Magic Monday: Fantasmic!
In 1992 a new nighttime spectacular arrived at Disneyland Park. This new nighttime show was set in the Rivers of America area of the park and was called Fantasmic! This show features the imagination of Mickey Mouse as he battles the villains from Disney classics. In a stunning combination of barges, sets, water screens, live action characters, and pyrotechnics Mickey’s imagination takes center stage as he encounters characters, both good and evil from Disney movies.
Fantasmic! proved to be such a popular show at Disneyland that Imagineers were soon at work on how to bring this nighttime show to Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. Fantasmic! debuted at Disney-MGM on October 15, 1998. The Rivers of America area at the Magic Kingdom was set up differently that at Disneyland park making that area a non-viable option for the new show. To have a place to show Fantasmic! at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, a new theater had to be built. Disney set out to build Hollywood Hills Amphitheater in Disney-MGM Studios. This new theater, located off of Sunset Boulevard was designed explicitly for Fantasmic! This theater can hold over 8,000 seated guests plus a large standing room area. The premise of the show remains the same; Mickey Mouse uses his imagination to battle the great Disney villains. There are barges with characters that float through, there is a giant water mist screen that projects images of the villains to the crowd, there are live action characters that do battle on stage and Disney has to go against one of the greatest Disney villains of all time, Maleficent. But this isn’t the green faced witch – it is Maleficent as a 40 foot tall fire breathing dragon that sets the river on fire! But you didn’t think that Maleficent would defeat Mickey did you?
The Hollywood Hills Amphitheater is a self-contained theater. Once you enter, there are concession stands and restrooms inside the theater so you will not have to exit the theater and risk not being re-admitted. Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios gets very crowded, very early! I have seen it be at standing room only over an hour before show time (during peak seasons). Depending on the time of year and if there is more than one showing on a night will determine how early you should arrive. If there is a second show, it will always be less crowded than the first showing.
Fantasmic! has proven to be such a popular show at Disneyland and Hollywood Studios that the Imagineers have opened a third version of the show at Disney TokyoSea on April 28, 2011.
Great info. Thanks. Xx
Great article!! We love Fantasmic! It’s always on our “must-do” list when we go to Hollywood Studios. Thanks for the info!!
We love Fantasmic so much, once sat through an absolute downpour until it was cancelled. Must see every visit!