Now is an incredible time to head to Southern California and visit Disneyland Resort. In addition to the dozens of amazing rides and attractions, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are celebrating the 100th Anniversary of The Walt Disney Company! As part of the celebration, there is limited-time food and merchandise, as well as two new nighttime shows. Wondrous Journeys lights up Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland and World of Color – ONE brings the excitement over at California Adventure.
While these new shows are absolute must-sees, Guests shouldn’t forget about the classic nighttime show Fantasmic! in Disneyland Park. Fantasmic! takes Guests in a thrilling journey through Mickey’s imagination as he meets heroes, battles villains, and hangs out with some classic characters. The show takes place nightly (weather permitting) along the Rivers of America.
Unfortunately, Guests watching Fantasmic! on April 22 ended up experiencing a frightening scene.
Towards the end of the show, Mickey battles Maleficent’s enormous dragon. At one point, the dragon shoots fire at Mickey. However, this time, something went wrong. The fire did not shoot out of the dragon correctly and the animatronic quickly became engulfed in flames.
Videos of the shocking event quickly began making the rounds on social media.
The Maleficent dragon caught fire during the second showing of Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park on Saturday night.
It happened when Mickey shoots sparks at the giant dragon’s head. The Anaheim Fire Department responded to the scene.
The Maleficent dragon caught fire during the second showing of Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park on Saturday night.
It happened when Mickey shoots sparks at the giant dragon’s head. The Anaheim Fire Department responded to the scene.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 23, 2023
Twitter user MR. B1ZZ.eth also shared footage of the moment the fire started.
Moments before the whole dragon caught on fire 🔥 😬 #DisneyOnFire #disneyland #Fantasmic pic.twitter.com/aWkoqHmLUG
— B1ZZ.x (@LearnThisBiz) April 23, 2023
Not long after the fire was extinguished, Disneyland officials released a statement, which was shared by Deadline Hollywood:
Disneyland theme park representatives confirmed that “during the final showing of Fantasmic at Disneyland park on Saturday evening, the dragon caught fire. Anaheim Fire & Rescue quickly responded and the fire was extinguished.”
“All cast members were safely evacuated from Tom Sawyer Island. Due to smoke and wind, attractions near the island were safely evacuated of any guests, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time,” the statement continued.
At this time, we don’t know how extensive the damage is or if more than just the dragon was damaged. Thankfully, all Guests and Cast Members were safe and un injured.
According to the Disneyland mobile app, the show is still scheduled to take place, but that could change as they day goes on.
If you are visiting Disneyland Park, be sure to check the app throughout the day to see if any changes have been made to the show’s schedule.
