Disney Parks shared a first look at the updated version of “Fantasmic!” that will return to the park this month.
First Look at Updated ‘Fantasmic!’
Watch Disney’s video embedded below. It includes classic “Fantasmic!” moments like Mickey shooting sparks from his hands, as well as a look at the returning “Peter Pan” sequence, which was originally replaced by a “Pirates of the Caribbean” scene.
The LA Times also shared photos of the show’s new climactic sequence.
“Fantasmic!” performances were halted in April 2023 when a fire destroyed the Maleficent dragon, known as “Murphy” by fans. Maleficent will no longer transform into a dragon during the show. Instead, the climax features her atop a tower, rising 35 feet in the air.
Maleficent will use her magic to light the river on fire and battle Sorcerer Mickey.
“The whole theme of the show — good versus evil, and Mickey’s magic and imagination overpowering the evil — it’s important to have that peak in the show,” says Disney Live Entertainment’s Tobi Longo. “Maleficent is still going to be spectacular. She’s on the stage longer than she used to be. We’ve added new pyro effects, with really cool projections and lasers. The river is still going to light on fire. … As much as we miss the dragon right now, it’s still going to be a spectacular scene.”
Longo is the “Fantasmic!” show director and has been working on the spectacular for almost its entire 32-year run. Her team has been workshopping the new and updated scenes overnight since mid-December.
She hinted that the Maleficent dragon may not be gone for good: “We’re excited for something to come back, and we’re in the works and working on it. But I think what I’ve done with that scene — that good versus evil and that battle between Maleficent and Mickey — is so spectacular. We all loved the dragon, and we’ll keep working on things, but there’s not much I can say about it.”
“Fantasmic!” will be back on Friday, May 24, 2024.
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