Imagination…
There is something utterly disarming about the beginning of Disney’s Fantasmic. When those lights rise, the chorus sings that familiar word, and Mickey Mouse appears in a fan of light, the world we know melts away. Every child’s eyes widen, and every adult is invited to dream like a child again. Some audiences erupt in cheers while others fall into mesmerized silence, and you can’t help but smile during Mickey’s beautiful and perilous journey into the world of imagination.
Fantasmic first premiered at Disneyland in 1992, a marvel of cutting-edge special effects and entertainment storytelling that solved a significant problem by utilizing the space of the Rivers of America. To this date, it might be one of the best nighttime spectaculars in Disney history, even beating out many of their more resplendent fireworks shows over the years. In 1998, the show was adapted for a specially built arena at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with a third version premiering at Tokyo DisneySea in 2011 that utilized huge floats and a large version of Mickey’s hat for many of the projections. Finally, in 2017, the Disneyland version was given a complete overhaul with dazzling new effects perfected in the World of Color show, as well as a number of new scenes. Disneyland fans sometimes refer to this version as Fantasmic 2.0, and it’s hard not to say it’s the best one to date.
Image: Disney (Walt Disney World)
I love all of Disney’s parks, but when it comes to most things Disney, I usually fall firmly in the Walt-Disney-World-is-better camp– unless we’re talking about The Indiana Jones Adventure or Fantasmic. All versions of the show are excellent in their own right, but despite having the advantages of a custom built stadium, greater freedom for pyrotechnics use, and the considerable resources of Walt Disney World at their disposal, it’s hard not to feel like Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic falls a little short of its California counterpart. Bigger is not always better, and while Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic is undeniably grand in scale, there are just a lot of areas where Disneyland seems to have them beat. From crisper choreography to a story that makes more sense, Disneyland’s version edges out Walt Disney World’s in almost every way.
We dipped a toe into exploring the differences between Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s versions of Fantasmic in our exploration of common misconceptions about Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there is a lot to unpack when you get into the details comparing the shows. For the sake of simplicity, we will leave Tokyo DisneySea’s version out of the discussion since it is significantly different but for some key plot similarities. We’ll also focus most of our analysis on the 2.0 version of Disneyland’s show, with some consideration for its predecessor as well.
What is it about Disneyland’s Fantasmic that edges out it’s Walt Disney World cousin? Let’s take a look at some specific elements to see which show is stronger.
1. The Rivers of America vs. Fantasmic arena
Video: YouTube, User: WDW Details
The first key difference between Fantasmic at Disneyland and Walt Disney World is location within the parks. Fantasmic was originally designed for the Rivers of America at Disneyland, and that specificity is obvious whenever the show has been adapted. There may have been logistical issues with trying to bring Fantasmic to the Rivers of America at Disney’s Magic Kingdom— its connection to Florida’s natural waterways would be one problem (a flaming river would probably mean a lot of dead anahingas and gators), and capacity might have been another issue. Whatever the reasons, Disney opted to move Fantasmic to its own private arena at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The Walt Disney World version holds two advantages: the stadium setting means that viewers can sit, a major advantage over Disneyland. Also, while the river and space itself may be smaller in the Walt Disney World stadium, the overall scale of the show seems larger, particularly in regards to stunts and fireworks displays.
Despite the stadium advantage, there’s something utterly mesmerizing about the original Rivers of America setting at Disneyland. The use of the Rivers and Tom Sawyer Island as a setting gives the show a distinctly organic feel—like when Mickey Mouse dreams, his dreams take place at Disneyland. While Walt Disney World’s version utilizes its mountain stage heavily, in the Disneyland version, the Rivers and the island almost become characters unto themselves, perfectly integrated into the fabric of the show. The Rivers give the show its massive feel, and this becomes especially important since the show utilizes both of the park’s signature boats—the Mark Twain and the sailing ship Columbia—for key scenes.
2. The special effects
Video: YouTube, User: WDW Details
It’s hard to say which version of the show has the biggest effects. Compared to the original Disneyland version of Fantasmic, the water projections and fireworks in Walt Disney World’s version are absolutely massive in comparison. However, Fantasmic 2.0 increased the scale of the show enough that it negates some of the difference.
It cannot be understated what an incredible job Disney did with the new effects for Fantasmic 2.0. The show was already eye-dazzling, but the new effects don’t just add spectacle—they improve the story overall. In the Walt Disney World version, the effects feel like the central focus of much of the show, even if the story doesn’t make as much sense. Part of this discrepancy has to do with the fact that Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic is still an adaptation of the original Disneyland version—there hasn’t been an attempt to update the show yet, which leaves it lagging behind it’s Disneyland cousin. While Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic fireworks might be bigger and bolder, the more targeted effects at Disneyland still come out stronger.
3. Seamlessness of story
Image: Disney (Walt Disney World)
Mickey’s magical freefall into the realm of imagination makes for a particularly gripping story, especially for a nighttime spectacular. While all versions of Fantasmic tell this story, the Walt Disney World version admittedly feels a little more Frankensteined together. The transitions between scenes just aren’t as seamless, even when compared to the original Disneyland version. This lack of continuity becomes especially obvious during the uniquely-lengthy bubble montage scene. With a lackluster melody of classic Disney soundtracks, the show seems to take a break from the main story to give the audience a broad smattering of Disney scenes that appear inside floating bubbles. The effect feels more like a bland survey of Disney’s most profitable IP’s rather than continuing to follow Mickey through the trippy layers of his dreamworld.
In the Disneyland version, Mickey’s journey makes weird sense. It feels like the progression of a dream. Playing with magic and colors leads Mickey to the kaleidoscope of flowers, which provides a garden for the Lion King / Jungle Book mashup. This foray into the jungle logically leads to the fan-favorite pink elephants on parade (which might include the catchiest cover of a Disney song EVER), then from that psychedelic insanity to the master of psychedelic insanity—the Genie. Mickey dives from the Genie’s menagerie of wonders deeper into the sea, leading us to the manta rays from Finding Nemo, then to Pinocchio and Monstro, then back to the surface with the pirates. This seamlessness carries throughout the production, avoiding the choppiness of the Walt Disney World version and preserving our captivation with Mickey’s dream.
4. Lions, snakes, and pink elephants—Oh my!
Image: Disney (Disneyland)
The jungle scene is one of the first areas where differences between the shows becomes apparent. While both Disneyland and Walt Disney World utilize The Lion King in their jungle scene—and Walt Disney World’s use of glowing puppets is well done—there are a few elements that once again give Disneyland’s Fantasmic 2.0 the advantage.
The transition from the flower scene to the famous African sunrise from The Lion King is particularly dramatic, but one of our favorite elements from Disneyland’s Fantasmic remains Kaa the snake, who has been a mainstay in the show since it’s opening. The snake itself is a wonder of engineering and manpower, particularly with its eerie spotlight eyes. While Walt Disney World does utilize the snake effect later in the show for Jafar’s transformation, Kaa just seems like a better fit for the effects and the flow of the story. The music is wonderfully catchy in both Disneyland versions, and the dancing tribal-paint animals in the 2.0 version are a very nice upgrade from King Louie’s monkeys in the original.
More significant than the jungle section is a scene that’s entirely missing in Walt Disney World’s version—the pink elephants on parade (what did poor Mickey eat before having this trippy of a dream?). There were few things as a child that terrified me more than Dumbo’s nightmare elephants, but I came to love the pink elephants scene from Fantasmic more and more as an adult. Both Disneyland versions covered the song with undeniably catchy remakes, and the scene provides a perfect opportunity for Disney to go crazy with insane color and projection effects while upping crowd energy. It is sorely missed at Walt Disney World, especially since it’s replaced with the dull bubble montage mentioned earlier.
5. Of genies and princesses
Image: Disney (Disneyland)
The genie scene added into Disneyland’s Fantasmic 2.0 is a perfect example of areas where the update improved on the original. Fantasmic provides one of the most realistic platforms imaginable to portray the Genie in all his wackiness, and dreamscape Mickey is the perfect audience for his antics. The scene is missing from Walt Disney World’s version, but again, this is somewhat understandable since the original DL Fantasmic didn’t include the genie either.
Aladdin actually provides two great contributions to Fantasmic 2.0. In Disneyland’s updated version, the princess scene actually starts with a dazzling depiction of Aladdin and Jasmine riding the magic carpet through the clouds while singing a Whole New World. The princess scene that follows is one of the show’s highlights in all versions. The one difference is that while Walt Disney World’s version still includes Snow White as the third princess (a very fitting tribute to Disney’s first feature length animated film), in Disneyland’s 2.0 version, Snow White and Charming are replaced with Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder. The latter pair fit perfectly into the scene, especially since “At Last I See the Light” themes well with the show’s dreamy light effects (which look like floating lanterns).
6. Pirates vs. Pocahontas
Image: Disney (Disneyland)
There is one particular section of Fantasmic that has turned out completely different in all three versions of the show—so much so, that we need to bring Fantasmic Prime (Fantasmic 1.0?) back into the discussion.
In the original version of Fantasmic, following Mickey’s terrifying encounter with Monstro, the Rivers of America burst alight with the sound of cannon-fire. The sailing ship Columbia appears in the midst of a full battle between Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Peter and the Captain fight it out as the ship sails the river while Wendy tries to avoid the pirates. As a nice touch, Captain Hook’s crocodile stalks the ship ready to chomp the Captain’s other hand should he plummet to his doom. It’s a great scene straight out of Disney magic.
In the spirit of bringing Fantasmic up to date, Disneyland made a notable change to this scene for Fantasmic 2.0. Instead of Peter Pan, the scene starts off with Captain Barbossa from Pirates of the Caribbean. Cannons fire, and the sailing ship Columbia appears as before, only this time wreathed in a ghostly light. Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbossa battle their way across the ship’s high riggings while ghost pirates torment Elizabeth by tossing her repeatedly into the air… and I do mean repeatedly. Poor Elizabeth gets launched for what feels like an eternity on that ghostly trampoline.
The scene is definitely pure Disney (thanks to its namesake ride), and there’s every reason why it should work. The problem is that it ultimately doesn’t, mostly due to a cringeworthy vocal track and some weird choreography. Captain Jack suffers from the same issue he does on the ride—overly dramatic quoting of his full name, for example. Even worse, Elizabeth is a shrill—and I mean shrill—imitation of herself. Elizabeth in the films definitely does her shares of screaming, but her completely un-Keira-Knightley-like voice track stretches this tendency into the obnoxious. She wails and screams like an easily startled anime character, even when she’s supposedly speaking. She also does the majority of her scene in a ghastly pink petticoat that we can only assume was adapted from Wendy’s old costume. Let’s just say it’s not Elizabeth’s finest day. Matters are made worse by the pirates’ occasional odd choreography moments, where they wave mops about like they’re trying to summon Mickey’s possessed brooms back.
Still, it could be argued that the Pirates of the Caribbean scene isn’t any worse than Walt Disney World’s alternative—namely since the pirates are gone entirely.
There’s not enough room for a full-sized pirate ship in Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic arena, so instead, Disney did the most logical thing possible—they replaced the scene with a sweeping retelling of the full story of the film Pocahontas.
No, it doesn’t make sense, and no, it doesn’t work.
It’s not that Pocahontas doesn’t deserve a place in Fantasmic. There are moments in the film’s segment that are great, especially when the Powhatan tribe arrives on their canoes, as well as during the particularly touching scene where Pocahontas and Jon Smith stand on opposite cliffs reaching out for each other. The issue is that too much of the scene is spent focusing on the settlers led by the detestable Lord Radcliffe. Despite some great stunts, the scene drags too long and spends too much time focused on the settlers and the Powhatans fight rather than on Pocahontas herself. The pirates are sorely missed—a pity, since the arena stage would make for a great setting for an epic pirate battle.
Which version is best? That’s purely a matter of opinion, but most fans trend towards still counting the original Peter Pan scene as their favorite, even if the ghost pirate version still has some cool-factor elements in its favor.
7. Those villains really hate Mickey…
Image: Disney (Walt Disney World)
Who would have thought that villains hated Mickey Mouse so much?
All versions of Fantasmic culminate in the same ultimate showdown—Disney villains decide they’re not having it with Mickey’s happy-go-lucky imagination and decide to take control of his imagination. In both Disneyland versions, this cast of villains is limited to the Evil Queen, Ursula (who used to have a neat animatronic float in the show’s early years), Chernabog from Fantasia, and finally Maleficent. The scene works great and is properly terrifying, particularly during Chernabog’s bit (like seriously, you might have to cover the kids’ eyes), and this smaller cast works just fine in representing the breadth of Disney villain-dom.
In the Walt Disney World version, Mickey doesn’t just tick off a few witches and a mega-demon– he incurs the wrath of almost every major Disney villain to date. One after another, they appear, fuming with hatred for the magic mouse. The Evil Queen and Ursula are quickly joined by Cruella DeVille, Scar, Frollo, and Jafar, the latter of which transforms into his mega-creepy cobra form to destroy Mickey (in some versions, he moves, which is definitely the stuff of nightmares).
Oh, but wait, there’s more. Hades himself rises from the underworld to join the party, assumedly being the one who summons Chernabog to steal Mickey’s soul. Finally, Maleficent rounds things off to finish the job as she does in the Disneyland versions.
The whole parade is pure mustache-twisting evil, and in some ways it works. It is actually sort of hilarious to see how much the villains loathe Mickey and his do-good ways. However, the extra villains really aren’t necessary—too much of a good thing (or a bad thing?). So many villains appear that you half expect Hans from Frozen to sneeringly pop out to tell Mickey no one loves him and Sid from Toy Story to laugh maniacally while ripping a Mickey plush apart. The additions aren’t terrible—they just creep towards the realm of overkill.
8. A battle of dragons
Image: Disney (Disneyland)
And now we get to it—the biggest and most famous difference between the two versions of Fantasmic. At the climax of the show, Mickey is forced to face Maleficent in her full fury. With shrieks of laughter, Maleficent rises above the crowd to transform into her dragon-self (sometimes called “Murphy” by Disneyland fans because of her frequent penchant for succumbing to Murphy’s Law).
In both Disneyland versions, the appearance of the dragon is one of the most insane moments in any Disney show. The dragon animatronic is enormous, towering above Mickey, and it looks extremely realistic to the dragon’s appearance in Sleeping Beauty, right down to her little bat wings and moving ears. The dragon’s eyes glow, and her mouth shoots realistic fireballs that sets the lake ablaze. The dragon’s motions are so realistic, that when Mickey finally challenges it, the dragon even gives the mouse a quizzical look. Despite a long series of technical issues, Maleficent’ s dragon remains one of Disney’s best animatronics to date.
The Walt Disney World version suffers from the same problem we’ve seen before—bigger is not always better. The dragon in the Walt Disney World version is huge. Unfortunately, instead of copying the design used at Disneyland, in the Walt Disney World version, all of that size goes into the dragon’s head. In essence, the dragon at Walt Disney World is a giant dragon head on a stick with two goofy wings spread out to either side that look like scaffolds with streamers hanging off them.
The whole effect is a staggering disappointment if you’re used to good ol’ Murphy from Disneyland. The dragon just ends up looking kind of silly, despite the attempts to make it look bigger. The dragon’s motions also aren’t as realistic, which also messes with the effect. There’s no doubt—Disneyland wins on the dragon front.
9. Mickey’s victory
Image: Disney (Disneyland)
The epic tale concludes when Mickey reclaims control of his dream and uses the power of his imagination to fight the villains back. In the Walt Disney World version, Mickey summons the power of the waters to drive Maleficent back. He then plucks the sword from the stone and blasts the dragon with magical sparks. Maleficent screams and the villains are overcome by electricity—only because this version included so many more villains, the death scene goes on and on as all of the villains get a good shocking. Indeed, by the time we hear the Evil Queen’s shrieks of agony, it’s hard not to feel like Mickey went full Emperor Palpatine on the pesky ne’er-do-wells before they finally mercifully explode in a hail of sparks. Don’t mess with a dreaming mouse!
The Disneyland version is similar but goes a little smoother, though it still feels just a little bit on the dark side. In the new version, Mickey actually never gets the sword from the stone (an element we actually miss from the other versions), but rather uses his sorcerer’s apprentice magic to blast Maleficent. In similar form to Walt Disney World, the villains are electrocuted, with Maleficent’ s dragon actually starting to disintegrate Thanos-style before she explodes. While this is still a little morbid, the whole process goes a quicker thanks to the smaller cast, which ultimately works better.
10. The happy ending
Image: Simon17964, Flickr (license)
While both versions of Fantasmic end in similar form—with Steamboat Willie Mickey bringing out a full cast of Disney favorites on a steamboat. Disneyland utilizes the Mark Twain, which makes for a somewhat more impressive scene. The Walt Disney World steamboat isn’t quite as large, but the ending is still great.
There is one area where the Walt Disney World version—finally—is able to eek out a lead ahead of Disneyland, and it’s in the show’s final conclusion. While all versions of Fantasmic end with an eye-dazzling display of fireworks and color effects, Fantasmic’s shielded position in the arena at Disney’s Hollywood Studios allows for a wonderfully massive fireworks display at the end of the show. It isn’t as large as the resort’s other fireworks shows, but the scale of the fireworks is noticeably larger than Disneyland, which ends the show with undeniably smiling faces.
All of the versions of Disney’s Fantasmic share a common victory—they are all absolute triumphs of nighttime entertainment. For its little foibles, the show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is still excellent. It falls a little short when compared with both its predecessor and especially against Fantasmic 2.0, but that isn’t to say it’s not an incredible show in its own right. We won’t deny that we hold out hope some of the great updates done at Disneyland will make their way to Florida, but no matter which version we’re talking about, whenever we hear those opening words sing, “Imagination,” our hearts still speed up a little as we take in one of Disney’s greatest achievements of all time.
What is your favorite part of Fantasmic, in any version?
