Happily Ever After and Wishes Return to Walt Disney World For One Night Only

There are so many things Disney Guests miss that are now retired at Walt Disney World.

From The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Maelstrom at EPCOT, there are many fan-favorite attractions and shows that are no longer at the Florida Disney Resort. None seem more missed right now than Happily Ever After and Wishes, especially since the debut of Disney Enchantment.

Back on May 11, 2017, Walt Disney World Resort ended its run of the fan-favorite Cinderella Castle show, Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams, at Magic Kingdom.

The show’s ending brought many to tears as so many Disney fans had magical memories and a deep connection to the fireworks show that had run for 14 years.

Happily Ever After then made its debut on May 12, 2017 to a crowded Magic Kingdom.

Unlike its predecessor, Wishes, the show included projection mapping across Cinderella Castle, lasers, and searchlights, in addition to amazing pyrotechnics.

The catchy song, that made so many Disney Guests cry, was written by Adam Watts, Melissa Peirce, and Andrew Dodd, and performed by Angie Keilhauer and Jordan Fisher, known for his role in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton.

The show was promised to feature the most technologically advanced projection mapping display in Disney Parks history. Sadly, and to much shock, the show was permanently retired on September 29, 2021, and was succeeded by the new nighttime spectacular Disney Enchantment for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary on October 1, 2021.

The all-new firework show projects onto Main Street, U.S.A. much like Disney Guests saw at Disneyland Resort in Disneyland Forever.

Reactions from Disney Guests to Disney Enchantment have been mixed, with some Guests loving it, and others suggesting that it does not live up to its predecessor. Here at Disney Tips, we admit we like the show and the characters it features, but it does not feel like a 50th celebration fireworks show.

Well, it seems that for one night only, some lucky Guests got to hear the melodies of Wishes and Happily Ever After in the Parks!

Last night, Disney Guests at Bay Lake Tower were able to relive both firework shows as the iconic music from Wishes and Happily Ever After blasted from Cinderella Castle.

Aria (@ariipariee) was staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Bay Lake Tower when they suddenly heard the magical sound of Wishes playing loudly from inside the Magic Kingdom theme park:

Not us staying at Bay Lake and hearing WISHES and HAPPILY EVER AFTER from MK this evening….my fangirling was very obvious. (1/2)

Not us staying at Bay Lake and hearing WISHES and HAPPILY EVER AFTER from MK this evening….my fangirling was very obvious. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/eGWUEREn2C

— aria (@ariipariee) January 18, 2022

We would totally fangirl too if we heard that sound coming from the Park! Is Disney going back in time? Will we be seeing the return of Wishes soon?

Aria posted a second video containing the incredible, nostalgic sound of Happily Ever After and Jordan Fisher’s voice booming from Magic Kingdom:

(2/2) here’s Happily Ever After playing tonight from Bay Lake Tower’

(2/2) here’s Happily Ever After playing tonight from Bay Lake Tower pic.twitter.com/ZNI7rCA36U

— aria (@ariipariee) January 18, 2022

Of course, this was probably for a private event held inside the Parks after hours, with many speculating that it was for a Disney Fairytale Wedding, but we can’t help but almost tear up at the thought of these soundtracks playing again inside Magic Kingdom.

Disney offers Cinderella Castle as a backdrop for weddings after Park-close, so perhaps these were song choices that were requested and used for a wedding on this evening.

If they were, we want to know how much this wedding cost, and how many Guests at this wedding cried when these songs played inside Magic Kingdom again. What a lucky bride and groom!

More on Disney Enchantment

Disney Enchantment is described by Disney as:

“Disney Enchantment” features characters, moments, and music from dozens of Disney and Pixar animated films. The show takes us beyond the ordinary to a land of magic, where we’re swept up in a world of wonder filled with friendship, love and fun. Through it all, we’ll discover we only have to look within to find the power to believe and make dreams come true, because the magic was inside us all along!

This all-new spectacular inspires everyone to believe in magic, with captivating Disney music, enhanced lighting, immersive projection effects that extend for the first time down Main Street, U.S.A., and an emotional original song, entitled “You Are the Magic,” by seven-time GRAMMY-winner Philip Lawrence. And throughout the show, stunning fireworks fill the sky, providing a great experience for guests throughout the park and neighboring resort hotels.