May 13, 1992; 32 years ago (May 13, 1992) July 17, 2017; 7 years ago (July 17, 2017) May 28, 2022; 2 years ago (May 28, 2022) May 24, 2024; 6 months ago (May 24, 2024)
Closing date
January 11, 2016; 8 years ago (January 11, 2016) March 14, 2020; 4 years ago (March 14, 2020) April 23, 2023; 19 months ago (April 23, 2023)
Fantasmic! originated at Disneyland in 1992 after Walt Disney Creative Entertainment was asked to create a nighttime spectacular involving water and fireworks to reinvigorate the space in front of the Rivers of America. The area was reworked, including terracing the walkways to accommodate viewing and modifying part of Tom Sawyer Island to allow the show's staged live action segments. The producers employed the resources of Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
A second version featuring new scenes opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios in 1998, and a third version premiered at Tokyo DisneySea in 2011, replacing BraviSEAmo!. An updated version of Disneyland's Fantasmic! debuted in 2017, featuring a re-recorded soundtrack in addition to new scenes, lighting, choreography and costumes. A third version premiered at Disneyland in 2022 with new clouded lasers and searchlights in the viewing area. A revamped version premiered at Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2022 with new scenes and special effects. After a fire destroyed the animatronic dragon in April 2023, a fourth version premiered at Disneyland in May 2024 with a new Maleficent and Sorcerer Mickey battle sequence.
The show begins with Mickey Mouse being transported into his dream. He dances and orchestrates various water fountain, pyrotechnic, projection, laser and lighting effects to the show's theme. Mist screens rise from the water, acting as projection surfaces for various scenes from Disney movies. The show then transitions into a jungle scene from The Jungle Book, featuring a 100-foot-long (30 m) puppet of Kaa and three floating barges carrying King Louie and black-lit monkeys (that debuted in the Tokyo version) across the river stage. The song transitions into "Hakuna Matata". The music then segues into a dubstep rendition of "Pink Elephants on Parade" from Dumbo, as animated pink elephants appear onscreen and in the form of performers on the island. The scene then transitions to "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin. Sorcerer Mickey watches the Genie perform tricks. Then they go under the sea as they head into the world of The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo. A bubble floats by and Jiminy Cricket appears onscreen, searching underwater for Pinocchio. An animated Monstro appears suddenly, accompanied by a heavy musical score as he crashes through water. The sea morphs into the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" flood scene. As Mickey looks around in the dark and asks "What's going on?", a ship caught in a storm appears.
The Sailing Ship Columbia during the Pirates of the Caribbean scene in 2017 incarnation.
Mickey Mouse faces against Maleficent in her dragon form in 2017 incarnation.
Mickey's dream takes a turn for the worse. The magic mirror appears onscreen and tempts Mickey to enter the darker realms of his imagination. When asked if he has the courage, Mickey accepts the challenge, and the mirror traps Mickey inside. The Evil Queen calls all the villains to partake in Mickey's nightmare, invoking a riled Ursula who joins the Queen's plot to destroy Mickey. Ursula calls upon Chernabog, who summons deceased spirits. Chernabog then summons Maleficent, who threatens Sorcerer Mickey as she rises from the pillar. Onstage, Maleficent sets the waters ablaze, summoning fire onto the river. Mickey defeats Maleficent, destroying the villains in the process.
Tink reappears with the Mark Twain Riverboat approaching with fireworks, and a black-and-white Mickey from Steamboat Willie appears. Mickey then appears again to conduct a final set of fireworks and water fountains before leaving in a bright blast of fireworks.
Development
The original Disneyland soft opening and press premiere were scheduled to begin on Wednesday, April 29, 1992, and continue through the weekend. By late afternoon, rioting began in Los Angeles following the acquittal of the Los Angeles police officers involved in the Rodney King beating. Promotional materials with the catchphrase "Be There When the Night Ignites" were quickly pulled from public circulation.[5]
Refurbishments
Disneyland's Fantasmic! has undergone several technical refreshes. A new sound system debuted in the summer of 2007, along with new show barges featuring LED lighting arrays. A complete overhaul of the lighting system debuted in the spring of 2008. The three mainland lighting towers, which rise hydraulically from pits in the ground prior to the show, were rebuilt with pull-out slides for the new Clay Paky Alpha Spots and Washes and redesigned for the new Strong Gladiator IV followspots. The footlights on the mainland side at water level were replaced with LED fixtures. Refurbished pyrotechnic barges were given new technologies derived from Disneyland's Air-Launch Firework (ALF) system.[6]
In 2008, the three original 70mm projectors were replaced with high definition (HD) digital projectors. A new audio-animatronic dragon (nicknamed Murphy by fans, after Murphy's law, when the dragon experienced multiple delays in 2009) was built to replace the previous dragon which had been a mechanical dragon's head mounted to the top of a Genie boom lift where the man basket used to go and two wing assemblies that were raised up and were flapped manually with poles. The new dragon was designed to be a full-bodied replica of Maleficent's final form in Sleeping Beauty, standing at 45 feet tall.[7]
In early February 2010, the entire Rivers of America were drained. Both the Mark Twain and the Sailing Ship Columbia were refurbished, and the track along which the ships travel was replaced. The show's underwater effects underwent maintenance as well, and the laser effects for the finale were upgraded. On August 28, the second-generation dragon broke again, partly collapsing during a performance.[8] It was restored to the show on November 12.
Fantasmic! and other attractions were closed on January 11, 2016, due to the construction of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.[9][10] It reopened on July 15, 2017.[11] This version features some scenes that are inspired by the defunct Tokyo DisneySea version of Fantasmic!, along with the "Imagination" song as part of the post-show. The show was remastered, featuring a new sequence with segments from Aladdin, The Lion King and Tangled.
In December 2023, Disneyland announced that the Pirates of the Caribbean segment would revert to the Peter Pan segment.[12]
On April 22, 2023, during the performance of the show, the audio-animatronic Maleficent dragon caught fire. It became engulfed in flames which resulted in its destruction. The Frontierland area was evacuated, with no injuries being reported according to the Anaheim Fire Department.[13] The show returned in 2024 without the audio-animatronic dragon.[14]
Disney's Hollywood Studios version
Synopsis (since 2022)
Mickey defeats the villains.Steamboat Willie finale
The Florida version of the event and show takes place at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, with a rocky mountain and a façade of trees serving as the setting. The narrative of the Walt Disney World version is fairly similar to that of Disneyland's original version and defunct Tokyo DisneySea version, with the show's introduction and conclusion nearly identical. However, there are some notable differences throughout the rest of the show.
The Fantasia sequence at the beginning of the show transitions into a scene from The Lion King only.
The Peter Pan segment is replaced with a medley of Disney heroes and heroines, featuring onstage appearances of Pocahontas, Mulan, Aladdin, Elsa, and Moana. From 1998 to 2020, the original show instead featured an onstage battle scene from Pocahontas during the entirety of this act.
Scenes of Evil Queen that summons the Magic Mirror and her transformation as Old Hag, which was appeared at the original Disneyland version, is being retained in the Florida version.
The battle between Mickey and the villains, as well as their subsequent defeat, is longer in the Florida version.
Mickey appears in his Brave Little Tailor attire and uses the sword to defeat Maleficent, in her dragon form.
Instead of the Mark Twain Riverboat, the characters appear on board the Steamboat Willie during the finale.
Hollywood Hills Amphitheater
Photo shows what Disney's Hollywood Studios' Hollywood Hills Amphitheater stage for Fantasmic! looks like.Hollywood Hills Amphitheater rear entrance
Hollywood Hills Amphitheater is a purpose-built seat riverside amphitheatre at Disney's Hollywood Studios located at the Walt Disney World Resort, in Florida, that showcases the nighttime spectacular Fantasmic! It is located off of Sunset Boulevard, between The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Theater of the Stars, where the Beauty and the Beast stage show takes place. The Fantasmic! stage in Florida is significantly larger than Disneyland's, featuring a man-made, 50-foot-tall (15 m) mountain on which Sorcerer Mickey stands and from which the dragon emerges. The amphitheater has 6,900 seats, with room for an additional 3,000 people standing.[15] The moat around the island itself can hold 1,900,000 U.S. gallons (7,200,000 L) of water.[15]
In March 2020, this version of Fantasmic! was temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Walt Disney World reopened it in July With The lagoon drained. Fantasmic! Reopened a Short time later. [20]
The show was later remastered in 2022 featuring a new heroics sequence with segments from Pocahontas, Aladdin, Mulan, Moana, and Frozen. The duration is 29 minutes long.[21]
Alternate show: "Taste of Fantasmic!"
The Florida version has a four-minute-long substitute show that plays when inclement weather prohibits the presentation of the regular show.[22] The alternative show does not showcase any of the performers, floats, or puppets due to the dangerous conditions that are posed to the performers because of the possibility of rain accumulating on the stage. Instead the ancillary show is a brief summation of the conventional show; including a fountain display synchronized to "Little April Shower", a sequence integrating the "Night on Bald Mountain" music, and a finale orchestrated with all of the usual pyrotechnics and musical fanfare from the original show's conclusion.[23][24]
Fantasmic! debuted at Tokyo DisneySea on April 28, 2011, replacing the BraviSEAmo! show in the Mediterranean Harbor.[25] The show was originally planned to debut on April 23 with the park's 10th Anniversary "Be Magical!" celebration, but was delayed by the Great East Japan Earthquake in the previous month. Originally, Fantasmic! was planned in 2001 for the park and the story would be themed around Tokyo DisneySea but was scrapped and instead DisneySea Symphony debuted. It is said that of the barges were reused from Tokyo DisneySea's former nighttime Christmas show "Candelight Reflections", but were reimagined. The Christmas tree barge was used for Mickey's sorcerer hat. This barge would also be used for Tokyo DisneySea's former nighttime Christmas show "Colors of Christmas" (2012–2019). While it hasn't been confirmed, one could assume this could be true if you study the barge bases very carefully. Also, the natural gas line in the harbor and 5 water cannons originally used for BraviSEAmo! were also repurposed. Many don't know that the natural gas line was installed during the construction of the park for the original planned version of Fantasmic! that would’ve debuted in 2001.
The show's score was recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, composed by Don L. Harper, featuring Bruce Healey's theme from the original Fantasmic! at the US parks. The DisneySea version has new scenes and narrative elements, including scenes based on Aladdin, Finding Nemo, and Cinderella, and the original new song "Imagination". This is the only version of Fantasmic! to not have a stationary stage, with the show taking place entirely on barges. All of the characters' dialogue and sung parts were recorded in Japanese by the characters' respective Japanese voice artists.
This version of Fantasmic! was directed by Steven Davidson and because of this, he implemented technologies used in Disney California Adventure's World of Color nighttime spectacular. 5 of the 6 barges were equipped with World of Color-style water fountains. One central, underwater water screen nozzle was installed under the harbor, as well as the 4 moving barges were equipped with water screens as well. This created that large-style water screen used in World of Color. The show itself seems like a hybrid version of Fantasmic! and World of Color. This concept would later be used in some form for Disneyland's renewal version in 2017 as it drew lots of inspiration from Tokyo DisneySea's version.
This version of Fantasmic! closed on February 29, 2020. It was originally scheduled to conclude its run on March 25 and then close on March 26,[26] but was moved up due to the extended closure of Tokyo Disney Resort in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.
Sometime in late March 2020, guests staying at the Hotel MiraCosta spotted all the barges out in Mediterranean Harbor in the late morning/afternoon. The entertainment department decided to do a full run through of the show in broad daylight without any performers. This was most likely done to allow barge drivers a final chance to perform their routines before retiring the show completely.
Fantasmic! was replaced by an all-new nighttime spectacular called Believe! Sea of Dreams, debuting on November 11, 2022.
A few months after the end of Fantasmic!, the former hat barge was lifted out of the water and placed on a small area of the original dry dock (behind Soaring A Fantastic Flight show building). The hat itself was dismantled, along with old equipment. The base was then refurbished for its new role in Believe! Sea of Dreams.
Future/Potential Paris version
In late September 2020, the Fantasmic! barges were spotted backstage in dry dock at Tokyo DisneySea. While it was thought that they would all be dismantled, in February 2021, it was discovered that Disneyland Paris had purchased a few of the barges for a future version of Fantasmic! or other nighttime show on the future Adventure Bay over at Disney Adventure World. Sometime in late 2020, early 2021, the barges were shipped to Paris. It was confirmed that the 4 main barges that circle the harbor were shipped to Paris and have since then been housed in a backstage parade warehouse until they can be lowered into the backstage marina of Adventure Bay. It has also been confirmed that Tokyo did not sell the magic mirror/dragon barge. Tokyo also did not sell Paris the “Sorcerer Apprentice’s Hat” barge to Paris as they wanted to repurpose the barge base itself for the “Second Star to the Right” barge that is used in Believe! Sea of Dreams.
