the constant background of Bell, Ariel, Mulan, etc when dd was younger). And if I thought I'd heard something I recognized, I guess it WAS a cover, so that added to the confusion. We didn't have tickets, and I've heard so much about going to TOTW, and was so excited to go there. It just wasn't what I expected.

This summer, I will make sure that we see it from the park before we go back to TOTW again. But I'm glad that I wasn't the only one that struggled with it!

 

[Shanti]

I miss Wishes.

 

[Shanti]

Some people post on these boards constantly but never seem to like ANYTHING. It's baffling.

Incidentally, your description of the show as "schizophrenic" is offensive. You don't have to like it, but sneering at others who do (and at mental illness in the process) is highly uncalled for. Please find a kinder way to express your opinions.

She has the right to her opinion. She wasn't sneering at anyone.

 

[cuteinnocent]

In front of castle it was the most amazing show I've seen. I know all the songs!

 

[ariane37]

Just popping in to say I agree with many here that I just can't get on board with HEA over Wishes. I loved Wishes, it made me cry every time. I wasn't looking to cry or be "moved" by it, I just love a good fireworks show! But I still teared up every time we watched. I did love that you didn't have to be in front of the castle, my favorite spot to watch Wishes was back by the carousel. I felt like the fireworks were going off all around me and I could spin around in a circle, looking up, and I wouldn't miss anything I could hear the music and see what was meant to be seen. I also didn't have to be in a crowd to do that unless we felt like going to the HUB, or down Main St.
I don't like projections, I feel like they're a cop-out. They're scenes from movies. I don't need to stand somewhere and watch scenes from movies, if I want to see the movie I can watch it at home. And I hate, hate having to go from projection - look up at fireworks! Wait, what was that projection? Oh I missed a cool firework! I have no idea what song is playing because I'm going back and forth to the castle and the sky. It's not fun or enjoyable

I appreciate HEA and think it’s an incredible production but I don’t adore it like I did with Wishes. It just doesn’t connect with me like Wishes did.

Same here. In no way do I connect with HEA and I've seen it from various places at least 10x if not a couple more.

Definitely watch it from in front of the castle. You'll likely have a much more enjoyable viewing

As a couple others said, not the case for me. We've watched from the WL dock and while the view of the fireworks is somewhat obstructed, I preferred that as you can hear the music and I know where to look, and what I'm looking at is what I like. Then earlier this month we finally watched from the bridge in NFL and that's where my "much more enjoyable viewing" is now. Fireworks as close to all around me like they were in Wishes as I think I can get, no crowds, no annoying projections.

Last week, I watched HEA 5 times from the Poly. My kids love fireworks so we watched most evenings before bed. I enjoyed it much more from there without the distracting projections. Still doesn’t compare to Wishes for me from an emotional perspective but I enjoyed it more than I did from the hub.

Right there with you! See my comment above; if you're in MK again for HEA and haven't tried it, go stand on the bridge in NFL over where you can watch the mine cars come down the hill from 7DMT. The view of the fireworks was really really nice

Do fireworks OR a projection show. NOT both at once. Far too distracting.

 

[CAS239]

As a couple others said, not the case for me. We've watched from the WL dock and while the view of the fireworks is somewhat obstructed, I preferred that as you can hear the music and I know where to look, and what I'm looking at is what I like. Then earlier this month we finally watched from the bridge in NFL and that's where my "much more enjoyable viewing" is now. Fireworks as close to all around me like they were in Wishes as I think I can get, no crowds, no annoying projections.

The whole point of watching in front of the castle is because that's how it's meant to be shown. You can watch from wherever you like but if you're not watching from in front of the castle then you're missing about 50% of the show. I figured you were comparing both HEA and Wishes as a whole, not just fireworks vs fireworks

You don't have to see the projections but my post was under the impression that you watched from far away and had not viewed the projections before. So for someone that has not watched the show yet, in front of the castle would be a "much more enjoyable viewing"

 

[zebrastreyepz]

Am I the only one who just wants to watch for the visuals of the fireworks and the pretty lights on the castle? I don't need a big or meaningful message from a fireworks show. Or any message for that matter. It just needs to be pretty.

Nope, not the only one.

Rivers of Light is currently my favorite night time show with HEA and SWAGS being the only ones I haven't seen yet. I will see both of them this next trip and be able to decide better.

Illuminations is my least favorite because it's not very pretty but the holiday tag version at Christmas is a step above because it's pretty and I loved the music.

 

[ariane37]

The whole point of watching in front of the castle is because that's how it's meant to be shown. You can watch from wherever you like but if you're not watching from in front of the castle then you're missing about 50% of the show. I figured you were comparing both HEA and Wishes as a whole, not just fireworks vs fireworks

You don't have to see the projections but my post was under the impression that you watched from far away and had not viewed the projections before. So for someone that has not watched the show yet, in front of the castle would be a "much more enjoyable viewing"

I do get what you're saying, that for many people it will be more enjoyable in front of the castle. For me ( and others it seems) it is definitely not more enjoyable. I did not enjoy HEA from in front of the castle, I enjoy it more from pretty much anywhere else with a decent view of the fireworks and no projections.