Disney announces ‘Rivers of Light’ debut at Animal Kingdom and ‘Happily Ever After’ at Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World has announced that the first nighttime spectacular planned for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, will debut on February 17.
The show, set on the theme park’s Discovery River, was originally planned to begin last April, but its premiere had been delayed for unspecified reasons. The new show will feature curtains of water with projections of animals, floating barges with illuminated animal figures, giant drifting lotus blossoms with enclosed water features and a soaring soundtrack could be seen in video posted from that production, which did not include fireworks.
Disney also announced that “Wishes,” the evening fireworks show at Magic Kingdom theme park, will be replaced. “Happily Ever After,” which also includes projections on Cinderella Castle and lasers, will debut May 12. “Wishes” debuted at Magic Kingdom in October 2003.
Among the Disney films represented in “Happily Ever After” will be “Aladdin,” “Moana,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Toy Story,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Zootopia.”
As in “Wishes,” Tinker Bell will continue “flying across the night sky,” according to a Disney news release.
The “Happily Ever After” score will feature music from “The Princess and the Frog,” “Brave,” “Tarzan,” “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and more.
