Nearly 10,000 Walt Disney World Resort guests left disappointed after a performance of Fantasmic! stopped at the Central Florida theme park. The Disney’s Hollywood Studios show was abruptly halted just a few minutes into the performance, leaving those who had waited over an hour and a half for a good seat with no show at all.
Fantasmic! first made its debut at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on October 15, 1998, six years after its opening at Disneyland Park. Over the years, the show has undergone various updates, including a 2022 overhaul that introduced new sequences inspired by movies like Pocahontas (1995), Aladdin (1992), Mulan (1998), Moana (2016), and Frozen (2013). Unfortunately, last week, the show ran into some technical difficulties that forced the performance to end prematurely, disappointing thousands of guests.
TikTok user @bernerbutworse shared a video of the incident, filmed the moment Disney Park guests were told to evacuate the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater just minutes after the show began. The video incorrectly claimed that 20,000 people were affected, though the theater’s actual capacity is just under 10,000. Nevertheless, thousands were impacted by the sudden closure.
@bernerbutworse
A Reddit user, u/stretch1011, also shared their experience:
Fantasmic cancelled
“This was the one picture I got before everything went dark,” the social media user wrote. “There’s goes 1.5 hours I’ll never get back. Waited another 25 minutes before they announced it was cancelled. I’ve never seen Fantasmic and was looking forward to it.”
At this time, Walt Disney World Resort has not disclosed the specific reason behind the technical issues that caused the shutdown. Still, the Redditor reported that maintenance cast members were working on some special effects during the show’s pause.
“I think it was technology [issues] as they were testing fountains after the initial shutdown,” the Disney Park guest recalled.
Despite the setback, Fantasmic! resumed normal operations in the following days. Like many theme park shows, it occasionally faces interruptions due to weather or technical difficulties affecting performer safety. When shows like this are canceled, Walt Disney World Resort typically offers guests with paid dining packages reserved seating for future performances.
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