Dragon at Disneyland's Fantasmic! destroyed by massive fire

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Fire at Disneyland Fantasmic!

Posted: Sunday April 23, 2023 10:08am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

A massive fire at Disneyland Fantasmic! last night resulted in the total loss of the Maleficent dragon that is featured in the finale of the show.

Fire at Disneyland Fantasmic!

During the second showing of Fantasmic! last night, the show appeared to be running as normal, with Melficent shooting fire out to ignite the water between the audience and the stage.

Just after the planned fireball, fuel could be seen leaking from the head of the dragon, which soon ignited. The fire continued uncontrolled and quickly accelerated, engulfing the entire dragon in flames.

The show was halted, and all cast and crew were safely removed from the area. Disneyland reports that there were no injuries to cast or guests.

I’m heart broken ?? pic.twitter.com/19zIcqevU7
— jonathan (@jaysquivel) April 23, 2023

Performances of Fantasmic! have been halted, and the show is likely to be unavailable for the foreseeable future.

You can see the full sequence of events in the video below.

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Too Many Hats14 days ago

Weather seemed perfect the night I saw it, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they knew something I didn’t.

SuddenStorm14 days ago

Fantasmic is such a miss. They had a beloved show that ran well for decades- then changed it in 2017 into something soulless. After the dragon burns they make changes that make it closer to the original version and each of those changes is an improvement. At this point, once there's a new dragon I hope they just bring back the original show. But I know I've been saying that for like 8 years on here.

SuddenStorm14 days ago

You mean it's mostly just World of Color? 🤣

SuddenStorm14 days ago

Sometimes they do this b mode based on wind/rain. I saw it a few times over the years pre 2017.

Disgruntled Walt21 days ago

But... but... "My compass!"

Too Many Hats22 days ago

I’ve always enjoyed Fantasmic (going back to seeing it at “MGM” in the 90s), but I’m far from a super fan and can’t really comment on the various upgrades/downgrades over the years. IMO it was pleasant back in the day and it remains pleasant in its current iteration. I rarely/almost never watch the whole thing, but I do enjoy catching bits of it as I stroll NOS late at night for Pirates and Mansion walk-ons. I find the Peter Pan segment pretty fun. The sudden emergence of the Columbia always gets a “Whoa!” from the audience. I find it to be an improvement over the POTC scene. I agree that it’s not a draw on its own (nothing in the show, aside from perhaps the dragon, fits that bill), but it works as a kinetic and lively component of the overall spectacle.

Touchdown23 days ago

Well on my next trip, provided that WOC:Happiness is good, I’ll be doing PTN, WJ, WOC and only catching the finale of Fantasmic.

PiratesMansion23 days ago

Honestly, same. I always felt the show in any incarnation was overrated, but the dragon brought a great sense of climax and was a distinct advantage the DL version used to have over the others. The returning of the Peter Pan segment I suppose is good from a coherent storytelling perspective, but I'm the rare person who didn't like it in the original show either (nor did I like the Pirates segment that replaced it), so the PP segment by itself is not really a draw. Until they get a proper dragon, I'm out.

Too Many Hats23 days ago

I would never recommend it to anyone in its current state. The missing dragon was bad enough; with the neutered Peter Pan scene and Maleficent just walking back and forth on stage during the climax, it's mostly just a fountain projection show.

mickEblu23 days ago

Fantasmic is dead to me until the dragon comes back. Then it’s good for a watch every few years.

Too Many Hats23 days ago

Maybe it’s a weeknight thing. But honestly… it’s pretty sad. Kind of embarrassing watching the actors just stand there.

Disney Analyst23 days ago

Also had this b-mode version last June when we saw it. I thought maybe it was a weeknight thing, as the stunts were back on at the show on the weekend.

Too Many Hats23 days ago

I know "Fantasmic is in rough shape" is beating a dead horse at this point, but I don't think I've seen any discussion of this -- Last night there were no stunts during the Peter Pan scene; no falls, no sword fight, no swinging around. The characters just awkwardly stood in one place. Is this a B-mode activated sometimes due to weather or performer absence? It was depressing.