Guests packed Main Street USA and the area in front of Cinderella Castle. Tired families stood together. Parents held squirming children while babies fussed or slept in their strollers. Teenagers snapped selfies for Facebook and Instagram. The smell of popcorn, baked goods, and fresh paint mingled in the air. It was dark and there was an electric sense of anticipation in the crowd. Everyone was waiting for the fireworks to begin.
Our family stood crowded together near Casey’s Corner. Our one-year-old daughter was unconscious, but our seven-year-old son was all amped up on sugar and Disney magic. It was our first family trip to the Magic Kingdom. My wife grew up in the Orlando area and visited the parks on a regular basis. I grew up in the Seattle area and then in Dallas, and was a more frequent guest of Disneyland. We’d taken our honeymoon at Walt’s original park, but dreamed of the day when we’d take our kiddos to the Most Magical Place on Earth.
It was 2014, and the current fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom was “Wishes,” a blend of Disney music, pyrotechnics, and visual effects that ranks with the best in-park entertainment that Walt Disney World has ever created. The show was hosted by Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy. The story revolved around the wishes of classic Disney heroes and villains.
At the beginning of the show, a young child sings, “Star light, star bright, First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight. We’ll make a wish, and do as dreamers do…And all our wishes…will come true…”
I remember my eyes welling with tears as the music played. I looked at my wife and the glow on her face as she watched the fireworks begin. I looked at my son, his eyes wide with wonder as Tinker Bell flew from the top of Cinderella Castle, and I looked at my daughter, by some miracle sleeping through it all. It was close to a perfect moment. Just like the song said, “Trust your heart..Just believe…make a wish and dream as dreamers do, and all our wishes…will come true.”
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