Bring Disney fireworks back with a bang! – DePaoli on DeParks

If you’re anything like me, you’re missing Disney nighttime spectaculars a lot, especially the fireworks. It really is the perfect end to a Disney day that many of us often took for granted. As Walt liked to call it, it’s the “kiss goodnight.”

For all the right reasons, the firework spectaculars aren’t currently running in the Disney Parks in order to discourage people from gathering in large groups. And with limited capacity in the parks, it probably doesn’t make financial sense to be launching the expensive pyrotechnics into the night sky – but those facts don’t mean that we miss it any less.

As part of the firework spectaculars, we’ve had Tinker Bell flying through the air for many years. No matter how many times you see it, you still get that feeling of excitement when she appears. And undoubtedly, you will hear many “ooohs” and “ahhs” from the audience. It’s a magical moment for sure.

At Disneyland, they have a bit more control over the flight path. Instead of just letting gravity do the work on a “magical” zip line, Disneyland has a flying rig allowing our favorite characters in flight to zoom back and forth at various heights. This has allowed for some breathtaking moments through the years, including a flight from Dumbo, Nemo swimming through the sky, an appearance by the “Up” house floating by with all of its balloons, Zero from “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and even Buzz Lightyear “falling with style.”

Considering the control they have over the flying rig at Disneyland, I’ve always thought it would be a lot of fun to have a flight-themed fireworks show in that particular park. Wouldn’t it be great if when the fireworks do return, we got an all new firework spectacular in Disneyland park to celebrate? This is highly unlikely, considering putting together a new nighttime spectacular is not cheap and the Disney Parks will be watching their wallets for a while, but let’s dream and “blue sky” for a moment.

Disney stories have so many characters that fly, so to feature them all together in one firework spectacular could be a lot of fun. It would also be a great opportunity to use the grandiose score from the attraction Soarin’ as part of the show. That almost 20-year-old musical motif has become an iconic piece of music for Disney Parks fans and would be an appropriate score to tie together the theme of flying (or soaring). If they wanted to get a bit silly at one point, they could even work in the song “Breaking Free” from “High School Musical” featuring the lyrics, “We’re soarin’, flyin’. There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach.”

Of course, the show would need to feature some of the iconic characters I previously mentioned, including Tinker Bell, Dumbo and Buzz Lightyear, but I’d love to see some others floating above Disneyland. Considering the fireworks launch above Sleeping Beauty Castle, it would be nice to see the Three Good Fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, from that classic movie as part of the show. Another character I don’t believe has ever taken flight over the castle is Peter Pan. Of all the characters I’ve never seen fly above Disneyland, he is the one I would like to see most. Another surprising delight would be Mary Poppins with her umbrella.

I’ve always appreciated the fact that even though mostly everyone watching the fireworks shows knows exactly how the flight effects work, nobody seems to care. In this world of people wanting the most realistic special effects in movies, there’s something comforting about the fact that people are so much more willing to suspend their disbelief for live entertainment. Even though the flight wire is often in plain sight, it doesn’t seem to matter and we still get that feeling of childlike whimsy. That is real magic.

If you could choose a theme for a Disney fireworks spectacular, what would you choose?

If you have any theme park topics you would like to hear my opinion on, let me know in the comments. You might just see it pop up in a future DePaoli on DeParks.

Jeff DePaoli is a producer and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of “Dizney Coast to Coast,” the ultimate, unofficial Disney fan podcast. Get your FREE gifts of “America’s Hidden Mickeys,” “On the Rohde Again,” “Theme Park Comfort Kit” and more at DizneyCoastToCoast.com.