In April a fire broke out during Fantasmic! at Disneyland. The Maleficent dragon animatronic malfunctioned during the show and caught fire. The show ended abruptly and the theater was evacuated. That was the last time Fantasmic! Was shown at Disneyland.
The nighttime spectacular, which debuted at Disneyland in 1992, follows Mickey Mouse into a dream world where he must face fearsome foes and forces of darkness to make it through a dream journey. It was during one of these epic battles that the fire broke out. Maleficent burst into flame.
Shortly after the fire, Disneyland announced that Fantasmic! would remain closed as they investigated. A short time after that, they announced that the show would be closed through at least labor day. It was then that fans began to wonder if the show would ever come back or if Disney planned to close to a 30 year old show.
Now we have our answer! The show WILL be back. Disney recently announced that the show would extend its hiatus until Spring 2024. When it returns, it will do so without Maleficent, but will have all new special effects. The official statement reads: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.”
Disneyland has been offering alternate entertainment around Rivers of America (but not a permenant replacement for the show) since the show closed. Most recently, Queenie and the Jambalaya Jazz Band has been performing nightly. At this time, Fantasmic! at Walt Disney World‘s Hollywood Studios remains unaffected by the closure or the changes being made.
