"Make a wish, and do as dreamers do."

For nearly 15 years, these angelic whispers of unseen dreamers echoed through the nighttime air of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. For nearly 15 years, this simple command has inspired millions of believers to cherish a story so large only the sky could hold it. And for nearly 15 years, "Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams" has become an unofficial anthem to all those unafraid to search for the boundless magic around them.

Last Thursday night, however, "Wishes" lit up the night sky for the final time as a crowd of tens of thousands gathered around Cinderella Castle for one final farewell celebration. As the ground shook with a tremendous force only a community in the wake of magnificent wish-making could create, the sky cast a barrage of glowing colors made even more beautiful seen through the teary eyes of the nostalgic, the first-timers, and any believer in between. After nearly 15 years of nightly showtimes, "Wishes" narrator Jiminy Cricket's final monologue had never felt more appropriate.

"Thanks folks, for making this little gathering of ours so extra magical. From our family and friends to yours, goodnight and may all your wishes come true."

And with that final wish, the smoke cleared, the streets emptied, and a legacy had ended.

But like all successful wishes, a happily ever after is destined to follow.

The following night, the Magic Kingdom park had unveiled "Wishes'" successor, a brand new nighttime spectacular titled "Happily Ever After." With the hypothetical shoes-needing-filling being just as large as the very real hearts of park guests, the extraordinary pressure put on "Happily Ever After" to justify a replacement was almost deemed impossible. "Wishes" had raised an entire generation of passionate fans on its lessons and memories, a new show- while maybe exciting- could never match over a decade of the tears, fears, and cheers Jiminy Cricket's firework adventure hosted every night.

As news began to spread of new state-of-the-art projection mapping technology, an impressively choreographed lighting system, a mostly original score, a larger collection of firework shells and pyrotechnics, and even a longer runtime, "Happily Ever After" seemed to be reassuring even the most reluctant and angry fans with its statistics. With behind-the-scenes footage being released to the public to build anticipation, the show continued to win even the most pessimistic over.

One of the many behind-the-scenes videos can be found below.

After months of preparation, and a full week of technical rehearsals, "Happily Ever After" debuted to the public on May 12th, 2017. As the lights dimmed, and the show began, park guests and live streamers worldwide anxiously awaited to see just what this new show had in store. With the wound of "Wishes" still fresh, both fans and non-fans held their breath, hoping the dreamer inside would be satisfied.

What nobody could have possibly anticipated, however, was just how far "Happily Ever After" was willing to go to be the brightest, loudest, scariest, most romantic, most triumphant, and most sincerely breath-taking experience found anywhere at the Walt Disney World Resort.

The difficulty describing the flawlessness of "Happily Ever After" is tremendous. From the powerful introduction to the sincerely mind-blowing finale, the show is handled with such a mature understanding of storytelling and presentation, it's difficult to accept a pre-"Happily Ever After" world. Within the first minute, "Happily Ever After" subverts all previously instilled expectations of the cliches that come with any fireworks show cliches that even "Wishes" was guilty of including. But to understand what sets "Happily Ever After" apart from the rest, a bit of context is necessary.

The story of "Happily Ever After" is fairly obvious upon hearing the title. According to a Disney press release,

"'Happily Ever After' begins with scenes of fantastic dreams full of hope, wonder, magic and light. Disney villains soon become part of the story, attempting to quash those beautiful dreams and forcing the heroes to fight for what they believe in. Overcoming their fears, the heroes triumph and are celebrated with spectacular fireworks.”

While any fans of rivaling nighttime show at Disney's Hollywood Studios "Fantasmic!" might immediately scoff at the clear plagiarism on display, "Happily Ever After" succeeds at providing enough of a deviation of the norm that this predictable story appears fresher and brighter than ever before.

As previously stated, "Happily Ever After" wastes no time at all in establishing something different. Kicking it all off with a genuinely startling and possibly even intimidating introduction of blinding searchlights, an unseen narrator takes to the microphone and ushers in the show's chilling first line-

"And they all lived happily ever after."

Both amazing and surreal, the introduction is a bold move. With traditional storytelling building to a grand finale, "Happily Ever After" tells the story of what happens after that grand finale. Beginning with an instantly memorable and inevitably iconic prologue is exactly what this story demanded. To add an even bolder decision, the show takes almost a full two minutes of music and story before the first firework shell is even launched. "Happily Ever After" is intentionally set up to disarm guests with an unpredictable taste of what's to come. The teasing of a finale at the beginning will be later used to brutally test guest's will at the official finale. Disney is setting up the breath-taking crescendo 20 minutes in advance.

Extending beyond the opening, the unpredictability of "Happily Ever After" permeates the entire experience. It is impossible to describe without seeing it in person, but "Happily Ever After" is a full-on sensory overload experience that is guaranteed to surprise any "I've-Seen-It-Alls" in the audience. Classic Disney songs seem to effortlessly transition into others even when they shouldn't at first glance. Streetlights and lampposts flash continuously changing colors. Sparkling lights seem to protrude from nearby trees and buildings. The projections on the castle are clearer and brighter than ever before. Even the water fountains change colors to synchronize with the action. "Happily Ever After" effortlessly envelopes tens of thousands of park guests without even breaking a sweat. Every detail that could possibly be thought of has been given careful consideration to create an experience Walt Disney himself would be proud of.

But the most powerful aspect of "Happily Ever After," by far, stems from the emotional backdrop. Just like every classic Disney attraction, "Happily Ever After" illustrates a perfect utopia that so many put their blood, sweat, and tears into fighting for. While Disney may say that "Happily Ever After" is a visual spectacle centered around heroes and villains of classic Disney films, this is a story calling out you. "Happily Ever After" is begging you to step up, be brave, and fight for the dreams you believe in.

Beginning the show just as a happily ever after is being spoken, provides a thought-provoking and poignant spin on the classic message. A story taking place after a story proves that just because a dream has been claimed does not mean the perilous dangers of life take a break. With fear being as timeless as the defenders of dreams, the battle between good and evil is an ongoing story as old as time itself. The title "Happily Ever After" does not refer to an individual dream, but the happiness of a purpose driven life and perhaps even the combined dreams of humanity as a whole.

After witnessing an entire fireworks show of animated Disney characters succeeding their goals, the narrator returns one final time to lead into the tear-inducing finale,

"And so our journey comes to an end, but yours continues on. Grab hold of your dreams and make them come true, for you are the key to unlocking your own magic. Now go. Let your dreams guide you. Reach out and find your happily ever after."

As "Happily Ever After" draws to a finale that must be seen to be believed, an overwhelming sense of hope hijacks the experience, resulting in controlled chaos overhead. "Happily Ever After" vehemently believes in the audience it plays for, desperately wanting guests to see what it sees in them. To not be moved by this experience is scientifically impossible.

With each of Disney's theme parks providing some kind of spectacular nighttime entertainment, the competition is fierce- especially due to the vastly different content. EPCOT's "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth," Disney's Animal Kingdom's "Rivers of Light," and Disney's Hollywood Studios' "Fantasmic!" all have something to contribute to the Disney legacy. The themes of magic, courage, faith, knowledge, and strength have always been the foundations of a true landmark Disney attraction. It's why millions attend these parks every year. The regal class of entertainment found every square inch of the property is ideal utopia. It's a world we long to visit as often as possible. Much like the Disney empire, "Happily Ever After" is a story built on dreams and an inspiring dedication to dreamers of all ages. Combining the sophisticated wisdom of "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth," the honest character-defining strength found in "Fantasmic!," and the elegant beauty residing in "Rives of Light," "Happily Ever After" is an epic concoction of all other nighttime shows, while adding in its own dash of hope to complete the full spectrum.

"Happily Ever After" is everything dreamers could possibly want.

"Happily Ever After" is everything the world desperately needs.

"Happily Ever After" is everything Walt could have possibly dreamed of.

To be blunt, it is the greatest nighttime show on property, and one of the most epic experiences a human being can be subjected to.

That is not an exaggeration.

To check out the full show, take a look below. Just please make it a point to see it live sometime as no video will ever do it justice. There is no other option.