Who’d want to be a Disney Imagineer eh? Well, me for a start. For location alone it’s in my all time top four dream jobs just behind millionaire, musician and best selling author. As good as the job seems they and in turn Disney will, in my view, always be between rocks and hard places when it comes to developing the rides and attractions. The challenge of keeping up with the noisy neighbours at Universal, introducing new stuff to keep folks coming back as well as retaining the magic and memories that everyone is so attached to is a delicate balance to maintain.
I will personally never forgive the Imagineers responsible for Stich’s Great Escape, but that’s one aberration in a long line of success.
This quandry was brought to mind this week when I saw a rumour posted into my Facebook timeline (thanks Val Ramsey!). The article suggested that Disney were testing a new fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom, postulating that this may be to replace Wishes.
Now, that is just a guess and is a million miles from confirmed. They could just be testing the fireworks for the Christmas stuff they do which will be starting soon, but a new fireworks show could make some sense.
- There is currently no night-time parade at MK and they need to announce one for when the Halloween and Christmas parades finish. A new set of fireworks could fit into that.
- Wishes has been around for a good while now and it could be due a refresh.
Now something like this is going to draw mixed reactions from the Disney faithful. For some, like Emily, their reaction is horror and instant mourning for something that hasn’t yet died. For Emily, Wishes is all she has known so perhaps the reluctance for change is understandable. For others of course there’s excitement and anticipation for what may be to come. I honesty can’t remember what came before Wishes but I know I will have seen it and as sad as it may be for Wishes to be retired, I do wonder what the next generation of fireworks show may look like. I’d expect Disney to up the ante though with technology now being available that wasn’t when Wishes came along.
There have also been rumours that Paint The Night will come to the Magic Kingdom so of course nobody really knows, unless you’re the boss at Magic Kingdom. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Some folks have even been bold enough to suggest that there will not be a replacement parade at all. Claims that cost cutting will be at the root of this drastic action. Personally, I cannot see that at all. The Magic Kingdom and parades are synonymous, and I just can’t contemplate that Disney would be so silly as to break that tradition.
Whatever happens I’m confident enough to trust that Disney will get it right. The nighttime activities at MK are a show piece event and they have to maintain a standard so that it will mesmerise and entertain their audience, as well of course, making sure it makes a good proportion of them cry, or maybe that’s just Emily?
In twenty years or so, when some other idiot is blogging about Disney changing whatever does or doesn’t come next, there will be a similarly split reaction I’m sure and I just hope I’m still going there to see whatever it is.
So, time for your thoughts, what do you want Disney to do?
Till the next time…..
Mkingdon's Blog 
Are my family the only ones who like Stitches Great Escape?
Yes, I believe you must be 😄😀😏😁
Stitch is my eldest son’s favourite and he loves this attraction. He was upset to find it was going to be closed during our latest trip. In fact it seems Stitch is being cut from the park in other areas as he had even been cut from the Move It, Shake It parade too. And I’m just hoping they don’t remove him from Ohana;s breakfast too as the shop at the Polynesian seemed to have been rebranded as a Moana shop.
Yes I did think that Moana seemed to be based on a very similar world.
I remember Alien Encounter…much better and terrifying…Bring it back
I love Wishes but have also seen Paint the Night and love it so I have to trust, after they tore away part of my soul in taking away Sectromagic, that if they do they will get it right. For me it just the void they leave in between.
Wishes for me IS Disney and Spectomagic going, left a big void in my little world of Disney…. BUT…if anyone DARE take away Illuminations, Reflections of Earth and that someones head may have to roll.
No chance of Paint the NIght coming to WDW in its current form, it just wouldn’t work. It would cost too much to change it. Apparently there are plans in place for another parade but no money for it..