Disney Shares First Look at New Fantasmic! Scenes

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

For more than two years, Guests visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort have had to walk by the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, which is the home of the popular nighttime show, Fantasmic!. Fantasmic! closed when the theme parks were forced to shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic and, during the shutdown, Disney announced that the show would be undergoing a major refurbishment. Photos shown during the refurbishment showed the entire area drained and massive work being done.

Well, it’s been a long two and a half years, but Fantasmic! is finally ready to reopen, and will do so on November 3! And now we have a first look at some of the new scenes, courtesy of Disney. The new scenes will replace the controversial Pocahontas scene that had been a part of the show for years.

Let’s take a look!

Moana Fantasmic

Theme park insider Scott Gustin also shared a promotional video that highlights the new scenes.

Beginning November 3, Fantasmic! will show at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater nightly, weather permitting. If you would like to see Fantasmic! during your theme park day, check your My Disney Experience for showtimes.

Disney’s Fantasmic! Gets Standing Ovation

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Few things have been more anticipated than the return of Fantasmic! At The Walt Disney World Resort.

Fantasmic!, the beloved nighttime spectacular, has been closed at Walt Disney World Resort since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Disney fans have anxiously awaited the return of the show, they’ve been hit with disappointment as it has remained closed for over two years.

Thankfully, Disney officially revealed that this show would finally be returning to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in November.

Mickey Mouse performing during Fantasmic! at Walt Disney World Resort

Fantasmic! is a nighttime spectacular that takes Guests into Mickey’s dreams as they visit some of the most iconic Disney animated stories. It is located inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Sunset Boulevard near Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

The fantastic fantasy includes Disney Characters from some of your favorite animated films:

  • Moana
  • Frozen 2
  • Mulan
  • Aladdin
  • Pocahontas
  • Beauty and the Beast
  • The Little Mermaid
  • The Lion King

Disney’s Fantasmic! will begin performances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on November 3, with Cast Members getting a special preview a few days early.

A tweet was shared by @WaybrightAdam showing the crowd’s reaction to Fantasmic!’s first show back at Walt Disney World. The video can be seen below:

As you can see, the energy in the audience was electric, with hundreds of Guests standing up to cheer. It’s a magical moment for sure to see a show return after so long. We are sure that Guests will feel the same when the Walt Disney World Railroad finally reopens at Magic Kingdom.

The nighttime spectacular is also featured at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

Guests Trapped on Disney’s Tower of Terror

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the most exciting attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you enter the Twilight Zone via the Hollywood Tower Hotel and find yourself propelled up and down in a seemingly-haunted elevator.

However, recent Guests on this attraction found themselves in the Twilight Zone all right, just not the one they expected when boarding the lift.

Jason Vaughn, aka @fattestedtravel on TikTok, recently shared a video of him and other Guests on the attraction getting trapped on Tower of Terror.

@fattestedtravel

Fat Testing and Trapped On The Tower of Terror #disneyworld #wdw #hollywoodstudios #plussize #plussizetravel #twilightzone #towerofterror #distok la

♬ original sound – Jason Vaughn

Jason had gone on the attraction originally to give it a “fat test,” as noted in the description, but he got more than he bargained for. For starters, once the attraction started, an announcement in the background asked Guests to stay seated.

Then, once the ride began working again, the lights were on, which is a rare view for that attraction, as it is usually fairly dark to give attraction riders the ominous effect of being in the Twilight Zone.

Contrary to what you might expect, this was not a let-down for the poster, as he commented throughout the experience how cool the ride was and what a neat experience it was to go through it with the lights on. He even said at the end of the TikTok that the ride passed his “fat test” and “cool test.”

disneyland paris tower of terror

However, this is not the first time Guests have gotten trapped on Tower of Terror. Commenters shared their experience with the ride malfunctioning in the past. For instance, @kat.partyofone said,

got stuck on it for about ten minutes in May, but in a different spot. novel for a few mins, but by the end I just wanted out of there!

Additionally, @whatsamatchawitu shared a similar experience with an added bonus:

I got stuck on that ride once and they gave us all fast passes for all the rides for the day. It was bomb.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Celebration

User @caseytellman shared a slightly different perspective:

We got stuck right as it was about to drop once. It was so cool stepping out into the plexus glass and going down the creepy maintenance elevator.

Next time you find yourself at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, be sure to visit this chilling experience and immerse yourself in the eerie yet exciting Twilight Zone.

Man Allegedly Spit On Young Girl, Accused Her of Cutting Line

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

No matter what time of year you travel to the Walt Disney World Resort, more popular attractions will always have long lines. One of the most popular attractions at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — found in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland Park and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Rise of the Resistance opened at Hollywood Studios in December 2019 and has been one of — if not the — most popular rides at the theme park, with wait times averaging over 90 minutes.

One of the rules of theme park etiquette dictates that you do not cut the line. Walt Disney World’s website even states that Guests are prohibited from engaging in inappropriate behavior, specifically listing line-cutting. However, sometimes a Guest needs to use the restroom or is meeting up with family and friends already in line. In most cases, the Guest trying to catch up with their party says “excuse me” and people move aside. Typically, when it’s one or two people, others in line don’t mind.

Rise of the Resistance

According to a report released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, one older Guest did mind and ended up spitting in a young girl’s face. The report states that 13-year-old Alanna and her father Julio were trying to catch up to their family, who were further up in the Rise of the Resistance queue. While trying to pass other Guests, it was stated that Julio got into a verbal argument with a man named Sebastian — 42 from Gainesville, Florida.

The Sheriff’s report said that Sebastian got mad that they were going in front of him when he had been waiting in line for a long time. He allowed Julio and Alanna to pass, but he then spit water at Alanna as she walked by, hitting her in the face.

Galaxy's Edge

The man then got into another verbal altercation with Alanna’s father, and the two had to be separated by Disney management.

The young girl and her father declined to press charges, but told the officer that they wanted the incident to be documented. The 42-year-old Sebastian admitted to officers that he did spit in the girl’s face.

We do not know if the man was removed from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and banned for his incredibly inappropriate behavior.

Disney World Releases “Fantasmic!” Showtimes

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Fans’ anticipation is growing by the day for the return of Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and now they can get even more excited as Disney has just announced showtimes for the nighttime spectacular.

On Tuesday, fans of the long-running nighttime spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios were thrilled to learn that the show will return to the Disney Park on November 3. Fantasmic! has been MIA at Hollywood for what seems like eons now, and though they received periodic updates about Disney’s progress in readying the experience for its eventual return, many had begun to wonder if the experience would simply vanish.

Hey, it’s happened before with another attraction at Magic Kingdom, when the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride closed for maintenance and repairs, and then, two years later, it was gone. Though that’s clearly not the case with Hollywood Studios’ nighttime spectacular.

Fantasmic! Begins Testing as Return Date Closes In - Inside the Magic

Not only do Guests have the assurance of the return of Fantasmic! per Tuesday’s announcement, but Disney has just released the showtimes for the exciting spectacular! Per journalist Scott Gustin, showtimes for Fantasmic! will be as follows:

  • November 3-7: 8 and 9:30 pm
  • November 8-13: 8 pm
  • November 14 and beyond: 9 pm

The fan-favorite experience is unlike any other in the parks, and if you’ve seen it before, you already know that. However, the new show won’t be the Fantasmic! you remember. Read more about that by clicking here.