Credit: DisneyThere’s nothing like an awe-inspiring fireworks show after an exhausting day at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. Even after walking miles in the Southern California heat, we find the energy to fight the crowds for the perfect spot on Main Street, U.S.A., or in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. But with such a high-stakes experience comes elevated disappointment when something goes wrong.
Wondrous Journeys, a Disney100 nighttime spectacular, recently returned to Disneyland Resort for a three-week limited engagement that you won’t want to miss. The Southern California Disney park calls it “an enchanting celebration of the wishers, dreamers and artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios who have shared their imagination and talents with the world.”
Redditor u/way2blazed eagerly anticipated re-watching Wondrous Journeys after the fireworks show disappeared from Disneyland Park last year. Unfortunately, Wednesday night’s nighttime spectacular differed significantly from what they remembered.
“Wondrous was out of sync last night,” the guest wrote. “The fireworks were launching at a 5-second delay against the park soundtrack, leading to some awkward moments. The finale was especially funny, the final ‘it’s wondrous’ lyric concluded but the firework booms were still going off against silent speakers.”
Disney live streamer Koda Bear the Explorer filmed and uploaded the entire show to YouTube. You can watch the delayed version of Wondrous Journeys here:
Unfortunately, this mishap wasn’t the first the guest experienced during Wondrous Journey’s short return.
“I noticed on March 31, at the Rivers of America the techs forgot to turn on the vocal tracks from the Fantasmic speakers leading to an interesting instrumental-only showing of Wondrous,” the Redditor explained. “…For the short time they’re running the show this year, it’s been very buggy!”
TASG Vlogs and More shared a video of the unusual Disneyland fireworks show on YouTube:
Other guests recalled their negative experiences with the current iteration of Wondrous Journeys.
u/notaschulyer said, “There were also no projections on the Rivers of America” on Wednesday night.
“We were there on the 31st and noticed the sound issue at [Rivers of America] too!” u/SimilarTumbleweed42 replied. “Instrumentals and back up vocals only. I was so looking forward to the Belle/Hercules/Moana montage too.”
“I noticed that too,” said u/Kryten400. “I was right by the water and had to run to Cafe Orleans since that’s the only place you could hear the full soundtrack. They better fix it for next time.”
According to u/SYCinNYC, two of the show’s most impressive special effects are missing.
“Has Baymax and the blue fairy been shelved?” they asked. “I was there a few times last week and didn’t see them.”
Advanced technology and unpredictable weather conditions make it impossible for Disneyland Resort’s fireworks to go off 100% of the time without a hitch. Showtimes are subject to change, so check the official Disney Parks entertainment schedule or Disneyland Resort app for up-to-date information on the day of your visit.
Has a fireworks show malfunctioned during your visit to Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.