The iconic “Fantasmic!” nighttime show will be returning Walt Disney World‘s Hollywood Studios location! This show features fireworks, characters, live actors, water effects, pyrotechnics, lasers, music, audio-animatronics, searchlights, decorated boat floats, and mist screen projections. This spectacle has the audience follow Mickey Mouse on a trip through his own imagination. That culminates in a battle between our big ear hero and the Disney villains.
“Fantasmic!” was originally created for Disneyland’s Frontierland in 1992, with the goal of reinvigorate the space in front of the Rivers of America. In 1998, “Fantasmic!” came to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Bay Lake, Florida. It is hosted in the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater where rocky mountains and a fake trees serve as the setting.
But in 2020, these performances stopped when the parks shut down due to the covid-19 pandemic. When the Hollywood Studios location reopened, “Fantasmic!” remained closed. In 2021, Disney announced the show would be refurbished, with new sequences and characters. It now features segments from “Aladdin,” “Moana,” and “Frozen.” They even brought in Mimi Chan to help choreograph authentic Chinese martial arts for the “Mulan” segment. Chan was the original muse and model the animators used for the 1998 animated film.
“Through this entire sequence, we go on a journey with our heroes,” Disney Live Entertainment Show Director, Matthew Hamel, said. “We see them faced with a decision, and how hard that can be for them, then watch as they find that strength within themselves to push through in a truly spectacular way.”
It seems Disney brass are just as excited about the reopening/redesign as fans. “We know this show means so much to people, and we’ve kept that in mind every step of this journey,” Disney Live Entertainment Producer Laurice Marier said. “Even beyond the new scene, we’ve taken this time to upgrade the lasers, the lighting, the sound, all to bring this show back even more beautiful than it’s ever been. We’re all really just so excited for guests to see it.”
“Fantasmic!” will officially return to the Florida park on November 3rd. Beginning October 26th, dining packages for select restaurants at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be available. But only for performances from November 30th and on.
