Before we get into why I love this show, this blog will be divided into four parts, one for for each show. I'll be doing the parts in the order that the show debuted. So with that said let's take a quick look at it's history in the park it debuted in. Disneyland was in need of a new nighttime show. The company wanted a show that could incorporate not only pyrotechnics, but water as well. The stage was to be the area surrounding Tom Sayer Island. After a surely difficult construction project that involved giving Tom Sayer Island and the area around it to get a bit of a face lift, the park was ready. Fantasmic! debuted in Disneyland back on May 13th, 1992 and was a huge success. So much so that the show has continued to run to this day.
Star Wars Galaxy's Edge would prove to be an issue for Fantasmic! as it's construction would leave to a temporary closing of the show in 2016. Disney quickly announced that the show itself would undergo some refurbishment in it's downtime and re-debuted in July of 2017. When the show returned guests were greated with a new soundtrack that would borrow elements another one of the shows in a different park (stay tuned), new lighting, and altered segments in the show. The debate goes on as to rather the original or new version of the Disneyland show is better. So let us take a look at the plot of the show. If you know the plot of the show or don't care to know please skip down to the portion of the blog labeled My Thoughts.
The original show begins with a narrator welcoming us on a journey into Mickey's Imagination (no Figment involved). The welcome message is a great hype builder and ends in an ominous way hinting that the imagination is not always the friendliest of things. Mickey starts off conducting an overall incredible score of music that is the main theme of Fantasmic! Mickey uses his imagination to activate water screens that show scenes from Fantasia's Sorcerer's Apprentice segment. While the scenes play water blasts towards the audience until eventually a magical explosion and we watch as flowers bloom on the water screens as the music brings us into a jungle. As the water screens drop a massive Kaa (from The Jungle Book) appears on stage along with two big flowers. He moves around the stage with eyes as bright as headlights (literally). At the same time a jungle beat can be heard and two barges featuring dancing monkeys and King Louie (also from The Jungle Book) make their way through the river. Eventually the lights fade out on Kaa and the water screens reactivate and suddenly we are thrown into a rock version of Pink Elephants on Parade (from Dumbo) with the scene playing on the screens. Eventually the scene shifts again and we are shows Pinocchio (from Pinocchio) performing as a puppet with I've Got No Strings on me playing. This leads us to Jiminy Cricket (from Pinocchio) searching for Pinocchio, but running into Monstro (also from Pinocchio) instead. The whale chases us and eventually we (and Mickey) are swallowed by the whale while this happens the water screens show what happens towards the end of the Sorcerer's Apprentice section of Fantasia to set the scene for what comes next.
After a moment in pure darkness we are thrust into the middle of a storm where we see a ship struggling to stay afloat (I believe the ship is Prince Eric's from The Little Mermaid). Suddenly a loud cannon blasts in the darkness and as the lights come up the Jolly Roger (from Peter Pan) is sitting in the river. On board Peter Pan is battling Captain Hook in an effort to save Wendy. Also on the ship is Mr. Smee and right behind the ship is Tick-Tock the crocodile. There's a bunch of back and forth between Pan and Hook here complete with Peter mocking Hook about Tick-Tock being in sight. As the ship vanishes off-stage the main theme of Imagination peacefully comes back and there are some nice fountain water effects to accompany it. The music eases into a beautiful mashup of Beauty and the Beast, Part of Your World, and One Day My Prince will come as three barges emerge featuring Belle and Beast (from Beauty and the Beast), Ariel and Prince Eric (from The Little Mermaid), and Snow White and The Prince (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). After Mickey's imagination shows us these beautiful couples, the music suddenly takes an ominous turn.
As the stage lights come up the Evil Queen (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) is seen asking summoning the magic mirror who informers here that in Mickey's imagination love and beauty will always survive. Enraged by this vision, she transforms into the Old Hag vows to turn Mickey's dream into a nightmare. She then summons Ursula (from The Little Mermaid) who begins to destroy Mickey's dream by singing a bit of Poor Unfortunate Souls. Her lines are altered a bit from the movie to match the show, so she actually claims that Mickey Mouse's mind will be hers. Ursula's face eventually starts to transform as the music shifts to A Night on Bald Mountain and the screens reveal Chernabog (from Fantasia) summoning the spirits of the dead to further assault Mickey's dream. Flames then shoot up from the stage and both Mickey and Maleficent are standing with Maleficent challenging Mickey to deal with the powers of her imagination. She sends a blast of magic which stuns Mickey as she ascends into the air. While this is occurring the water screens show flashes of Maleficent transforming into a dragon. The screens show the dragon igniting Mickey's imagination with lime green fire. The villains all laugh at Mickey in their victory.
The screens continue to show the dragon Maleficent proud of her accomplishments until two glowing eyes can be seen from the stage as a massive dragon Maleficent dragon appears on stage. Maleficent's laughter can continue to be heard until the dragon lights the entire river on fire. Things seem hopeless for Mickey until he realizes that though the dark forces are powerful it's his dream. Mickey pulls the sword from the stone (from Sword in the Stone) and blasts the villains with a powerful magic that defeats all of them. The main theme returns as the finale begins which features the Mark Twain Riverboat crosses the river with a ton of Disney heroes and friends celebrating the victory. Conducting the boat is none other than Mickey as Steamboat Willie. All kinds of lighting effects and water effects accompany the boat as it crosses. Finally Mickey shows up for the big finale in his Sorcerer's Apprentice costume and sets of a bunch of fireworks, water effects, and other pyro effects to close out the show.
**** SHOW PLOT ENDS HERE SPOILERS DO NOT****
My Thoughts
I am a big fan of the original Disneyland show. I think the soundtrack is overall incredible with Pink Elephants on Parade, A Night on Bald Mountain, and of course the Fantasmic! theme itself really standing out to me. While I'm not as big a fan of Peter Pan as other people, I still think the amount of choreography going on on board that ship is simply amazing. It was really incredibly well done. Originally Floatsam and Jetsam jet skis would cross the river during Ursula's section, but they were removed at one point. It's a shame because once the Old Hag goes off stage, we're just watching the screens until Maleficent shows up.
The scene with Chernabog, I wont lie shocked me the first time I saw it in the show. A Night on Bald Mountain is often viewed as a very, very dark piece of Disney history within Fantasia (which it clearly is just by looking at the scenes in this show alone). I love the scene and think its works perfect in the destruction of Mickey's dream, but it's gotta be a bit scary for a lot of kids. That could vewry well be the point though. I love that the scene is in there, it just surprised me to see it. Speaking of villains. The show debuted a new dragon in 2009 that is simply incredible. It is a massive dragon that simply looks incredible.
The jungle scene with Kaa is also quite impressive once you realize that there is a cast member under each and every segment of Kaa and they all need to walk together to make it appear that he is actually slithering around the stage. Also for those monkeys to be dancing as hard as they are on those fast moving barges is very impressive. Those are just a few standout moments of the show and there are plenty of others that other people can surely identify with.
Overall I think that the original version of Fantasmic! was a great show. From start to finish the soundtrack is incredible, and really outside of the flower blooming segment, there isn't a "dull" moment to be had. Even the one before the princesses arrive follows an incredibly action packed Peter Pan segment. I only even refer to the flower segment as slow just because it is so early in the show, but it does do a great job of setting the scene for the jungle. Disney ordered a new nighttime show for Disneyland that they got one amazing show in Fantasmic! It is by no means a firework show, so if that is the only thing you are looking for, waiting to see Fantasmic! probably isn't the best option for you in Disneyland. If you are into all kinds of effects, fireworks, and an awesome show... Sorry, but this version no longer exists. It only now exists online! So I will close out this blog with a video of the original Fantasmic!'s final performance. The show was performed in Disneyland from 1992 until 2016. Enjoy and stay tuned because part two of this blog will be coming real soon!
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