Disney has just released the official reopening date for the Disneyland Fantasmic! nighttime spectacular! This popular entertainment performance at Disneyland has been a resort tradition since the '90s and is beloved by park guests. Its presence has definitely been missed alongside the Rivers of America, especially with the Disneyland holiday season starting this week!
Disneyland's Fantasmic! has been on hiatus ever since the infamous Maleficient dragon caught fire during a performance in April 2023. Since this unfortunate fire, Disney promised guests that the show would return in Spring 2024 along with some new updates.
Keep reading for the NEW opening date along with our commentary plus a timeline of the Fantasmic! fire and its impacts on the resort. We'll also dive into the potential changes that we could see and what we are hoping Disney brings when the new version of Fantasmic! returns.
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Fantasmic! Disneyland Fire
On a night in April 2023 during the second nightly showing of Fantasmic!, a fire erupted in the scene of the show when Mickey shoots sparks at the dragon. Fortunately, no one was hurt and all cast members were safely evacuated. Many guests that were in attendance caught footage of the impact resulting in viral videos showing the large Maleficent dragon dripping with flames. Sadly, the dragon was permanently damaged in this fire and Fantasmic! was immediately taken off the Disneyland entertainment schedule.
Here's a look at the dragon catching fire at Disneyland as we shared on our Instagram.
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The initial update from Disney promised the show would be on hiatus through at least 2023 Labor Day but was later pushed back to Spring 2024. Disney shared in this update, “We are taking this time to evaluate the show and explore opportunities to add new magic and touches for Guests to enjoy.” Since this announcement, we have speculated on the potential changes that might be coming to the show (more on this below) and it also explains the long wait to bring the show back to Disneyland.
Disneyland Fantasmic! Opening Date Announced
Disneyland Fantasmic! will officially return on May 24th 2024 before the summer season begins which often means daily showings of Fantasmic! and other nighttime spectaculars.
We also received some context with this update from a Disneyland official, “At a Fantasmic! cast meeting earlier this week, we announced that the show will return on May 24. We look forward to providing more information about Fantasmic! in the coming months, but for now this is all we have to share.”
The last update from Disney announced a Spring 2024 return date for Fantasmic! and this date technically falls within that time frame although on the latter end of the season. It is notable that May 24th, 2024 is a date that falls on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend at Disneyland which is typically the summer kickoff for Disneyland Resort.
Fantasmic! may not be the only entertainment returning in that early summer time slot as in past years we have seen new shows and parades debut for the summer season as part of a summer launch. We can only hope to see the return of another daytime parade like Magic Happens and the return of Rogers the Musical or a new show to fill the space in the Hyperion Theater. As we shared in our thoughts on Spring at Disneyland, we would also love to see the nighttime Paint the Night Parade of Main Street Electrical Parade return for the summer or even earlier in the spring.
Current Disneyland Rivers of America Entertainment
Since April 2023, the area around Rivers of America has been without its large nighttime spectacular but in July 2023 Disney added additional summer entertainment including live music. Queenie and the Jambalaya Jazz Band began performing on a New Orleans along the Rivers of America. The sets are 15 minutes long and run throughout the evening.
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Another experience called “The Heartbeat of New Orleans- A Living Mural” featuring a jazz score and projections over Rivers of the America runs between the live music each evening and tells the story of a mischievous frog from the bayou who explores New Orleans after he is lured by the music of jazz in the distance.
This has been a nice addition to the atmosphere around Rivers of America but was in no way a permanent replacement for the large nighttime spectacular of Fantasmic! which has always been a huge draw for guests. The impact on nighttime crowds has been felt at Disneyland as Fantasmic! no longer taking place has created a bit of an empty vacuum in the area. Until a nighttime spectacular returns with the draw that Fantasmic! has, Disneyland will continue to see longer ride times in the evenings than we previously saw when Fantasmic! was showing.
Disneyland Fantasmic! Changes
In the last official update regarding Fantasmic!, Disney announced that when the show returns it would not feature the Maleficient dragon but that it would feature “exciting new magic” when it did return. The show has run in the past without the dragon which is referred to as the “B” mode. When the show ran in the “B” mode it was usually due to technical issues with the dragon and a projection scene would replace this epic moment in the show. This last notification from Disney clearly stated the Maleficient dragon figure would not be featured “at that time” which we hoped, and still do, that the dragon may return in the future.
The absence of the Maleficient dragon is incredibly disappointing as such a monumental moment in the show but when the show does return it will feature new special effects in a new thrilling battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficient. It is possible this is just an updated version of the scene that ran in “B” mode but we are hopeful that more additions could be added.
We do not know officially whether the show will feature changes, but it is likely that additional scenes like those added to the Walt Disney World Fantasmic! may be added. Fantasmic! without the Maleficient dragon is a tough take for many Disney fans and any additional magic they can add to the show will help balance the absence of this grand figure. We recently captured some of the highlights of Fantasmic! at Disney World to share what could be coming to Disneyland.
Swipe through the Fantasmic! Disney World scenes below for what could be coming.
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It is possible we will see the similar additions that came to the Walt Disney World version of Fantasmic! when the Disneyland version returns. A new scene was added to the Walt Disney World Fantasmic! that focuses on the “journey of heroes” which includes characters like Princess Tiana, Hercules, Mirabel Madrigal, Elsa, and Mulan. The segment includes new stunt sequences with Mulan and Aladdin and concludes with Elsa singing “Show Yourself” followed by Moana singing.
We hope to see fun additions like these added to Fantasmic! but even more so, the hopeful return of the impressive Maleficent dragon in the future.
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