Last night’s fire at Disneyland is bringing major changes to Disney Parks globally.
Last night, a massive fire broke out during the 10:30 p.m. performance of Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. In video captured by Guests during the show, the 45-foot-tall Maleficent dragon on Tom Sawyer’s Island is seen igniting during its final confrontation with Mickey Mouse. The head catches fire first before the show stops, and the fire quickly spreads to engulf the entire figure.
Guests and Cast Members were all evacuated quickly from the area, and no injuries were reported. Anaheim Fire & Rescue was quickly on the scene, and the fire was extinguished soon after. While Tom Sawyer’s Island closed and Frontierland was evacuated, the rest of Disneyland resumed normal operations for the remainder of the night. Some Guest videos captured what appeared to be some kind of fuel or fluid leaking from the dragon both before and during the fire.
Disneyland crews are working this morning at the site of last night’s Fantasmic! Maleficent fire. @thecalibae captured video of the clean-up efforts. pic.twitter.com/2DVZeptQZm
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 23, 2023
This morning, construction crews were spotted on the scene, dismantling the burnt remains of Maleficent, who seems to have been completely destroyed. It’s unknown if the stage or Tom Sawyer’s Island sustained any additional damage, although some Guests have reported that the stage looks partially collapsed. Tom Sawyer’s Island remains closed to Disneyland Guests, and this evening’s performances of Fantasmic! have been canceled.
Disney released a full statement this morning, stating that the cause of the fire is under investigation and that all Guests and Cast Members were evacuated safely. However, they also made a major announcement about the state of any fire and pyrotechnic effects at Disney Parks worldwide.
“During the final showing of Fantasmic at Disneyland park on Saturday evening, the dragon prop caught fire. Anaheim Fire & Rescue quickly responded, and the fire was extinguished. All cast members were safely evacuated from Tom Sawyer Island. Due to smoke and wind, attractions near the island were safely evacuated of any guests, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time. We are temporarily suspending fire effects similar to those used at Disneyland park’s Fantasmic at select shows and entertainment experiences globally out of an abundance of caution following the Fantasmic prop fire at Disneyland park. The continued safety of our cast and guests is of the utmost importance.”
While Disney did not specify exactly what shows and effects will be modified or suspended, we can imagine it will majorly affect Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The show is extremely similar to Disneyland’s, with a near-identical finale (albeit with a different dragon structure), so we can expect it to be devoid of fire effects or changed entirely. This could also affect shows like The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Festival of the Lion King, and any others that involve major fire effects.
UPDATE: Since the publishing of this article, Disney has provided an update that the only change at Walt Disney World will be the removal of the fire effects from the Maleficent float in the Festival of Fantasy parade. Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is scheduled to be performed in its entirety without removing fire. The show uses an entirely different Maleficent dragon structure with a different fire effect.