Credit: Josh Hallett (hyku), FlickrA Walt Disney World Resort guest recently shared a video of an operational collapse during Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney cast members reportedly evacuated thousands of guests from the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater after a technical malfunction forced the nighttime spectacular to stop just over four minutes in.
Fantasmic! premiered at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios) in 1998, six years after the inaugural show debuted on the Rivers of America at Disneyland Park. Like many long-running Disney Park attractions, Fantasmic! has undergone several changes over the years.
Most recently, in 2022, the nighttime spectacular reopened from a two-year closure with new scenes inspired by Frozen 2 (2019), Moana (2016), Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), and Mulan (1998). The show still features Mickey Mouse’s dream sequence, dazzling water effects, a battle against Maleficent, and the character-packed steamboat finale.
Even at the Most Magical Place on Earth, live performances can be unpredictable. On July 24, Nick Harris (@nickharris53 on TikTok) shared a video of the most recent Fantasmic! malfunction, which resulted in the abrupt cancellation of the nighttime spectacular. “Fantasmic show fails leaving a whole lot of people upset!!” the social media user captioned the video.
@nickharris53 Fantasmic show fails leaving a whole lot of people upset!! #disney #mickeymouse #hollywoodstudios #disneyparks #disneytiktok
The Disney Park guest’s video shows the first four-and-a-half minutes of Fantasmic! play out normally before a water sprayer effect malfunctions. Harris said, “There was water sprayed into the air and they couldn’t turn it off.”
Moments after the show pauses, a pre-recorded announcement states: “Good evening, and may I have your attention please? Due to unforeseen circumstances, this performance of Fantasmic! has been stopped.”
Unfortunately, that evening’s Fantasmic! performance was canceled a few minutes later, and thousands of guests were forced to leave the arena (which seats over 6,000 guests but can hold nearly 10,000).
In the comments, other Walt Disney World Resort guests who were at Fantasmic! that night shared their experiences with the abrupt shutdown.
“I was there,” @grogumom77 wrote. “It was something. Something I never [expected] or experienced.”
“People got soaked,” said @monasramblings.
Walt Disney World Resort didn’t issue a public statement on this incident, which isn’t unusual for one-off or minor technical theme park malfunctions. However, Fantasmic! performed as scheduled in the days after the sudden cancellation.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve experienced at Walt Disney World Resort? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments!