
Another day, another boatload (literally) of issues with Fantasmic! at Disneyland.
For years, Fantasmic! has captivated audiences at Disney parks – but not without its fair share of disruptions.
Centered around Mickey Mouse and his battle between good and evil, the show immerses guests in a dreamlike journey featuring beloved characters and moments from classic Disney films. Forced to fight villains conjured by The Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Mickey finally triumphs thanks to the power of his imagination. (Sorry, spoiler alert).

Credit: Brittany DiCologero, Inside the Magic
Disneyland debuted the original in 1992 on the Rivers of America, combining a floating stage with projections on mist screens. Fantasmic! has since been adapted for multiple Disney parks, each with its own interpretation of the show.
Walt Disney World introduced its version at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1998, featuring a dedicated amphitheater and unique sequences like a Pocahontas (1994)-inspired battle scene, which was eventually removed in the wake of COVID-19. Tokyo DisneySea also presented its own iteration from 2011 to 2020, incorporating the park’s Mediterranean Harbor and impressive watercraft as key elements.
Despite sharing a similar theme, each version tailors its storytelling and effects to its specific park environment. Disneyland’s Fantasmic! stands out for its intimate setting and use of the Rivers of America as an integral part of the performance. The show transforms the river into a living canvas, where the Mark Twain Riverboat and the Sailing Ship Columbia become part of the narrative.

Credit: Disney
Most famously, Anaheim’s version of the show was shuttered for months in 2023 and 2024 after a fire broke out during its big finale. The giant Maleficent dragon caught fire while being confronted by Mickey, sparking (pun intended) an evacuation and total rework of the show that has since erased the OG dragon from the show for good.
More Drama Hits Disneyland’s Fantasmic!
While the show is now back in action, it’s still faced several issues in recent months.
At the beginning of December, the show ended abruptly mid-performance. Just days later, the Maleficent dragon’s lift malfunctioned. This followed another incident earlier in the year where a performance of Fantasmic scrapped its pyrotechnics after a rogue firework went off during the jungle segment of the show. Pyrotechnics were then temporarily reduced for the following shows.

Credit: Disney
Another pyrotechnics issue in July saw fireworks spark from Mickey’s hands earlier than planned. As the Mouse made his way to the stairs (where he usually reaches the top before the pyro kicks in), his hands started emitting sparks, forcing him to race to the top of the stairs and hold out his hands to avoid any damage.
Now, yet another mysterious mishap has occurred.
A recent performance of Fantasmic! scrapped the Mark Twain Riverboat from its grand finale. While this has happened in the past, characters then usually gather on Tom Sawyer Island. However, in this case, Disney went sans characters altogether, meaning the show’s final scenes consisted primarily of music and lights.
Fortunately, this doesn’t seem to be a lasting issue as the second performance of Fantasmic! went ahead with the Mark Twain Riverboat as planned.
Disneyland Scraps Fantasmic! Shows
As we gear up for 2025, we recommend that incoming Disneyland parkgoers double-check the resort’s operating schedule before setting a countdown to their next watch of Fantasmic!
After slashing the number of Fantasmic! performances for the holiday season—the first the show wasn’t performed nightly—Disneyland Resort has dramatically cut the days on which guests can see the show in 2025.

Credit: Samuel Ramos, Unsplash
According to the Fantasmic! calendar, shows are scheduled daily from January 1 to 6, with additional performances on January 10 and 11. No further dates are listed after January 29.
The Disneyland app’s dining package calendar adds performances on January 17-19, 24-25, 31, February 1, 7-8, and 14-16, covering all Fridays, Saturdays, and select Sundays in that period.
What’s your favorite version of Fantasmic!?