Late last night, Disneyland Resort dropped the news that “Fantasmic!,” which caught on fire earlier this year, will now not return until sometime in the Spring of 2024, and when it does, there will be a big change.
The Details
It was a Saturday in April 2023 when Disneyland guests watched in horror as the 45-foot Maleficent dragon animatronic figure caught fire during a 10:30pm performance of “Fantasmic!”
Since then, the show has been dark, with Disneyland hopeful “Fantasmic!” could reopen in time for Labor Day 2023. Alas, it’s going to take a lot longer before visitors to the park will be able to see the show.
The statement released last night by Disney is short and to the point: “Our goal is to always deliver the best possible show for our guests. With that in mind, we are planning the return of ‘Fantasmic!’ with exciting new magic in spring 2024.”
“As teams continue work on the show, we have launched nightly entertainment on the Rivers of America this summer and we are working on even more exciting entertainment offerings for our guests later this year.”
When the show does return, it will also look a lot different as apparently the park is working on an alternate version of that climactic scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent.
One that still has special effects, but without the animatronic, and, my guess, no real flames.
Honestly, it was cool to see the fire during the show, but I completely understand the park wanting to put safety first.
Other Options
With the extended closure of “Fantasmic!,” Disneyland has been starting to offer other entertainment options for the area.
Among those options is The Jambalya Jazz Band with Queenie performing nightly on a New Orleans-themed river barge that will float down the Rivers of America, which started on July 21.
We’ll let you know if they implement any further entertainment in the area.
How do you feel about this “Fantasmic!” news? Let us know in the comments.