Fantasmic! returns to Disneyland on the park's 62nd birthday

July 17, 2017, 9:44 PM · Disneyland's night-time spectacular Fantasmic! officially returned to the Rivers of America in Frontierland tonight, following an extended downtime while Disney rerouted the northern side of the river to accommodate the construction of the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land.

Disney took the opportunity provided by the extended downtime to rework and refurbish the show, which now includes new scenes with characters from Tangled, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as new mist screens and projection technology to improve the animated sequences in the performance.

Fantasmic! photo
Photos courtesy Disney

Fantasmic! photo

Fantasmic! photo

Fantasmic! photo

Fantasmic! photo

Fantasmic! ran over the weekend in soft open mode, mostly for people who'd attended the Disney Parks presentation at the D23 Expo and were given reserved viewing passes. Now that the show is open officially, you can pick up Fastpass reserved viewing passes near the riverboat dock in Frontierland, or by buying one of the park's Fantasmic! dining packages. Disney no longer allows the all-day camping for prime viewing spots that clogged foot traffic around the New Orleans Square riverfront in past years. Here's a full show video from a fan who recorded one of the soft open performances.

The show returned on the park's 62nd birthday, so happy birthday to Disneyland!

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Replies (5)

July 18, 2017 at 4:19 AM · Will the new elements of the show be making the trip to Florida? With the Great Movie Ride closing, there is even less to see in the park (for now).
July 18, 2017 at 1:10 PM · I just watched it on Youtube, the changes in general are ok, I like the improved screens and projections and dynamic graphics, but the POTC segment HAS GOT TO GO! There is a damsel in distress that is like the comic relief, it's just dumb. And the jarring contrast between the animation and the live action face of Captain Barbossa is bad. Bring back Peter Pan! Also it's too bad that they axed Snow White, it was a much better transition to the witch scene. Snow White was Walt's greatest animated achievement, and to have her relegated to just waving on the river boat, well it's just...
July 18, 2017 at 6:46 PM · Fantasmic ruined! Pirates of the Caribbean replaced one of the all-time greatest moments in Disneyland Entertainment. That's a terrible decision.

Pirates of the Caribbean absolutely SUCKS! The entire movie franchise is garbage and is not deserving of the Disney moniker.

July 18, 2017 at 7:54 PM · I saw the show in-person on Sunday and it was great! The Pirates portion was especially good, high energy and exciting to watch. Those who are complaining seem to have only seen video or just don't like change. The crowd was cheering!!
July 19, 2017 at 9:19 AM · Uggg. The new water projections and mappings are fantastic. Was so exciting seeing those when the video started. But I couldn't finish it. Yet another throw-every-IP-in-a-show and hit the mix button? I know the old show turned into a medley too, but it was really all about Mickey. Is there any show that isn't a "greatest hits" show now?

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