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Mickey and friends fight a night-time battle against Disney’s most villainous Characters. The music, pyrotechnics, stunts, water-bound floats, and laser-projected images will keep you spellbound!
Fantasmic! Details
Official Opening Date: October 15, 1998
Show Length: 26 minutes
Theater: Guests can view the show in a new amphitheater located
behind The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ and off Sunset Boulevard.
• Encircling a newly created waterway and island, the theater can
accommodate:
o 6,900 seated guests
o 3,000 standing guests
Description: "Fantasmic!"--an all-new festival of lasers, lights, dancing fountains, and dazzling special effects -- lights the skies of Disney-MGM Studios. The show takes Guests inside the dreams of Mickey Mouse -- into a world where magic creates dancing waters, shooting comets, animated fountains, swirling stars, balls of fire, and other amazing wonders. When Disney villains intrude on Mickey's fantasy and turn his dreams into nightmares, he uses the power of good to triumph over the evildoers. The enchanting performance is synchronized to the melodies of favorite Disney classics such as "Pocahontas," "Fantasia," and "The Lion King."
FANTASMIC! Fun Facts
• The moat surrounding the show contains approximately 1.9 million
gallons of water.
• Steamboat Willie is 80 feet long with a 16-foot beam and weighs
approximately 70,000 pounds.
• Each performance of Fantasmic! uses three mist screens that atomize
800 gallons of water per minute.
• There are 350 lights some of which are being used for very first
time in a live Walt Disney World Resort® Entertainment show.
• The fire-breathing dragon rises 50 feet into the air and has a
wingspan of 50 feet.
• The mountain stands approximately 57.5 feet above the water.
• The cast of live performers includes 46 cast members filling 78
costumes.
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The Show
The 25-minute spectacular "Fantasmic!" features 50 performers and combines dazzling special effects, colorful pyrotechnic explosions, beloved Disney characters, animation and dancing waters synchronized to the melodies of timeless Disney classics. The presentation lights up the sky nightly above a new 6,500-seat amphitheater behind The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror off Sunset Boulevard. The specially designed amphitheater also can accommodate 2,500 standing guests.
The show takes guests inside the dreams of Mickey Mouse -- where his magic creates dancing waters, shooting comets, animated fountains, swirling stars, balls of fire and other amazing wonders. When Disney villains intrude on Mickey's fantasy and turn his dreams into nightmares, he uses the powers of good to triumph over evil.
The opening scene takes place on a darkened island surrounded by a 1.9-million-gallon moat. A faint musical note pierces the air as a brilliant cone of light reveals the star of the show, Mickey Mouse. Mickey's imagination brings the waters surrounding the island to life as he conducts the "Fantasmic!" musical score.
The music builds as animated comets soar across three giant water screens, sprinkling the night with twinkling stars. At the direction of Sorcerer Mickey, the stars dance in unison to the melody of "Sorcerer's Apprentice" while pyrotechnic comets soar across the water.
To the sounds of African drums and the chatter of wild animals, vividly costumed animal characters emerge from behind the water screens. They perform a wild, upbeat version of "I Just Can't Wait to be King" from "The Lion King" while animated characters Simba and Nala splash playfully in the water.
A cascade of bubbles fills the water screens as Disney characters dance to a medley of Disney favorites including "Under the Sea" and "Be Our Guest." More bubbles rise and guests discover Jiminy Cricket trapped inside a large rising bubble. Jiminy escapes the bubble only to find Monstro the whale in pursuit. Monstro's tremendous body sends waves crashing against the rocks and water onto guests seated in the front rows.
With the waters again calm, the silence is broken by the thunder of a cannon. The island transforms into the "New World" as scenes and music from Disney's "Pocahontas" fill the island. The action reaches a climax when Pocahontas abruptly stops a battle and appears face-to-face with John Smith as colored leaves whirl across water screens to the tune of "Colors of the Wind."
The leaves transform into puffy white clouds as the mood turns to love and romance. Disney character couples Cinderella and Prince Charming, Belle and Beast, Aladdin and Jasmine, Ariel and Eric, and Snow White and her Prince float above the water in a magical dream-like setting filled with twinkling lights and Disney love songs.
The merriment fades and the music becomes haunting as the Evil Queen from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" brews a magical spell to defeat Mickey Mouse amidst lightning, flares and smoke effects. She calls on villains including Ursula, Cruella, Scar, Frollo, Jafar, Maleficent and Hades to harness the positive energy Mickey possesses and make it evil. Mickey is terrified when Maleficent unexpectedly transforms into a ferocious 40-foot-tall dragon whose breath ignites the waterway with a sea of flames that overtakes the island.
Mickey rises high above the water, magically creating a giant water curtain which surrounds the island. The fountains begin to dance again, smothering the fierce flames while Mickey defeats the dragon.
The mood brightens in the festive finale of fireworks, sparkling effects and a full orchestral score as favorite Disney characters sail past the audience aboard the Steamboat Willie River Boat in a celebration of Mickey's triumph over evil.
"Fantasmic!" premiered at Disneyland in California in 1992. The Disney-MGM Studios production features many new show elements and incorporates scenes from recent animated releases such as "The Lion King," "Pocahontas," "Hercules" and "Mulan."
"Fantasmic!" is presented nightly with performance times varying based on park hours.
News
October 23, 1998: Sorcery in the sky has continued to play on selected nights during the first weeks of Fantasmic!
October 15, 1998: A new Disney Villains shop has opened to mark the opening of Fantasmic!
October 10, 1998: Reviews from the first days of the previews are that Fantasmic! is awesome! Infact it has been said that it betters the original in DisneyLand. There were a few technical problems on the first day, but all was as it should be on the second. The next few days are CM previews, then all being well October 15 should see full opening.
The public opening of Fantasmic! has been moved from Oct 1 to Oct 15. The preview performances for annual pass holders originally scheduled for Sep 25-27 has been moved back to Oct 9-11 (8pm after park closing). Once open to the public, there will be one performance nightly at park closing time. Cast members have said to expect two or more performances per night during peak seasons.