10 Stunning Facts About Fantasmic! At Walt Disney World

No day in Hollywood Studios is complete without a viewing of the nighttime spectacular Fantasmic! which features an epic battle in Mickey’s imagination between good and evil. Featuring favorite Disney characters, animation, dancing water, classic Disney music, special effects, and pyrotechnics, this is one performance that definitely can’t be missed. Here are ten stunning facts about Fantasmic! that guests might not know!

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10. Weather Pending

Fantasmic! is a live show with many performers, a huge audience, and a massive moat of water. For safety reasons, the show will not run if there is inclement weather. Unfortunately, Central Florida is prone to some severe thunderstorms as well as lightening. Obviously on nights where there is poor weather Fantasmic! will not run, but it may also be cancelled if there is lightening within one mile of the amphitheater. Well it stinks to not be able to see the show, safety always comes first.

9. You Might Get Wet

A large component of the show features classic Disney animation and characters projected onto massive sheets of sprayed water. Depending on the weather and wind during each performance, guests in the front sections of the theater might find themselves continuously being misted with water from cannons. It doesn’t always happen, but it is a good thing to keep in mind when choosing a seat on cooler nights.

8. A Huge Cast

Since Fantasmic! is such a huge production, it is no surprise that there are tons of actors and performers who take to the stage each night brining the show to life. There are forty six performers who portray everyone from John Smith to Ariel and the actors make use of seventy eight costumes throughout the show.

7. Lots of Water

The amphitheater is massive and the moat surrounding the stage and mountain needed to be equally impressive. To fill such a huge space and make the water deep enough so that guests couldn’t see the bottom, Disney had to fill it with 1.9 million gallons of water. That’s a lot of water!

6. Opening Date

While Fantasmic! is one of the most popular nighttime shows in Walt Disney World, it actually originated in Disneyland. Opening in 1992, Disneyland’s version is performed nightly on the Rivers of America in Disneyland Park. The show was so popular there that it was brought to Walt Disney World and the massive Hollywood Hills Amphitheater was built. Opening in 1998, the show has proven to be such a hit that it was brought to Tokyo DisneySea in 2011!

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5. Massive Theater

The Hollywood Hills Amphitheater is a truly massive structure, which is why it was built behind The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror where there was ample room. Guests have to walk a fairly significant distance once passing through the entrance on Sunset Boulevard, but the walk is worth it when they see the grand theater. With seating for 6900 guests for each performance, the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater is one of the most impressive structures for guests to enjoy in Walt Disney World.

4. Standing Room Only

On very crowded days in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Fantasmic! is likely to be packed to capacity. While almost seven thousand guests can find seats, the theater is so huge that there is standing room for an additional three thousand people. That means on nights where there is standing room only that the theater can accommodate almost ten thousand guests!

3. Unique Character

One of the highlights of Fantasmic! comes when a massive boat appears on the water filled with favorite Disney characters. Guests soon notice that the boat is being steered by Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie. This is an amazing sight to enjoy as guests are not able to see Steamboat Willie anywhere else in Walt Disney World.

2. A Full Show

Part of what makes Fantasmic! so great is its length. With such an intricate story and amazing scenes to be performed, it clocks in at twenty seven minutes. While nearly a half hour might seem long, once the house lights dim guests will be shocked at how quickly it goes by!

1. One Big Dragon

One of the most dramatic moments of the show comes when evil starts to appear in Mickey’s imagination in the form of Maleficent. She first appears in human form, but as a spell is cast she suddenly begins turning into her monstrous dragon persona. A massive dragon begins rising from the stage and guests soon find themselves face to face with a fifty foot tall dragon with a fifty foot wingspan! Talk about scary! Thankfully Mickey prevails in the end, making Fantasmic! the perfect way to end a day in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.