Watching Disney’s Fantasmic! with our Mickey Sorcerer hats on, waving our newly purchased color changing light sabers in the air, while eating popcorn is a staple of all Disney family vacations. Or it was, until March 12, 2020, when the show was shut down due to the pandemic. Disney enforced a nighttime spectaculars standstill in Disney at the start of all the COVID-19 shutdowns, and although guests were disappointed, we would take any Disney we could get. Now, it’s been two years and there is finally a light(show) at the end of the tunnel…
Fantasmic! will be returning to the Disneyland Park May 28,2022 and Disney lovers could not be more excited!
Fantasmic! first swept Disney guests away on May 13, 1992 when the Walt Disney Creative Entertainment team was asked to create a light and water show to utilize the space in front of the Rivers of America in Disneyland. It was instantly a must-see for all Disney goers, and the popularity of the show gave birth to it’s 1998 version at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and then a third version at Tokyo Disney’s Sea. The show is colored with magical water and light storytelling effects, and is filled with a soundtrack from our favorite Disney classics.
This is not Fantasmic!’s first temporary shutdown, but it is the longest one. The longtime running nighttime spectacular was closed from January 11,2016 to July 17, 2017 to make room for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
An interview was held earlier last week with Disneyland’s President, Ken Potrock concerning the status of the show. Potrock responded, “It just took longer to do, we were literally installing towers as of earlier this week. It’s just a much more intricate, complex mechanical endeavor. The teams have been working extraordinarily hard. Part of it was the fact that parts and workmanship at a lot of places that were happening off property were slowed by COVID. That all fits into the production.”
Currently, there is no official reopening date for Fantasmic! in Disney World, but the moat in front of the 7,000 seat amphitheater has recently been filled with water: 1,900,000 gallons to be exact. That being said, we can confidently say that we are getting closer to a Disney World opening date. We will keep our Mickey Ears on for all Fantasmic! updates, and all news Disney!
