Credit: Brittany DiCologero, Inside the MagicTwo showings of Fantasmic! were canceled at Disney World this week due to a surprising malfunction.
As far as Fantasmic! goes, 2023 hasn’t been the luckiest of years. In May, Disneyland was forced to suspend its own version of the show – which sees Mickey Mouse face off against a wealth of villains before overpowering them with his imagination – after its animatronic Maleficent dragon infamously caught aflame mid-performance.
Related: The 11 Wildest Things To Happen at Disney Parks in 2023
Now, Disney World has also been forced to cancel performances last minute, albeit for a much less dramatic reason.
According to Hollywood Studios guests, the 7.30 p.m. performance of Fantasmic! was delayed, then canceled, on Thursday (December 28) after a fountain wouldn’t turn off in the middle of the lagoon.
A video shared by X user @hhn_jacob shows the fountain “spraying full blast” – something that isn’t easy to ignore or work around for an entire show.
7:30 Fantasmic! just got delayed because this fountain right in the center is just spraying full blast…
7:30 Fantasmic! just got delayed because this fountain right in the center is just spraying full blast… pic.twitter.com/pCfZ6Htd7n
— Jacob from Carey (@hhn_jacob) December 29, 2023
The next performance at 9 p.m. was also canceled after reportedly not admitting guests into Hollywood Hills Amphitheater until 9.01 p.m.
What likely made this disruption all the more disappointing for guests is the fact that it came on one of the busiest days of the year for Hollywood Studios. All four parks at Walt Disney World have been swarmed with guests since December 25 as holiday crowds surge before the New Year.
According to Thrill Data, wait times reached as high as 193 minutes at Hollywood Studios on December 28. The longest lines formed at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, but also hit 128 minutes for Toy Story Mania! and 139 minutes for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Fortunately, performances went ahead as scheduled last night (December 29) and are scheduled for the usual two showings today (December 30). Attendance continues to be high at the park, with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance hitting 204 minutes and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Featuring Aerosmith hitting 171 minutes.
Inside the Magic reached out to Disney for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Are you at Disney World this holiday season? Tell us about your experience with the crowds in the comments!