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Fantasmic!, one of Disney’s most beloved nighttime spectaculars, recently experienced an unfortunate incident when the Maleficent dragon caught on fire ahead of the show’s finale sequence. Thankfully, no Guests or Cast Members were injured during the incident; however, many were understandably saddened to see what happened to the iconic Dragon.
Credit: @neilthefurious (left), Disney (right)
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Crews installed a wall around where the Dragon stood during the performance in which the fire occurred at Disneyland Park on Saturday, April 22, 2023. With walls up and showings of Fantasmic! canceled for the immediate future after the fire, Guests had speculated that the show would not return for quite some time, especially as it was unclear how much damage the sets had sustained aside from the Dragon itself.
Much to the surprise of many Disneyland locals, the official Disneyland website has added Fantasmic! showtimes back to the calendar beginning with 9:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. shows this Friday, April 28, 2023.
Credit: Disney
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With the show returning so quickly after last weekend’s incident, we are expecting that the Dragon scene at the finale of Fantasmic! will be performed in “B” mode. Of course, Disney does not disclose when an attraction will run in B mode, and while it is possible that there is a backup Dragon Guests are not aware of, it seems more likely that Guests this weekend will see a modified version of the show.
A Maleficent dragon is also a part of Fantasmic! on the East Coast at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, however, no changes have been made to the Walt Disney World version of the show since the fire. Disneyland and Disney World use two entirely different Dragons, so there is no concern that a similar fire will happen at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater in Florida.
Credit: Disney
Elsewhere at Walt Disney World, the Festival of Fantasy Parade in the Magic Kingdom also features a Maleficent Dragon that normally breathes fire as it makes its way down the parade route. While not exactly the same setup as “Murphy,” the Disneyland Fantasmic! Dragon, Disney has already confirmed that the fire effects in the parade would not run for the timebeing.
You can always find updated showtimes for Fantasmic! in the Disneyland app or the My Disney Experience app. And as always, we will be back with new information on the incident as it is available here on Disney Tips.
