Tomorrow, Fantasmic! will once again take place at Disneyland. The show closed last year after the 45-foot Maleficent Dragon (aka Murphy) caught on fire and was destroyed.
I have to give the cast member playing Mickey Mouse props, though; he nailed his performance when he saw it in flames. Thankfully, no one (except Murphy) was harmed.
The show will be returning on May 24th with Maleficent, but not as a dragon. Peter Pan’s scenes with Wendy and Captain Hook also return to the show.
Show times will be 9 PM and 10:30 PM.
According to the LA Times, Maleficent will now battle Mickey Mouse in the finale in her human form, not as a dragon. She will only ascend to about 35 feet instead of the dragon’s 45 feet.

Disney is also using special effects and fireworks to intensify the scene (but it’s not a dragon).
“Maleficent, with scepter in hand, will ascend to a height of 35 feet. Firework effects will appear to shoot from Mickey’s hands, and Maleficent will set the river ablaze.”
Tobi Longo, Disney Live Entertainment, told the LA Times that Maleficent will be on stage longer than before, saying, “Maleficent is still going to be spectacular. She’s on the stage longer than she used to be. We’ve added new pyro effects, with really cool projections and lasers. The river is still going to light on fire. … As much as we miss the dragon right now, it’s still going to be a spectacular scene.”
Deadline posted this statement from Disneyland describing Maleficent and Mickey’s battle:
“In the reimagined battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent, Mickey gathers all his magical powers, creating colorful swirls of light as sparkling pyrotechnics bolt from his fingers. Cloaked in her dark gown with her powerful scepter in hand, Maleficent ascends to a height of 35 feet as she appears to ignite the Rivers of America in flames.”
Okay, but still no dragon. However, Longo did hint that the dragon could return, saying, “We’re excited for something to come back, and we’re in the works and working on it. But I think what I’ve done with that scene — that good versus evil and that battle between Maleficent and Mickey — is so spectacular. We all loved the dragon, and we’ll keep working on things, but there’s not much I can say about it.”
We will have to wait until the show debuts to learn about all the changes.
Hopefully, they don’t change Walt Disney World’s version to match.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: LA Times
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