I've seen and heard a lot of comments that HEA is too technology driven and not nearly as emotional as Wishes. To each their own, but I absolutely loved HEA, and found it to be the perfect show for the end of a day at the most magical place on Earth. Granted, I was always too young to understand "happy tears" when I saw Wishes, so I may be giving it a fair comparison. However, I have no shame in admitting as a 17 year old boy that HEA brought more than a few tears to my eyes both times I have seen it live. I only saw it once in the park, and it is a memory I will never forget.
My last trip to Disney was likely to be my family's last as one unit, since my older brother will be serving in the military and I have since gone off to college. So this trip held special value before we even went. It was the last night of our trip, and my brother really wanted to see the projections on the castle for HEA. We were back by Gaston's Tavern about four minutes until the show started when we decided to try and make it. My brother and I ran through Fantasyland and Liberty Square to the hub, and we worked our way through the crowd to find a spot where we weren't blocking anyone that had been staking their spot (a million apologies to anyone that we passed, I understand the time that has to be spent to get one of those prime viewing locations). We finally found such a spot, and it turned out to have quite the view. I love the show, but there are a couple parts that really bring out my emotional side:
1. When Olaf and Moana come out on the castle, and all the kids get super excited and start singing along to their respective songs.
2. When "You'll Be in My Heart" plays and the Incredibles hug, tears streamed down my face, since I immediately connected that to my family, and especially my brother.
3. When Tinker Bell flies off the castle like she did in Wishes, which brings back all the memories of watching Wishes as a kid.
Again, to each their own, and perhaps I can't give a fair comparison, but HEA will always hold a super special place in my heart, and I can't wait until I get to see it again. I think HEA shows what makes Disney Disney: creating experiences, sometimes using fancy technology, to bring out the emotional side of all of us and the child in all of us.