Fantasmic! Set To Return to Disneyland Park In May

After much anticipation and many questions about its status, Disneyland Park has revealed that their iconic nighttime spectacular, Fantasmic! Will officially return to the park in May.

What’s Happening:

  • After a long pause and a lot of wondering about when the classic nighttime spectacular will return, Fantasmic! Is set to reopen on May 24th, 2024 at Disneyland Park.
  • The announcement was revealed to the cast during a recent meeting regarding the popular nighttime show.
  • Fantasmic!, Disneyland’s popular and longest-running nighttime spectacular, is an emotional extravaganza of colorful Disney animated film images, choreographed to an exciting musical score. The waters of the Rivers of America at the park come alive as Mickey Mouse’s power of imagination enables him to create fantastic events and images as seen in beloved Disney classic films like Fantasia, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid and more.
  • No other news has been shared regarding the show, other than the date in which the show will return. Namely, there were no updates on the status of the iconic Maleficent Dragon that appears in the show.
  • Back in April, the dragon made national headlines when it caught fire, with footage of the incident circling all corners of the internet across various social media platforms. Nobody was harmed when the event took place and the area was safely cleared, but the dragon animatronic was completely destroyed.
  • After several weeks and multiple speculated returns after the incident occurred, Disney announced that the park would be pausing performances of Fantasmic! while working toward a Spring 2024 return. When that announcement was made, it was also announced that the dragon would NOT be included at that time, instead saying Maleficent and Mickey would do battle with enhanced special effects.
  • Those familiar with the show know that there is a “b-mode” for when the dragon is not operational, where Maleficent remains high in the sky until she is defeated by Mickey. It is unknown at this time if that same setup will take place and/or be enhanced when the show returns.
  • There is also no news regarding the show’s content. When Walt Disney World reopened their version of Fantasmic! After closing due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, it returned with new scenes featuring Moana, Frozen, Pocahontas, Aladdin, and Mulan. While Disneyland’s Fantasmic! Was updated back in 2017, some have speculated the extended closure could also mean similar updates with new IP.
  • In the meantime, guests at Disneyland Park can enjoy a different nighttime show on the Rivers of America, with “The Heartbeat of New Orleans – A Living Mural.” This limited time offering tells a short, whimsical tale of a mischievous little frog from the bayou that leaps into the lively heartbeat of New Orleans when he is lured by the jazzy sounds he hears in the distance. Disneyland has said that this show will run multiple times nightly through the holiday season. It is unknown at this time if there will be an interim show between The Heartbeat of New Orleans and the return of Fantasmic! On May 24th, 2024.

Laughing Place recommends MouseFanTravel.com for all your Disneyland Resort travel planning
Fill out the form below for a free, no obligation quote from MouseFanTravel.com
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

 

Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.