I’m Nostalgic for Disney World’s Most Hated Fireworks.

While attending Magic Kingdom After Hours this summer, I did something for the first time since Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary ended a few years ago. I watched the Enchantment fireworks, the highly-hated nighttime spectacular.

This show was once intended to be the permanent replacement for Happily Ever After, but proved so unpopular that Disney brought back that fan-favorite with an announcement at the 2022 D23 Expo. The news of Happily Ever After’s return was met with thunderous applause, making it the top announcement of that year’s D23 Expo. (Partially an indictment of that year’s underwhelming event, but I digress.)

Disney Enchantment was retired in March 2023 along with Harmonious and most of the rest of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, after only an 18-month run. As noted above, both it and Harmonious were intended to be permanent, outlasting the event. Ironically, the longest-lasting legacy of the World’s Most Magical Celebration is now the 50 character statues that double as a MagicBand+ scavenger hunt.

Disney Enchantment has since been brought back for After Hours at Magic Kingdom for the last few years. It’s essentially bonus fireworks during that special event, shown in addition to Happily Ever After on the same evening. It’s a nice little touch, and something ‘special’ that isn’t offered at After Hours at EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Honestly, I had not intended upon watching Disney Enchantment on this particular evening. Even though it’s a nighttime spectacular I haven’t seen in a few years, it also wasn’t one that I was keen to revisit.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not a fan of the Disney Enchantment fireworks.

I’ll never forget watching it for the first time in disbelief, shocked that a Disney+ sizzle reel was how the company chose to honor Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. I was never a fan of Bob Chapek, but that night was the tipping point for me and I made no effort to conceal my disdain for him afterwards.

My hope from the beginning was that fan backlash and lower guest satisfaction scores would result in the return of Happily Ever After. And exactly that happened, so mission accomplished.

The only reason I watched Disney Enchantment this summer was because I happened to be crossing the park a few minutes before the fireworks started, noticed how sparse the crowd was, and thought it would be a good opportunity to capture some empty-ish central plaza fireworks photos. (If only I brought my tripod!)

Then the show opened with the Florida Project introduction. Honestly, I forgot that this even existed. Despite my distaste for the show, I saw Disney Enchantment dozens of times during its 18-month run, including several in July 2022 when Walt Disney World inexplicably showed it twice nightly. (What can I say, I love explosions.)

By the time the Florida Project intro debuted one month later, I was burnt out on Enchantment. Judging by my photo archives, I only saw that version of the show 3 times total during its original run. That’s still a decent number, but accounts for less than 10% of my total viewings of Enchantment.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Florida Project intro, it debuted in late August 2022 and ran for the final six months of the 50th Anniversary. Notably, this intro debuted only a couple of weeks before the D23 Expo announcement that Enchantment was ending and Happily Ever After was being brought back.

The updated opening featured new projections, with Walt Disney introducing the “Florida Project” and other archive clips including Walt Disney World’s dedication ceremony with Roy Disney. It also included an iconic attractions sequence, featuring Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, “it’s a small world,” and Carousel of Progress. The updated introduction culminated with Mickey Mouse telling guests that “you are the magic!”

Here’s my video of the Florida Project opening from Summer 2026 during After Hours at Magic Kingdom:

Disney Enchantment 2026 Re-Review

With the passage of time and divorced from the disastrous 50th Anniversary, I was able to reevaluate the Disney Enchantment fireworks. And I regret to inform you that I no longer hate it. Nostalgia comes for us all and, admittedly, it got me.

In my defense, it’s fair to say that the circumstances have changed. With zero pressure of being the replacement for Happily Ever After or being the centerpiece fireworks for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, Enchantment hit differently. Honestly, I can’t say I’m completely surprised.

As we “warned” repeatedly during Enchantment’s run when noting that casual visitors should see it regardless despite our rantings, it’s still pyro exploding over Cinderella Castle. There’s only so bad that Enchantment can be, as Magic Kingdom fireworks are a “high floor” offering.

Fireworks set to music over Cinderella Castle while you’re standing on Main Street have undeniable appeal, and that would be true even if set to the “Meow Mix” song on loop. While there was originally some debate over whether Enchantment or Meow Mix was superior, the Florida Project opening pushed the former over the top.

The Florida Project introduction is really well done. Its inclusion rebalanced Enchantment as less of a Disney+ sizzle reel and more of a love letter to the Vacation Kingdom of the World. It still didn’t rise to the level of “Remember… Dreams Come True” or “Celebrate Tokyo Disneyland,” two shows that should have been the blueprint for Enchantment, but the intro makes it so much better.

Beyond that, there were other kernels of good ideas in Enchantment.

Aside from the aforementioned 50th-related issues, the problems with the show itself mostly came down to pacing and song choices. All of these problems persist and the middle still drags, but none of the issues feel as noticeable with the stronger opening.

Even the original Enchantment was not all bad, and the version that was playing at the end of the 50th was markedly better. Admittedly, it also helps to go in with no-to-low expectations and less of a critical eye.

All of that is combined with my own memories and sentimentality. We were living in Florida during Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, visiting the parks multiple nights per week. All of this was coming out of the shadow of COVID, before revenge travel really kicked into high gear.

It was a different chapter of our lives, and one that neither of us miss as a whole. But time has a way of smoothing over the rough edges of the past, washing away the bad and leaving only the good memories behind.

Try as I might to be objective, there are still things about Walt Disney World’s 50th and that whole era that I now romanticize and for which I harbor nostalgia. Curse you, Bob Chapek, for giving me Stockholm Syndrome!

None of this is to say that you should purchase a ticket to After Hours at Magic Kingdom so you can play a bit of revisionist history or savor some unearned sentimentality for Disney Enchantment.

It is to say that you should make the point of giving Disney Enchantment another chance if you’re already going to attend. It’s incredibly easy to watch, with zero need to arrive more than 60 seconds (not minutes) before the fireworks start. If you’re on the fence about doing the hard ticket event, perhaps this tips the scales in its favor.

I’ll soon have a full After Hours at Magic Kingdom recap, review and head-to-head comparison to Extended Evening Hours (which I also attended two nights later). In the meantime, I’d recommend After Hours at Magic Kingdom over Lightning Lane Premier Pass if you’re looking for a quasi-VIP splurge and way to beat the summer heat.

This article is more about revisiting Enchantment, both for me personally and bigger-picture for Walt Disney World…

WDW Should Embrace Fan Nostalgia

Successfully revisiting Disney Enchantment proves that Walt Disney World can do more like this, and we’d love to see exactly that happen in the future.

Disneyland practically invented the “McRib Playbook” and routinely rotates an assortment of nighttime spectaculars and other entertainment. Wondrous Journeys, Mickey’s Mix Magic, Together Forever, and Disneyland Forever have all been shown in the last few years. We’re fully expecting a fresh entertainment slate for 2027, and that could easily include the return of Believe, Magical, or Remember Dreams Come True.

If you’re reading this post, there’s an above-average possibility that you’re a longtime Walt Disney World fan who visits the parks somewhat regularly. If so, I’d imagine that you would like to see Walt Disney World adopt a philosophy more akin to Disneyland, with more offerings that are geared towards locals, repeat visitors, and ardent fans.

Over the years, I’ve lost count of how many times someone from within Walt Disney World has claimed that they couldn’t possibly have seasonal overlays or limited-time offerings like Disneyland because guests would complain. The argument goes that Disneyland can do this since it’s a locals park, whereas Walt Disney World is a tourist destination.

That’s a lame excuse that maybe would’ve passed muster years ago, but not anymore. Central Florida’s population continues to explode and Disney Vacation Club’s membership grows. Out-of-state Childless Disney Adults and other Annual Passholders make multiple long weekend trips per year. Despite ever-increasing prices and complaints, there are more diehard fans than ever.

Beyond that, most first-time tourists won’t know what they’re missing and might very well end up preferring the thing that regulars and locals love. This is precisely why we made the case that Walt Disney World is Wrong About Seasonal Ride Overlays when advocating for Haunted Mansion Holiday, “it’s a small world” holiday, and other such additions.

Disney Enchantment is a bad example of this logic in action, but still, it is an example of this. It’s bringing back something from the past to give its fan(s) a chance to see it again. It may not seem like much, but it’s one of those things that’s more meaningful for what it represents than the thing itself.

A better example would be another piece of maligned Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary entertainment: Harmonious. I’ve already gone on record and asserted that Harmonious will develop a cult fan following over time. About half of that show was really, really strong. It was dragged down by the rest, plus the water tacos and Stargate.

I’d be really curious to see how Harmonious would rate with guests minus the infrastructure and with a slight remix. Luminous was designed with a flexible foundation, and there’s every reason to believe Harmonious could be pretty easily adapted to that and brought back on a seasonal basis. I wouldn’t even be surprised if a slightly remixed Harmonious on the current platform outscored Luminous (I prefer the latter, just for the record).

If Walt Disney World is going to reprise an old fireworks show, the best example of all is bringing back “Wishes! A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams.” That long-running fan-favorite is still beloved, with some favoring it over Happily Ever After.

Personally, I’d love to see Wishes again. Even though I prefer Happily Ever After, I’d relish another stroll down memory lane with Wishes. The challenge with that is that it’s a fireworks show of a different era, and feels like it. That probably rules out running Wishes during regular operating hours (something that could happen with Harmonious, or the many fireworks shows at Disneyland).

It would pretty much have to be a hard ticket event, like After Hours. Another possibility would be DVC Moonlight Magic, which used to have its own fireworks show back pre-COVID when the exclusive event was hosted at Magic Kingdom. (More recently, Disney created a montage medley fireworks show of greatest hits for Cast Member events. It looks incredible.)

The answer to that seems easy. Doing a Magic Kingdom Nostalgia Nite, similar to the various themed Disneyland After Hours events over the years. The blueprint for this already exists, it’s just a matter of adapting it to Walt Disney World!

Show Wishes, put projections on Cinderella Castle to turn it into a cake, rare characters and photo ops from Disney Afternoon, classic background music and announcements from Jiminy Cricket, Muppets on the Omnibus, special throwback menus & merchandise, and face characters from Carousel of Progress. Basically, everything that actually should’ve been part of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, along with assets that have been used for various Disneyland events.

As Walt Disney World dips its toes deeper into the nostalgia pool, they’re going to see just how untapped of a market there is for offerings like this. It’s an inevitability at some point. That lucrative Childless Disney Adult demo would happily drop $175 per ticket. So would at least 2 parents (us) wanting their child to be raised right by experiencing what was formative in forming their fandom.

Ultimately, that’s my re-review of Disney Enchantment almost 5 years later and divorced from the broader context of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. It’s still not as good as Happily Ever After or Wishes!, but without the baggage of the milestone celebration and with the improved intro, it’s a lot more enjoyable than I remember.

I was honestly surprised by the flood of fond memories that came rushing back, which I did not expect. And if I had that for Disney Enchantment, a show from the shadow of COVID that I hated at the time, I can only imagine how hard it would hit to see Wishes again.

Walt Disney World should do more to tap into its nostalgic fanbase, especially as the number of Florida locals, DVC members, and Childless Disney Adult weekend warriors balloons. It’s not 2004 anymore. Pull a page from the Disneyland playbook and leverage the shifting demographics better.

The good news is that it does feel like Walt Disney World is finally starting to see the value of its diehard fans. Although the 50th Anniversary was a major misstep suggesting the opposite, there has been a clear course correction since.

In that span, they’ve brought back Soarin’ Over California (for Disney100) and Figment’s meet & greet, while also debuting Test Track 3.0, Starlight Night Parade, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets, and more that feels fairly nostalgia-drenched.

It seems like they’re finally starting to wake up to the value of sentimentality, and the parks themselves as IP. Next up is a return of the Magic of Disney Animation and Carousel of Progress timeline shift. Obviously, the next piece of the puzzle is reimagining Journey Into Imagination being announced at the 2026 D23 Expo (it’s the only logical endpoint of an article that began as a fireworks re-review). While we’re at it, let’s see a reprisal of Wishes…oh, and Holiday Wishes and HalloWishes, too!

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts

What do you think of Walt Disney World bringing back the Enchantment fireworks for After Hours at Magic Kingdom? Would you attend a hard ticket event just to see Wishes? Think Walt Disney World underestimates the value of its diehards, and should pull more pages from the locals-centric playbook Disneyland uses? Are there seasonal events, entertainment, or attractions you’d like to see resurrected? Do you agree or disagree with our thoughts? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!