The Fantasmic! nighttime spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is reducing its showtimes to just once per night later this month before closing briefly for refurbishment. After the refresh, it will only briefly resume its twice-per-evening schedule.
Fantasmic! Schedule Change
Beginning this Sunday, the Fantasmic! nighttime spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be reduced to one 9:00 p.m. performance for one week before a two-day closure for refurbishment. When the show is finished with refurbishments in early May, it will return to two showings per night for four nights before once again being consolidated into a single performance each night.
Here’s the currently announced schedule for the next two months:
Now — April 22
- 8:30 p.m.
- 10:00 p.m.
April 23 — April 30
- 9:00 p.m.
May 1— 2
May 3 — 6
- 9:00 p.m.
- 10:30 p.m.
May 7th — May 31
- 9:00 p.m.
June 1 — June 30
- 9:00 p.m.
Disney’s Fantasmic!
Disney describes Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as follows:
Featuring stunning effects, thrilling stunts, dazzling pyrotechnics and rousing music, this larger-than-life show is painted on a grand canvas of dancing water and light. Overflowing with silly and suspenseful surprises, it will leave your entire family smiling from ear-to-ear!
Fantasmic! is a water-based nighttime spectacular show that combines live action, animation, pyrotechnics, and special effects. The show is performed at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
The show tells the story of Mickey Mouse, who dreams he is a powerful sorcerer. He uses his magic to create a world of fantasy and adventure, complete with classic Disney characters, villains, and music across several scenes. The show begins with Mickey Mouse relaxing by the river, when he is transported to a magical world. He meets classic Disney characters along the way, and he must use his magic to battle evil villains.
The famous nighttime spectacular returned to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in November 2022 after a two-and-a-half-year absence. The show will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year.
For its November return, Fantasmic! received upgraded lighting and audio systems as well as a new hero sequence.
The original “Pocahontas” scene with Governor Ratcliffe and the colonizers was removed. As an homage to the previous scene, Pocahontas leads a new sequence. She’s followed by Mulan, Aladdin, Elsa, and Moana in a series of short scenes. The water screens play a montage featuring other heroes including Hercules, Megara, Tiana, Tarzan, Jane, and Quasimodo. The video montage ends with Mirabel from “Encanto” opening the door to the rebuilt Casita Madrigal.
The newly added characters also now appear with Steamboat Willie during the finale.
Last month, guests witnessed Aladdin misstepping during his scene and crashing into the side of the mountain. Fantasmic! was temporarily paused but the show was able to go on. Thankfully, the Aladdin cast member appeared to be unharmed.
Watch our full 4K video of “Fantasmic!” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, featuring the new sequence, below.
“Fantasmic!” returned to Disneyland Park in May 2022. The two versions of the shows are different and Disneyland saw no changes for its return.
Will you be catching a Fantasmic! show before the refurbishments take place? We’d love to read about your plans in the comments below.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.