Fantasmic! Replacement Coming to Disney in Just Weeks!

If you have visited Disneyland Resort recently, then you may have noticed that the nighttime show Fantasmic! has been unavailable. The show suffered a serious setback in April and hasn’t been shown since. Thankfully, that is not Disney’s only nighttime spectacular. Guests could stay in Disneyland Park to watch the fireworks show Wondrous Journey, or they can head over to Disney California Adventure and watch World of Color – One. Both shows were created for Disney’s 100th Anniversary. Wonderous Journey is currently on hiatus as Disney shows Halloween Screams for the spookiest time of the year.

Fantasmic! was shown along the Rivers of America, which have remained empty. But that will soon change.

Back in July, Disney announced that a new show would be taking Fantasmic’s place until further notice. Now we have new details about that show, which will be called “The Heartbeat of New Orleans — A Living Mural”.

Per The Orange County Register:

A new nighttime projection show featuring a jazz score that may be set to music from “Soul” will play on the Rivers of America while Disneyland retools the “Fantasmic” nighttime spectacular following the inferno that consumed the show’s fire-breathing dragon.

Disneyland describes the new nighttime projection show as a “living mural” set to a jazz score that tells a whimsical tale of a mischievous bayou frog lured to New Orleans by the music he hears in the distance.

The art installation projected on Tom Sawyer Island’s waterfront buildings along the Rivers of America will animate original artwork created by Disney Live Entertainment graphic designer Marcella “Marci” Swett.

In “Soul,” Gardner is a New York City middle-school band teacher who dreams of playing jazz piano professionally when he tumbles into the “Great Before” and gets a second chance at life.

The show will begin running nightly — weather permitting — beginning September 29. The show will run for a limited time, but no end date has been announced.

“The Heartbeat of New Orleans” will also fit in perfectly with the newly opened Tiana’s Palace. Tiana’s Palace opened on September 7, taking the place of The French Marketplace in New Orleans Square. New Orleans Square has been undergoing a Princess and the Frog makeover for some time. This will make the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure a seamless fit into the area.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is expected to open in late 2024. It is replacing Disney’s iconic attraction, Splash Mountain.

Fantasmic’s Fiery Disaster

Unlike at Walt Disney World, Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park is not shown in an amphitheater. It is shown along The Rivers of America, and guests cram in to enjoy the spectacle. Back in April, guests were watching as the show reached its climax. Mickey Mouse was battling Maleficent in her massive dragon form. During the performance, the dragon actually breathes fire. It is something that had been done hundreds of times before.

Only, this time, something went wrong.

Guests watched as the dragon was supposed to shoot fire, but the flames didn’t shoot out correctly. Instead, it looked like they got caught in the dragon. Maleficent’s head quickly caught on fire. Then, before long, the entire dragon was completely engulfed in flames. Guests were escorted from the area as the Anaheim Fire Department was called in to help extinguish the blaze.

Immediately after the fire, Disneyland officials said that, thankfully, no one had been injured, and that the show would be up and running as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the damage turned out to be more extensive than they originally thought. Disney quickly pushed back the reopening of Fantasmic! to after Memorial Day. Then it was pushed back to after Labor Day.

Finally, Disney admitted that Fantasmic! would not return until sometime in 2024. It was then that they also announced that the Jambalaya Jazz Band, which would play at The French Marketplace would be performing at night in place of Fantasmic!. The Jambalaya Jazz Band will now be replaced by this new show.