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Disney Announces Return of Fantasmic!
On April 22, hundreds of guests visiting Disneyland Resort gathered along the Rivers of America to watch the iconic nighttime show, Fantasmic!. During the show, something completely shocking happened. There was a malfunction during the scene where Mickey Mouse fights Maleficent in her dragon form. Maleficent is supposed to shoot actual fire at Mickey, who quickly avoids her.
But that was not what happened.
There was some sort of malfunction and the fire appeared to get stuck in the massive dragon. Maleficent’s head quickly caught fire and, before long, the entire dragon was completely engulfed in flames.
The Maleficent dragon caught fire during the second showing of Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park on Saturday night.
It happened when Mickey shoots sparks at the giant dragon’s head. The Anaheim Fire Department responded to the scene.
The Maleficent dragon caught fire during the second showing of Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park on Saturday night.
It happened when Mickey shoots sparks at the giant dragon’s head. The Anaheim Fire Department responded to the scene.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 23, 2023
Guests were quickly escorted from the area and the Anaheim Fire Department was called in to help extinguish the huge blaze. That was more than a year ago, and guests haven’t been able to watch the show since. But now we know when it will come back!
Disney has announced that Fantasmic! will return over Memorial Day Weekend 2024! May 24, 2024, to be exact.
HOWEVER, Disney has also announced that, when the show does return, the huge dragon will not be a part of it. The battle between Mickey Mouse and Maleficent will still happen, but there will be new special effects that will be used.
Related: VIDEO: Massive Disney Fire Seen From Top of Splash Mountain
A Devastating Fire and An Unsure Future
When the inferno first broke out, Disney didn’t know just how extensive the damage was. A few days after the fire, Disneyland officials said that the show would be canceled through mid-May. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before it was revealed just how bad the damage was and how long it would take for repairs and changes to be made.
The cancellation of Fantasmic! was pushed from mid-May until at least Labor Day 2023. Then, Disney shared that the show would be pushed back through at least spring 2024.
However, Disney did not want the Rivers of America sitting empty at night. So, there are actually two shows that guests can enjoy every single evening, even multiple times per night.
Queenie and her Jambalaya Jazz Band will cruise along the Rivers of America playing some of your favorite songs. The jazz music is the perfect complement to the vibe of New Orleans Square, which lies just along the river.
In addition to the Jambalaya Jazz Band, there is also a new projection show that plays several times per night. The new show — called “Heartbeat of New Orleans” lights up the area once the sun goes down and features a small frog living out her jazz dreams. Disney described the show as a “living mural” and features original artwork and scenes from the beloved Pixar movie, Soul (2020).
Are you excited to see Fantasmic! return to Disneyland? Let us know in the comments!
This post originally appeared on Disney Fanatic.
