Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The color and pageantry of live events around the park are an integral part of the
Disneyland Park entertainment mix and a persuasive argument for second-day tour-
ing. Though live entertainment is varied, plentiful, and nearly continuous throughout
the day, several productions are preeminent.
Fantasmic!
DESCRIPTION AND COMMENTS
Fantasmic!
isamixed-mediashowpresentedoneormore
times each evening that the park is open late (10 p.m. or later). Staged at the end of Tom
Sawyer Island opposite the Frontierland and New Orleans Square waterfronts,
Fantasmic!
is far and away the most extraordinary and ambitious outdoor spectacle ever attempted
in any theme park. Starring Mickey Mouse in his role as the sorcerer's apprentice from
Fantasia,
the production uses lasers, images projected on a shroud of mist, fireworks,
lighting effects, and music in combinations so stunning that you can scarcely believe what
you have seen.
Incidentally,ifyouinvestedintheGlowwiththeShowlight-upearsthatsynchronize
with DCA's
World of Color
show, you'll find that they interact with
Fantasmic!
as well.
At times, an exclusive viewing area may be offered for hat holders, intensifying the im-
pact of the illumination effects.
The plot is simple: good versus evil. The story gets lost in all the special effects at
times, but no matter—it is the spectacle, not the story line, that is so overpowering. While
beautiful, stunning,
and
powerful
are words that immediately come to mind, they fail to
convey the uniqueness of this presentation. In recent years, the production has been up-
graded with brighter high-definition projectors and a 45-foot-tall full-bodied fire-breath-
ing dragon (nicknamed Murphy) for the finale. It could be argued, with some validity, that
Fantasmic!
alone is worth the price of Disneyland Park admission. Needless to say, we
rate
Fantasmic!
as not to be missed.
TOURING TIPS
It is not easy to see
Fantasmic!
For the first show particularly, guests begin
staking out prime viewing spots along the edge of the New Orleans Square and Fron-
tierland waterfronts as much as four hours in advance. Similarly, good vantage points
on raised walkways and terraces are also grabbed up early. A mom from Lummi Island,
Washington, dismantled her Disney stroller to make a nest:
We used the snap-off cover on the rental stroller to sit on during
Fantasmic!
since the ground was really cold.
Along similar lines, a middle-aged New York man wrote, saying:
