Bursting with color, sound and emotion, "Wishes" is the biggest fireworks spectacular ever presented at Magic Kingdom.

Narrated by the voice of Jiminy Cricket with help from the Blue Fairy, the dazzling display weaves a thrilling "story in the sky" for Walt Disney World guests with hundreds of brilliant pyrotechnic effects exploding above and around Cinderella Castle.

• The Show

• Running time: Approximately 12 minutes
• Fireworks firing cues: 557
• Individual pieces of pyrotechnics: 683
• Presented most nights, "Wishes" is several times larger than "Fantasy in the Sky," the previous fireworks show at Magic Kingdom, and roughly five minutes longer.

The Story

"Wishes" tells a richly emotional tale about making a wish come true, using classic Disney songs and character voices accompanied by meticulously choreographed fireworks.

The Cast

"Wishes" features the voices of:

• Jiminy Cricket , the Blue Fairy and Pinocchio (from 1940's "Pinocchio")
• Snow White and the wicked Queen (from 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs")
• Cinderella (from 1950's "Cinderella")
• Peter Pan (from 1953's "Peter Pan")
• Ariel (from 1989's "The Little Mermaid")
• Aladdin and Genie (from 1992's "Aladdin")
• Tinker Bell (also from "Peter Pan"), flies from atop Cinderella Castle during a key moment in the show.

The Crew

• Creator/show director: Steven Davison
  Davison, creative director with Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, also developed the "Believe. . .There's Magic in the Stars" fireworks spectacular at Disneyland.

• Fireworks designer: Eric Tucker
  An award-winning pyrotechnics designer whose credits span the globe, Tucker previously designed the fireworks for "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth" at Epcot.

• Music director: Steve Skorija
  As music director for Walt Disney Entertainment, Skorija oversees music production for live entertainment and special events at Walt Disney World Resort.

• Composer/arranger: Gregory Smith
  Smith previously worked on such Walt Disney World productions as "IllumiNations 25" and "Splashtacular" at Epcot, and the "Mickey Mania" parade at Magic Kingdom.

The Music

In addition to Gregory Smith's original theme, which is based on the children's nursery rhyme "Starlight, Star Bright," the score for "Wishes" contains portions of 15 songs from 10 classic Disney animated features:

• "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937)
• "Pinocchio" (1940)
• "Fantasia" (1940)
• "Cinderella" (1950)
• "Peter Pan" (1953)
• "Sleeping Beauty" (1959)
• "The Little Mermaid" (1989)
• "Beauty and the Beast" (1991)
• "Aladdin" (1992)
• "Hercules" (1997)

The Fireworks

"Wishes" features several new locations for launching fireworks that create brilliant bursts of light around Cinderella Castle, plus pyrotechnic effects never seen before in a Disney theme park, including several developed especially for the show:

• The show's "wishing star" crests approximately 100 feet above the castle's bright spires.
• The Blue Fairy is represented with a spectacular star-shaped shell that "paints" each wish high in the sky with enchanted starlight.

•  Wishes debuted at the Magic Kingdom on October 9, 2003, and was developed by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, who were assigned to create a replacement for the 32-year-old Fantasy in the Sky fireworks.
• In October, the show is replaced with HalloWishes, and in late November and December, Holiday Wishes.
• The Disneyland Resort Paris version premiered on July 16 2005, with the only similarity to the Floridian version being the music and storyline.
• The show is hosted by Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy, and revolves around the wishes of famed Disney characters - good and bad.
• Happy HalloWishes: A Grim Grinning Ghost Spooktacular in the Sky is performed at the special Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights at the Magic Kingdom in place of the regular Wishes show. Taking it's name from the theme song for the classic attraction The Haunted Mansion, the show features fireworks synchronised to classic Halloween songs and Disney Villain themes. Debuting for 2005, the show differs from Wishes quite dramatically in the fact that is the first fireworks display at the Magic Kingdom to feature shells let off at points around the park's perimeter, creating the effect of fireworks surrounding you. 
• Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season replaces Wishes at the special Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party nights, and features dazzling fireworks performed to remixed classic Christmas songs. During the show's finale, the music and fireworks stop temporarily and machines on the roof of Main Street, U.S.A. create artificial snow, creating an emotional climax.