✨ It’s TIME ✨ — Fantasmic! is coming back to Disney World!

Fantasmic! has been closed since the parks shut down in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve been watching construction from a bird’s eye view on the stage for a while now, and Disney teased its return a few times. As of November 3rd, the show is back in the parks, and we were invited to a media event to check out the show a day early — let’s see what has changed!

Disney announced back in 2021 that Fantasmic! would return sometime in 2022 with new changes to the show. We’ve slowly learned more about the changes, including that there would be new characters, a new segment, and a longer runtime — now it’s time to see these differences in action!

We're headed into the media preview event for #Fantasmic! and you can feel the excitement in the air! 🎆 #mediaevent #fantasmicreturns pic.twitter.com/jINFUXEBxs

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 3, 2022

 

Come along with us to see all the changes.

The New Segment & Characters

Perhaps the biggest change to Fantasmic! is the brand new segment that replaced the previous Pocahontas scene. Disney informed us that this section was newly orchestrated and has been designed to match the rest of the show “seamlessly.”

The new segment focuses on a “journey with our heroes,” according to Disney Live Entertainment Show Director Matthew Hamel. And it was just that!

Since Fantasmic! originally debuted in Disney World in 1998, there have been several big hit Disney movies with characters Disney fans have come to know and love. So Disney added several of these characters to the new segment.

Mulan has a new part during #Fantasmic! We captured this awesome moment before the show ended early ❤️ #mediaevent pic.twitter.com/w7fmDo2MAm

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 3, 2022

 

In the projections we saw characters like Tiana from Princess and the Frog, Tarzan, Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Mulan.

Encanto fans will want to see the new version of the show. We saw Mirabel in some of the new animation that is projected on the water!

These projections are followed by a new stunt sequence featuring characters from Mulan!

After the epic stunt sequence, you see Aladdin climbing up the side of the mountain to the song “One Jump.” There are a few fun stunts involving a trampoline with the men that are chasing after Aladdin. It’s a really fun scene to watch!

We don’t know if y’all are ready for this one — Elsa makes an appearance singing the Frozen 2 hit “Show Yourself”! There’s something about the music, the lighting, and the mood of the heroes before Elsa — it’s sure to be a tear-jerker scene.

Elsa has also joined the show as part of the all new segment of #Fantasmic! pic.twitter.com/UGaG0ZolAk

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 3, 2022

 

Another new movie that Disney added into Fantasmic! is Moana! This part of the segment starts with Tala, Moana’s grandmother, and then Moana herself comes out and sings! Moana also connects with the water effects happening behind her — this was a really cool touch to the show! Moana ends the new heroes-based segment.

New Technology

While the show has been closed, Disney has also worked on updating the technology in the show. Laurice Marier, Disney Live Entertainment Producer, said, “We’ve taken this time to upgrade the lasers, the lighting, the sound, all to bring this show back even more beautiful than it’s ever been.”

When we watched the show, we did notice new effects like the water during the Moana part of the new segment. Unfortunately, the preview of Fantasmic! was cut short due to inclement weather in the area, but we’ll be back soon to check out the finale and other parts of the show!

Don’t forget — you can book dining packages for Fantasmic! These will return on November 30th, but they are available to book now. Here’s where you can book and how expensive each package is:

• 50s Prime Time Cafe — $51 per adult and $22 for children (9 and under)
• Hollywood  & Vine — Breakfast is $54 per adult and $36 per child, while lunch and dinner are $71 per adult and $47 per child
• Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano — $54 per adult and $22 per child
• Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant — $49 per adult and $22 per child
• The Hollywood Brown Derby — $73 per adult and $29 per child

If you want some pro tips on your next trip to Hollywood Studios, be sure to look at our free DFB checklist! That’s right, we said FREE. Click below to get the list delivered right to your inbox.

Stay tuned to DFB for more news from the Disney Parks!

All the Rides and Hotels That Will Be Closed in November

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What do you think about the changes to Fantasmic! in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of Fantasmic!. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ