Credit: Brittany DiCologero, Inside the MagicWalt Disney World Resort abruptly stopped a recent performance of Fantasmic! after a technical malfunction that sent thousands of gallons of water cascading onto unsuspecting guests. One soaked spectator shared their experience in a video on social media.
Fantasmic! has entertained guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for 26 years. The show first opened at Disneyland Park in 1992, and another version was performed at Tokyo DisneySea for nine years before being with BraviSEAmO!.
The Disneyland Resort show is perhaps the most infamous after a devastating fire destroyed the Maleficent dragon animatronic in 2023. The show has since reopened without its iconic mechanical villain.
Walt Disney World Resort’s version of Fantasmic! recently suffered its own, albeit less scary, malfunction last month when one of the special effects sprayed water on guests instead of the show area. TikToker @xoerynnn shared this video immediately after her first viewing of Fantasmic! was “ruined:”
@xoerynnn Let’s just say my Fantasmic experience didn’t end so magically… 🪄✨🤍 @Disney @Disney Parks #creatorsearchinsights #disneyworld #hollywoodstudios #disney #themepark #fantasmic #fantasmicshow #wdw #disneytiktok #disneyadult
“POV: Your FIRST ever Fantasmic experience is ruined minutes into the show due to guests being sprayed in the face with thousands of gallons of water uncontrollably,” the Disney Park guest wrote.
It seems that the water sprayers were pointed in the wrong direction, dousing families instead of the Fantasmic! stage. The video showed the show starting normally, then it cut to thousands of guests evacuating the Hollywood Hills Amphitheatre.
Other Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests shared their experience at the show-gone-wrong.
“I was in the front row, right in the center,” said @carriem249. “Not gonna lie, the water felt good after a long, hot park day!”
“Mickey didn’t do his ending so my friends were like… that’s it?” @kidcarbonx recalled.
Disney Parks fans were shocked that one show could have so many issues on both coasts.
“We went from Murphy setting himself on fire to the mouse water boarding visitors…,” @toivoajarakkaus wrote. “Disney is really just hitting the extremes.”
It’s unclear what happened with this performance of Fantasmic!, as Walt Disney World Resort rarely makes public statements about minor technical issues like this one. However, the show has operated normally in the weeks since the incident.
Has a show ever stopped mid-performance during your visit to Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments!