Disneyland’s popular and spectacular show Fantasmic! is back this week, nearly a year after it went on hiatus due to a fire that engulfed the attraction’s giant prop dragon. The show will include a “reimagined battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent,” according to the park. It no longer includes the dragon.
Fantasmic! has officially been on hold since July 2023, two months after a fire erupted during a performance and burned the Maleficent dragon during the finale.
The Anaheim Fire Department responded, and all Disney guests and employees were safely evacuated from the area. No injuries were reported. Park officials temporarily suspended fire effects similar to those used in Fantasmic! at select shows worldwide.
“In the reimagined battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent, Mickey gathers all his magical powers, creating colorful swirls of light as sparkling pyrotechnics bolt from his fingers,” according to a statement from the park. “Cloaked in her dark gown with her powerful scepter in hand, Maleficent ascends to a height of 35 feet as she appears to ignite the Rivers of America in flames.”
The original Fantasmic! show opened in Frontierland in 1992 and featured fireworks, various Disney characters, live actors, water effects, pyrotechnics, lasers, music, audio-animatronics, searchlights, decorated boat floats and mist screen projections.
The show went inside Mickey Mouse’s imagination as he battled various Disney villains, including Maleficent in her dragon form, which was about 45 feet tall.
Disneyland officials said the revamped show maintains the original premise — minus the dragon — and “brings back the iconic Peter Pan scene and introduces The Lost Boys as they join Peter Pan and Wendy to battle Captain Hook on a pirate ship that sails into view on the Rivers of America. They execute a stunning series of spectacular duels and falls during this swashbuckling sequence.”
I love Fantasmic! so much. I was a passholder as a teenager, and I used to work at Disneyland, and I always loved getting the chance to catch the show. It’s too bad that Maleficent’s dragon wasn’t able to be revived, but I’m sure the new show will be just as awesome.
via: Deadline
