#10 Looking Back: HalloWishes

Celebrating Halloween at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in the Magic Kingdom is unlike any other event. This after-hours, specially ticketed party on select nights in late August through Halloween is a fan favorite. The party includes some of your favorite Disney characters in Halloween costumes, special music and lighting effects, trick-or-treating, access to the rides, and Halloween themed shows, parades and dance parties. The Halloween party would not be complete, however, without a nighttime firework show.

Debuting in 2005, HalloWishes lit up the sky over the Magic Kingdom until 2018. This firework show, hosted by the Haunted Mansion's Ghost Host and the 999 haunted haunts, brought together some of the most memorable Disney villain songs for a spooktacular celebration. 

The show started with 'This is Halloween' from The Nightmare Before Christmas, followed by "scary-oke." The Ghost Host and the 999 haunted haunts dug up these "scary-oke" songs and invited everyone to join along. Some of the villainous tunes included:

• Poor Unfortunate Souls (from The Little Mermaid)
• Cruella de Vil (from One Hundred and One Dalmatians)
• Never Smile at a Crocodile (from Peter Pan)
• The Skeleton Dance (from Silly Symphonies)
• Trust in Me (from The Jungle Book)
• Heffalumps and Woozles (from Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day)
• Pink Elephants on Parade (from Dumbo)
• Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf (from The Three Little Pigs)
• Be Prepared (from The Lion King)
• Court of Miracles (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
• Arabian Nights (from Aladdin)
• Oogie Boogie's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)
• Hellfire (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

During the show, some of Disney's most notable villains stopped by to join in the celebration. The sea witch, Ursula, had a spell to put everyone in the Halloween mood, Jafar treated everyone to sorcery in the sky, Oogie Boogie kicked it up a notch and no Halloween party is complete without the dark queen, Maleficent, to show everyone how spirited the celebration can be. 

The ghostly gathering ended with a "scream-along," which is their favorite Halloween tradition according to the Ghost Host. 'This is Halloween' kicked off the "scream-along" and the magic began. Perimeter fireworks light up all of the Magic Kingdom, spanning from one end of the park to the other. It was an amazing sight to see and was impressive every time you saw it. 

From the beach at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

No matter where you were in the park, you would see the perimeter fireworks surrounding the Magic Kingdom. They could also be seen from the beaches at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa or from Disney's Contemporary Resort. Many guest staying at these resorts would wait outside for HalloWishes to begin. 

From Disney's Contemporary Resort

The lighting effects on the castle, music and fireworks in the sky were perfectly aligned to this spooky celebration. It was the one night where villains were celebrated in the Magic Kingdom. The show was one of the best and probably one of Disney's top nighttime shows. 

HalloWishes had it's final show in October of 2018 but will never be forgotten. It was a one-of-a-kind show at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Just as HalloWishes ended, so will this post: "Everybody scream! Happy, Happy Halloween!"

TRIVIA

Q: What year was the animated short The Skeleton Dance released as part of the Silly Symphony series?

https://d23.com/this-day/the-skeleton-dance-premieres/

A: 1929