Magic Kingdom Magical Moment Mystery
One of our favorite ‘hidden gem’ experiences in all of Walt Disney World is Cinderella Castle’s Kiss Goodnight. It’s a magical moment that we’ve covered in two prior blog posts: The Kiss Goodnight: Walt Disney World’s Best Thing Few Guests See and Magic Kingdom’s Kiss Goodnight, Revisited.
However, we’re here today to take a Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour to get to the bottom of a different Magical Moment. We’ve seen this one sporadically several times over the years. To my knowledge, there’s no documentation online about what it is, when or why it happens, or anything else. It’s a small thing, but it’s snowballed into something bigger (at least, for me).
It all started last weekend, when against our better judgment, we headed to Magic Kingdom on Saturday night. We knew it was bound to be busy thanks to being sandwiched between Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights and the midnight closing. However, the weather was perfect and the nearly full moon would make for some nice photos, so we opted to brave the crowds…
Due to waits (35 minutes posted for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover!), no attractions were on the agenda. Well, aside for the Main Street vehicles, which were operating at night. Instead, we soaked up the Christmas ambiance and lingered around the Central Plaza for a bit.
While walking to Fantasyland, I noticed the Dream Lights go dim and music start to play. I think it was music from Mary Poppins, but I’m not 100% sure. For reasons unknown, I didn’t really give it much thought. It was too late to stop and set up for photos, and my mind was preoccupied with another shot idea, anyway.
Later that same evening, I was on the Liberty Square Bridge set up for photos of the moonrise over Cinderella Castle. This time, I was “stuck” in one spot as the Magic Kingdom Mystery Magic Moment began. I still didn’t photograph it, but I caught the whole thing, which was roughly a 90-second light show set to a medley of music from Pinocchio. Again, for reasons unknown, I didn’t think to take video of it. (I did capture the photo below and at the top of the post, though.)
Sarah was doing her own thing at the time (she doesn’t just stand at my side and cheer me on while I stand around and take photos), but I later mentioned it to her. She reminded me that we’ve seen something like this on a handful of occasions, but probably not for at least a few years.
At some point, we had asked Cast Members about it, but that yielded no results. (I believe I asked readers about it in a trip report ages ago, too.) I was troubled by the fact that we’ve visited Magic Kingdom more times than I can count, seen the Kiss Goodnight literally over 100 times, but I have no strong recollection of this Mystery Magical Moment that we, apparently, haven’t even seen in a few years.
Upon getting home, I spent a lot of time on Google and searching various Disney forums, with no success. After that, I decided to fall down the YouTube rabbit hole. I wasted wisely invested several hours searching, which was a difficult task since pretty much any relevant keyword you can imagine is dominated by videos of more popular things (namely, the Dream Lights, fireworks, and various projection shows over the years).
It became one of those situations where I knew I was throwing good time after bad, and I should just cut my losses, but I was obsessed. In fairness, I was probably going to waste that time online one way or another, so I might as well spend it solving a bona fide mystery.
Before we go any further, I should warn you not to get too excited. Whatever this is, it’s not as special as the Kiss Goodnight. The Kiss Goodnight is a seemingly small thing, but the circumstances are such that it’s immensely fulfilling and endlessly endearing. It’s pure elation and euphoria–providing the little spark you need to make it last a bit longer, savoring the slow stroll out of Magic Kingdom.
The Kiss Goodnight is like an emotional gut-punch after a long day in Magic Kingdom. It hits you right as you’re simultaneously exhausted and satisfied from spending an entire day in the park. It’s like you’re already on the ropes, and all it would take is a slight nudge to leave you a joyous mess, but the Kiss Goodnight comes along and delivers a haymaker. It’s impossible to describe the feeling to those who haven’t experienced it. But if you have, you know.
By contrast, these Mystery Magical Moments seem to happen randomly after Happily Ever After on nights when Magic Kingdom is open late. They come at a time when most guests are racing around to hit a last attraction or two as the lines are finally starting to die down. You’re fighting just to stay awake but have a sense of urgency to get to another part of the park.
At least, that has been our experience with Magic Kingdom’s Mystery Magic Moments. There’s also not really any emotional weight to it. No touching narration or no musical crescendo. It just sort of…happens, and then is over. People move on and quickly forget about it, if they even stopped to begin with. This isn’t to say these moments aren’t heartwarming or touching, but they’re not in the same ballpark or even sport as the Kiss Goodnight.
In other words, don’t go on this same wild goose chase. Even if you do see this, it’ll be a disappointment in proportion to the effort. These lighting and musical vignettes are neat, but they’re best enjoyed by happenstance.
Still, this only confirmed that this exists (which I already knew), that I’m not crazy (debatable), and that another Person of the Internet has seen this. It didn’t answer the questions of what this is, why it exists, when it happens, etc. With renewed energy, I redoubled my quest for answers.
So, we once again returned to Magic Kingdom this week while staying at Disney’s Riviera Resort. (Had to “test” bus service anyway since times weren’t working for Riviera in MDX, so two birds with one stone.) Thanks to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights, it was our only chance to do so before heading home for the holidays.
Magic Kingdom wasn’t open super late and we didn’t have a ton of time to loiter about. Nevertheless, we wandered around Main Street to soak up more yuletide atmosphere, while also keeping an eye on Cinderella Castle for another magical moment. Nothing. After around an hour of this, we headed back to the resort.
Ultimately, that’s where things presently stand. What started a mystery remains a mystery. My hope is that one of you has the answers I seek. As you can tell by this very long-winded post, I’ve become singularly fixated on this Magic Kingdom Mystery Magic Moment. It’s not in any way important or significant, but I must know more. When do these happen? Why do they exist? What other musical medleys are there? For how long have these existed?
Seriously, someone out there must know–it’s not like the castle is enchanted and expresses itself by producing these moments when the time is right. It must’ve taken a team of Cast Members a bit of time to program the music, lighting, and effects. It takes someone to schedule this, maintain it, etc. I feel like I’m spinning my wheels, trying to uncover the truth about UFOs. Here it shouldn’t take storming Cinderella Castle to get to the bottom of this mystery.
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Your Thoughts
So…anyone have any answers to this mystery? Have you seen the Magical Moments described here? Know anything about their existence? Anything?!?! This time, we need you to help us answer questions. We’d love to hear your feedback about when you’ve experienced this (or if you have not), what movies/songs you might’ve heard–anything that can help us get to the bottom of this mystery! If not, I fear one of my 2020 New Year’s Resolutions is going to be getting to the bottom of this mystery.
It also happened on Wednesday, December 18th around 10:30. I remember it because we we’re walking out after our 8:35 CRT reservation when I noticed the castle was all pink instead of covered in Frozen lights. I couldn’t find it in the times guide and honestly was a little pissed I hadn’t read anything about it on this website. (Sorry Tom.) Hope those specifics help get you some answers.
I’ve seen this many times throughout the years, but I did see it more frequently when I was younger. I haven’t seen it in a couple years. I have no idea what triggers it. It always felt like it happened really late at night when the tired people are hanging out by the castle waiting for their energetic party members to get back from that one last ride. It felt like a little pick me up for those tired party members because it was always followed with smiles and oooos.
I think this is what we saw during Christmas week in 2014 (our photopass photog in the Hub told us to watch when the music started) and last fall on a late night between MNSSH parties. Last year for sure – we heard it once and saw it once and were equally puzzled by the timing. Having seen the kiss goodnight I knew it was different but not what it was. â€â™€ï¸
I saw this a few times during a Magic Kingdom After Hours the week after Thanksgiving 2018. I like someone else thought it was the kiss goodnight but it kept happening off and on all evening.
II’ve experienced this on multiple occasions, but mostly when crowds were higher during holiday times (july 4, christmas, etc).
Could this be a means of crowd control during closing hours during busy seasons? From your description, it sounds like it was a relatively busy night at MK, and I’d reckon guests are almost trained to flock to the icons during the evening hours with flashing lights and sounds.
Giving them a little hope for a last bit of entertainment seems less offensive than roping them off from specific areas of the parks. Depending on timing it could be a magical way of cast members saying “Thanks for coming, but we’re tired of you, so feel free to head home! ;)”
“Emotional gut-punch”…I get that when the M-I-C-K-E-Y song comes on as the Magical Express quickly approaches the airport.
We witnessed this a couple of times over Thanksgiving week this year! We weren’t in the park, but our balcony had a clear view of the Castle and I knew it wasn’t the kids goodnight or the fireworks. I just thought it was something extra they were doing over there holiday.
Ha! My daughter and I visited Disney World for the 1st time in June. We thought the Mystery Magic Moment WAS the Kiss Goodnight. We both said that it was nice, but not worth staying late for. We couldn’t figure out why people loved it and why it was such a big deal. Hahahahaha I guess we will now have a reason to come back.
We noticed this at our last trip. We stopped to watch because we thought maybe there was a show. And it was just that short little blip. I loved it! It was such an unexpected bit of magic!! We never stay to watch the shows anymore…they are just too crowded and we’d rather take advantage of a few less people on the rides.
We were lucky enough to see this twice on our last trip. It would have been Monday and Wednesday, Dec 9 and 11, last week. I thought at first that it was signaling the beginning of a show or something I had missed in planning.
We witnessed this mystery magic event at WDW during our last visit in August this year. I have seen it before too, but I can’t remember which visit it was. Some good clues are offered in the comments above though. Happy investigating. Can’t wait to hear more.
We witnessed it on our last trip to WDW in August. I have seen it before too, but I can’t remember which time. There’s definitely some information in the comments above to help the investigation. Bottom of the hour, quarter hour, 90 second dance party? These are interesting clues. Can’t wait to read what you dig up. Love your blog!
I was there last year during Thanksgiving week. I believe it was the Friday after Thanksgiving we did the after fireworks dessert party and did hear this – but couldn’t see anything because of the cover over where the dessert party was set up. By the time I got to where I could see anything it was over. Never did find out anything about it.
Tom, I experienced the same during the MVMCP on Sunday. Due to mobility issues I stayed in one spot from before the parade until past the end of the fireworks. I heard the Mary Poppins medley and one other. I just thought that it was an extra nice touch. I also kept my eye on the castle wondering what it is really like for guests spending the night inside the castle and noticing tiny changes in the lighting throughout the evening. Now, I will pay attention during future visits. Thanks for pointing this out.
Just a thought to save people time when falling down the rabbit hole: Google Advanced search allows you to remove terms from your search. So, you can take “fireworks” or “dream lights” out and maybe not have to scroll through so many thousands of results. Thanks for the partially solved mystery!
I remember this from my first trip to Disney as an adult back in 2008! I thought of it as the castle singing to itself and it happened a couple of times that night. I’ve seen it happen on my trips back since then and it’s always delightful, but I’ve never thought to look for it or make a note of it. It was always just a special surprise – “oh, the castle singing to itself right now!”
Aw I like this! I’ve seen it a few times and that’s exactly what it feels like; the castle is just singing to itself for a bit. 🙂
I went to Disney in December 2016 and after reading this, I think I witnessed this, too, but I didn’t think anything of it. I just thought it was a random bit for the end of the night.
Here is my small contribution. I found another videos of this happening posted in February 2017.
The title of the videos give indication as to when or why this happens.
“Cinderella Castle – Pinocchio Medley – Bottom of the hour”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McsDUbZzFjw
And what do you know this poster has another video.
“Cinderella Castle – Princess Medley – Quarter hour”
JRR Tolkien was asked once about the character of Tom Bombadil in Lord of the Rings, an eccentric encounter most everyone considers a digression in the story. Tolkien replied, “Every fully realized world must contain some unexplained mysteries; Bombadil is one, deliberately.”
Perhaps you’ve encountered one for the Magic Kingdom.
This is my favorite explanation so far!
Oh man thank you so much for posting this! Three weeks ago we were at the Magic Kingdom on one of those nights were it was open till 12 sandwiched between nights of MVMCP. We were getting our photo taken by the a photopass photographer in front of the castle when all of a sudden this Mystery Magic Moment occurred. We ended up with a photo with some “extra magic” in it as the castle lights were off. The cast member said “90 second dance party!!!” and her and the other photographers sort of dance slowly around for a minute (it was more of a bouncing up and down.. maybe to stay warm). But I was really confused as to what was happening. And then a while later when walking back to main street it happened AGAIN and I too am so baffled. I tried to ask what I had just witnessed but other than the short “dance party” answer I have no real/solid answer….All of this to say. I really want an answer too… and I am just so glad someone else is just as perplexed as I am…. Here’s hoping someone out there knows and will help!
We saw this in November during a Christmas party right after closing but we’ll before the kiss goodnight. I didn’t think much about it until I read this.
Now that I think about it, it wasn’t during a Christmas party but just a regular night