ANAHEIM, Calif. (Sept. 1, 2009) – A fire-breathing dragon – the alter ego of Maleficent, who menaces “Sleeping Beauty” and, in “Fantasmic!,” Mickey Mouse – has joined the awe-inspiring new creatures and more powerful projection technology now enhancing the nighttime event at Disneyland.  “Fantasmic!,” the long-running special-effects spectacular presented on Rivers of America in New Orleans Square and Frontierland, jumps off the screen like never before with stunning video and lighting effects that bring brilliant life to Mickey Mouse’s encounters with classic characters and menacing Disney villains.

• Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula’s eels from “The Little Mermaid,” are each 8 feet tall and
  37 feet long.

• Central to the magic of “Fantasmic!” are the three mist screens, each 50 feet wide by
  35 feet tall, upon which the films are projected.

• Approximately 9,000 guests can view “Fantasmic!” at each performance.  The audience is approximately 70 feet from the main stage on Tom Sawyer Island.

• Each night, more than 100 cast and crew members bring “Fantasmic!” to life in the
  23-minute show.

• Additional water effects include 21 fountains and six “whale tails” in the scene when Monstro the whale charges across Rivers of America.

• At the beginning of the show, two light towers appear on either side of the main stage.  During the day, these towers rest 26 feet underground.  They rise to a height of 40 feet in less than a minute.

• The audio surrounding the “Fantasmic!” spectators is created by four speakers on Tom Sawyer Island and three on the mainland.

• Kaa, the conniving snake from “The Jungle Book” who slithers across the “Fantasmic!” stage, is 100 feet long.

• The “crew” of Captain Hook’s ship (the Sailing Ship Columbia by day) is composed of professional stunt performers who execute all the spectacular duels and falls.

• The new dragon is a fully animated three-dimensional design that replicates the movements of the dragon in “Sleeping Beauty.”  The dragon stretches to as high as 45 feet tall and weighs approximately 18,000 pounds.

• The dragon lights Rivers of America on fire for 25 seconds.

• “Fantasmic!” officially opened to the public on May 15, 1992, at Disneyland.  
• The main stage on Tom Sawyer Island, including underground housing for many special effects, was specially built for “Fantasmic!” By day, it is a boat dock and “cider mill” visited by guests on the island.

• In 1992, the original estimate for the prospective audience size was 6,500.  It became clear on opening night that the audience for each performance would be much larger.  Spectators found every space they could cram into, and the average number of guests per performance was 11,000 that first summer.

• Within days, the area was re-landscaped to accommodate more guests in the viewing areas.  “Fantasmic!” was scheduled for three shows per night that year and extended to four shows on July 4 and New Year’s Eve.  Before summer 1993 arrived, the walkways and planters in New Orleans Square had been redesigned in the “terrace” style from which today’s guests view the show.

• One special feature of “Fantasmic!” is the way it uses existing Disneyland attractions – Tom Sawyer Island, the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia – as elements of the show.  It is unique in that regard.

• A different version of “Fantasmic!” premiered in October 1998 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.  A 6,900-seat amphitheater was specially built for the show off Sunset Boulevard in the theme park.

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Read this article in other languages:

• (Spanish) ‘Fantasmic!’ regresa a Disneyland este verano con extraordinarias nuevas criaturas e imágenes más brillantes

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