Fantasmic is back! It’s a bit weird that I have to write this review in the first place, considering that Fantasmic is an old show that has been around since the 90s. But I feel like I need to give its return the proper review it deserves after an absence of more than a year. And I’m justifying writing this by saying that, if it includes the new Princess section but brings back the old Peter Pan scene and exit music, then it must be Fantasmic 3.0, right? But anyway, let’s get on with the review!

Pre-Show Things

Before I get into the review itself, I have to be candid and say that I watched Fantasmic with my friend from one of the Dining Package-specific areas along the Rivers of America. I was fortunate enough to snag a reservation for the package at Rancho del Zocalo. This means I saw Fantasmic from one of the best seats in the house, which may not have been the experience for most people. Most people will be doing what the majority of viewers did that night (and what I have been doing in the past) and watch it from the sides and the back of Frontierland and New Orleans Square. And let me tell you, it was INSANELY packed. I overheard some people after the first show ended saying that they waited two hours to watch Fantasmic from behind a bush. This is unfortunate but when you have a show as popular as Fantasmic, it will draw huge crowds, especially on re-opening night.

 

Which brings me to another point: I absolutely think the Rancho Del Zocalo dining package is worth getting. For the price, you get a fairly large amount of food and you get to watch Fantasmic from a reserved seating area. I have yet to try the dining packages from River Belle and Blue Bayou places, but as those are a bit pricier, I probably won’t be trying them any time soon. Getting the dining package meant I got a nicer, clearer, and almost unobstructed view of Fantasmic from the Rancho reserved area. My package came to $33.94 with my Magic Key discount and with tax added. The food was good, not incredible but I would say it’s at Disney standards. But again, you’re paying more for the seating area than you are for the food. 

Before the Show

We got in line for the second showing of Fantasmic at 9:30pm. We weren’t allowed in yet as Together Forever was currently playing, so we stopped and watched the fireworks as we waited to enter the reserved seating area. Once the cast members cleared out the area, they separated us into three lines: Rancho on the left, Blue Bayou in the middle, and River Belle on the right. They then started filing us into our respective seating areas. The whole thing was a bit chaotic, which was to be expected. There were always going to be first night jitters and confusion given that it would be the first night cast members would implement the procedures set for the entry into the reserved seating area, so I didn’t take it against them. It was a bit annoying though that we got there early but it felt like a hundred people cut the line in front of us. But I was about to see Fantasmic and nothing was going to ruin my night!

We got to our places at around 10:05pm. We were seated three rows back from the front, which was fine by me. I had a clear view of Tom Sawyer’s Island. The only drawback was that we didn’t have chairs and were instead sitting on the ground, but I guess they do that so they can cram as many people as possible into the viewing area. 

I was so ready for the show that every minute waiting felt like an hour. But soon enough, the familiar disembodied female voice welcomed us to Fantasmic, and I was sat and ready to be enthralled for half an hour. 

REVIEW:

I will start this off by saying that Fantasmic is my favorite nighttime spectacular of all time. I have seen all three versions of it, including the now defunct version in Tokyo DisneySea. So there was no conceivable way that I wouldn’t like this show, even without the element that made me fall in love with this show in the first place: Murphy. 

All the Fantasmic classics were there. The opening scene gave me chills, as did sparks flying out of Mickey’s fingers. The jungle scene was still amazing, with the snake slithering around the stage and the dancing monkeys and King Louie gliding across the Rivers of America. 

And then came the scene I was most excited about: The Peter Pan scene. I had seen it once before when I visited Disneyland in 2013, but I barely remember it. Until now I had been used to it being Pirates of the Caribbean, but I was blown away by the Peter Pan scene. I didn’t think anything could top the Pirates scene, but this was pretty spectacular. There’s something about it that is also a lot more magical than the Pirates scene. The sense of childlike innocence that Peter Pan espouses fits perfectly with the broader themes of Fantasmic. It also still had all the high-flying stunts and swinging from one end of the boat to the other that made the Pirates version so captivating. I would have loved to have seen the crocodile in the water, but for what it is it’s incredible.

Then came my personal favorite section of Fantasmic: the Princesses section. I’m glad they kept the version from Fantasmic 2.0 as that has Rapunzel in it, and she is not only one of my favorite Princesses but one of my favorite Disney characters of all time. Seeing this portion of the show brought a tear to my eye. The score is so beautifully arranged, and I absolutely love how they interpolate Part of Your World with the Fantasmic theme. Just absolutely gorgeous. 

And then came the Villains/Nightmare portion of Fantasmic. This was probably the scene everyone was anticipating because Disney has previously said that they wouldn’t be replacing Murphy with another dragon and instead would use “special effects” to bring the story to life. So as we were going through this section, I couldn’t help but think about what they were going to do. 

And I will say, what they did was a bit of a letdown. Ok maybe not a bit, it was a straight up letdown. They basically have it running on b-mode, which means Mickey fights Maleficent-on-a-stick instead of the dragon. I hope Disney finds a way to incorporate a dragon back into the show, because the magic and wonder I felt all these years from seeing that dragon rise and tower above everyone and everything around it cannot be replaced by a man on stilts. You’re telling me they shut the show for a year just to come up with this “replacement”? Might as well have let Fantasmic continue since last year if this was all they were going to come up with. So this definitely knocked Fantasmic a few rungs down for me, which is sad because the original show was a 10/10 for me. 

The disappointment I felt, however, washed away when I saw that finale. Seeing the characters back on the Mark Twain, all with streamers in their hands, dancing as the boat moved around the bend gave me chills and made me feel like a kid again. Then there’s that explosive finale, with Mickey conducting an array of fireworks exploding all over the Rivers of America, ending with the now famous line “Some imagination, huh?” as he disappears in a puff of smoke and fireworks blast off from everywhere. 

So in the end, Fantasmic is now an excellent, albeit flawed show. Disneyland’s version is still king, even without Murphy (sorry Walt Disney World fans). But there’s something that needs to be said about removing Murphy from the show. I don’t see how Fantasmic can survive in the long run without a dragon of some sort. Maybe they’re saving the return of the dragon for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary next year, or maybe (and this is something I hope doesn’t happen) they’re about to replace Fantasmic with another show. But Murphy discourse aside, this show still packs a sizable punch of magic. Its themes of creativity and optimism are timeless and classic Disney, and I’m glad the show is back to entertaining guests and showing why Disney is still the leader in theme park entertainment. 

Rating: 8.5/10