Of course it is! Why would you even ask that?! All jokes aside it truly is the best nighttime show to me and many others but I suppose that is a personal question. For me, there are a lot of reasons that it is the best and we will talk about all of those but on a non emotional side there are a lot of reasons it is above the rest. The transitions are seamless, the story line flows perfectly and it has some of the most powerful messages throughout that are all blended together perfectly. We had had a dream of standing on Main Street, as locals, watching Happily Ever After and this week it finally came true! So now I’m going to start my love letter to this show, enjoy!
Why Do I Love This Show So Much?
This show came into my life at a time of pain and sadness, of betrayal and events I never thought would have happened. I saw it for the first time on a much needed trip during this hard time and it just lit me up and gave me hope. Later on it was there again in a different phase and inspired me, lifted me up, encouraged me and reminded me of a lot of things at different times that I’m gonna go through below.
When I’ve had a bad day, when the world is insane, when there were no fireworks anywhere and then when they finally came back there was Happily Ever After! With all the great messages all tied up into the overall message that you can find your Happily Ever After, whatever it may be, if you have the courage to pursue it. This is something that reached in and pulled my soul back to life after so much turmoil in my life.
It’s Gone, It’s Back, It’s Gone, It’s Back!
Happily Ever After really only ran for 4 years and part of that was Covid so there were no fireworks! When the world shut down and Disney announced it would be closing we made sure we watched a live stream of the last Happily Ever After show on YouTube. And we cried. Then when they were testing for it to come back after Covid we watched a live stream. And we cried. Then when it was finally back we watched a live stream. And we cried.
Then came the 50th and the announcement that there would be a new fireworks show and Happily Ever After would be ending. And we cried……a lot! We had had this dream to stand on Main Street as locals and watch Happily Ever After for a long time and now that would never be able to happen. We went one last time to go see it……And we cried! Hahahaha. And of course we watched a live stream of the last show thanks to ResortTV1, and you guessed it…..we cried!
(DIS)Enchantment
To be fair, we tried really hard to like Enchantment. Even though we had watched a livestream of it and had not really enjoyed it or gotten any of the feels, we still went after we moved and stood on Main Street as locals and watched the fireworks. I had a little tear because we were there as locals but the show just didn’t move me the way HEA did. It didn’t feel like it had any soul and it was a very disjointed show to me. I could go into a whole thing about how they really missed the mark on making an incredible 50th anniversary show that honored Walt, Roy and Mickey but I won’t beat a dead horse!
When the announcement came that they were bringing Happily Ever After BACK…….we cried! Hahaha! It was the best news and our dream of standing on Main Street watching it was restored! We couldn’t do opening day because our passes were blocked out and then had to wait more because of my travel schedule BUT we finally made it on May 2, 2023!! And you guessed it…..we cried!
The Village Crazy Lady
Happily Ever After has all of my favorite songs including the two songs I sang to my boys when they were babies, You Got A Friend In Me and You’ll Be In My Heart. But Grandma Tala’s Stingray going up the castle during the Moana section always reminds me of my amazing grandmothers watching over me from heaven. I get the chills every time on this part and love that I feel that grandma love every time. Plus I have always kind of felt like the village crazy lady a little, I used to try and contain it but not now! Hahaha
You Can FLY!!
If you have seen this show, you know that it has the most AMAZING Tinkerbell moment in the history of Tinkerbell moments! It is so powerful and the crowd never fails to cheer. The build up is incredible and it is perfectly timed with ‘You Can Fly, You Can Fly, You Can Flllyyyyyy” and then a huge build! I can tell you that if I’m not already crying by this point, the tears will start flowing here! There is a puddle on Main Street where I stand every time.
The Messages That Speak To Me
There are so many great messages in this show but I have some that have stood out to me at different times and have meant a lot to me. They spoke words I needed to hear in a Disney magic way at the right moments. They built me up in times of uncertainty, doubt and sadness in a way that only another Disney adult could understand. If it sounds like therapy, it kind of was and I wrote about how Disney is therapy if you want to check that out!. I would pull up this video anytime I was really down or just needed some reminders. So here are some of those parts for you:
The Intro
“And they all lived Happily Ever After. Each of us has a dream, a hearts desire. It calls to us. And if we are brave enough to listen and bold enough to pursue, that dream will lead us on a journey to discover who we’re meant to be. All we have to do is look inside our hearts and unlock the magic within.”
This always reminds me that no matter what is going on or what anyone else thinks, if I am willing to pursue a dream I can achieve it!
Merida
“Your destiny lies within you. you just have to be brave enough to see it. And then your journey begins.”
This is a reminder that no one else is in control of how I live my life and chase my dreams. I control how I respond to what happens and can’t let others change who I am or want to be.
Aladdin
“Trust me, having a best friend by your side opens up a whole new world of possibilities.”
Throughout the ups a downs I have been lucky enough to have my hubby, who is my best friend as well as my sister from another mister who have lifted me up. Sometimes it wasn’t easy for them to do because I closed myself off, but this always reminded me that it was better when I let them in. Fast forward to now and I still have both of them by my side cheering me on and a new bestie here in Florida. I never would have imagined before moving that I would open myself up to someone else like that, but I am so glad I did.
Outside Looking In
“And when you’re outside looking in, who’s there to open the door? That’s what friends are for.”
Going along with the last one, this one is right there too. After being hurt so badly by someone I thought of like family, I became very guarded and a little closed off. But that is not who I am naturally and this was a reminder to open myself up and allow people in.
Olaf
“Some people are worth melting for”
And some people aren’t….those are just the facts and I had to learn that the hard way. And some are never going to melt for you, but when you find the ones who would hold onto them!
Shan Yu
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all”
This one hit me so hard many, many times! If I can keep going regardless of what others are doing or saying I can bloom. If I can keep going even though things aren’t playing out the way I had hoped, I can bloom. This one always made me think of Walt Disney too, he had so many failures and set backs in his life but always kept moving forward and blooming!
The Tear Jerkers
“Look inside yourself. You are more than what you have become. Remember who you are.” -Mufassa
“I will beat the odds, I can go the distance! I will face the world, fearless, proud and strong!” -Hercules
Shew! This part gets me every time. Not only is Go The Distance from Hercules my favorite Disney song, it has been my anthem at times. The first time this part really hit me I was at a really low point in life. I certainly was not who I really was or wanted to be and was letting what others had done to me get the best of me. This part lifted me up and said get up girl and go be YOU!
The Finishers
“Grab hold of your dreams and make them come true.”
“The battles, the stories, the losses and all of the glories. We’re changed by the way we live everyday. Just look up and reach to the sky, we all have the courage to fly!”
“Reach out and find your Happily Ever After!”
And that’s when the tears become a puddle! We truly are changed by the way we choose to live everyday, how we treat others and ourselves. Our battles, stories, losses and glories make us who we are! When it says look up and reach for the sky it reminds me where my worth and strength comes from and that prayer always makes me feel better, heard and seen. We all do truly have the courage to fly if we want to and just have to reach out and find our Happily ever After!!
Conclusion
So that’s my love letter to Happily Ever After and why I love it so much. I have heard from other people different parts that hit them hard and why they love this show so much, so I know I’m not the only crazy person!! I know it’s just a fireworks show but it evokes so many feelings and emotions for me and I am just so so happy that it is back and that we finally had our dream come true of standing on Main Street as locals, finding our Happily Ever After!
I even used the actual fireworks version of the song with the beginning and ending narration for the closing number of my final recital with my dance studio in NC. Little did I know that the new owner had passed out glow sticks to everyone in the audience and they waved them around when it got to the build, it was so magical!! I did it for me to remind me that I was reaching out for a new Happily Ever After but also for my dancers, the seniors moving on to the next phase of life and all the rest who were starting a new journey with a new owner and director that are amazing! We were all stepping into finding a new Happily Ever After!
As always, thank. you so much for reading my ramblings and being here! Y’all help make this Happily Ever After possible and have supported me so much, I love you all!!!! Have the most magical day!