On the evening of April 22, 2023, Guests visiting Disneyland Park crowded around the Rivers of America to watch the nightly showing of Fantasmic!. The show started off without a hitch, and Guests were loving the journey into Mickey Mouse’s imagination. However, during the show, something happened that no one saw coming. Mickey Mouse was battling Maleficent in her dragon form, and she was supposed to shoot fire at him. Something went wrong, and Maleficent’s head caught on fire. Soon, the entire dragon was completely engulfed in flames.
The Anaheim Fire Department was called in to put out the blaze, and, thankfully, no one was injured. Disney said that they would work diligently to hopefully get the show back up and running in a few weeks. Sadly, the damage was very extensive, and Disney officials had to share that Fantasmic! would be canceled through Labor Day. And now, we have another unfortunate update.
On July 26, Disney announced that Fantasmic! will be closed through Spring 2024. When the theme park show finally does return, it will not feature Mickey’s climactic battle with Maleficent. A Disney spokesperson said:
“Our goal is to always deliver the best possible show for our guests. With that in mind, we are planning the return of “Fantasmic!” with exciting new magic in spring 2024. As teams continue work on the show, we have launched nightly entertainment on the Rivers of America this summer and we are working on even more exciting entertainment offerings for our guests later this year.”
Disney has not said what the changes to Fantasmic! will look like, but it is possible they could be somewhat similar to the scenes added to Walt Disney World’s version, which takes place at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater. Fantasmic! at Walt Disney World was closed for several years, and when it reopened, it included new scenes featuring Moana, Mulan, and Pocahontas.
This is the second update that Disney has given on the state of Fantasmic! in recent weeks. On July 18, it was announced that the Jambalaya Jazz Band would be replacing the popular nighttime show. The Jazz Band could frequently be found entertaining theme park Guests around New Orleans Square. The Jambalaya Jazz Band performs with singer Queenie three times per night.
Guests can watch Queenie and the Jambalaya Jazz Band each night at Disneyland, weather permitting, beginning at 7:35 p.m. Guests can check the Disneyland Resort Mobile app for the most up-to-date showtimes.
