Fantasmic! Budget Cuts in Effect

ObscurityPoint

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Looks like F! is another one of the shows getting massive budget cuts. Sad to see it’ll be on it’s way out soon. Can’t believe Iger allowed it to come to this.
 

Moka

Well-Known Member
Was there some sort of announcement that hints on its departure that I’m missing? I really don’t see them getting rid of it just yet. Or maybe they will just before Disney’s 50th. idk.
 

ObscurityPoint

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
F! show has run its course. Such an underutilized land at DHS. Absolutely nothing goes on during the day and only comes to life at night with the F! show. If it rains, then the show is cancelled. WDI- give the area a new life!
I still call it being prime real estate for Avengers campus- if a contract breaker with universal ever comes into play. The only thing that worries me is it’s close proximity to the ToT...would hate to see it be overlayed into MB or a Monsters Inc door drop. I’m one of the few who hopes that they drop the Twilight Zone theming and replace it with the multiple creepy stories like at DLP/Disneysea. Would make it more of its own thing and be reassuring that Disney would keep the haunted hotel as their own signature attraction. Wow talk about getting sidetracked.
 

LaughingGravy

Well-Known Member
I agree with Lilofan above. If more park capacity is desired and they are limited to their existing boundaries for whatever reason, the theater is a tremendous size for a one use per day, if it even happens.
 

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
Any budget cuts would be coming from Chapek, not Iger. Gotta make sure the correct Bob is getting blame credit for the "cost savings". :rolleyes:

Neglect. Defer maintenance. Tear down when the show/ride quality declines enough. Where have we seen this before? 🤔
 

SplashJacket

Well-Known Member
prime real estate for Avengers campus

Hollywood Studios has plenty of room for expansion.

What is bizarre is Disneyland Anaheim, the most land restricted resort, got Galaxy's Edge and will get MRR without losing a single true attraction.

Despite this, whenever expansion is considered in WDW everyone instantly goes towards replacement instead of true expansion.
 
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SplashJacket

Well-Known Member
I’m one of the few who hopes that they drop the Twilight Zone theming and replace it with the multiple creepy stories like at DLP/Disneysea

I have been on MB, WDW ToT, non-updated DLP, and current DisneySea, and I'd have to place DisneySea's iteration (actual ride experience) last. I cannot comment on updated DLP though.
 
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gerarar

Premium Member
You know, OP isn't entirely wrong. Fantasmic (at both HS and DL) are currently running daily on budget cuts.

Here's a rundown of some of the cuts/issues in HS version:
  • The new lasers on left and right side of mountain aren't working anymore. At least the middle one's still working.
  • Snow White float missing since early this year. (as well when used in Lion King segment). She still appears in the finale tho.
  • One of the men climbing the mountain during Pocahontas segment (that gets shot and falls) is gone. Used to be two of 'em, but now just one remains. So the one remaining acts like he gets hit on the first shot, then actually falls on the second.
  • John Smith used to not swing for like the longest time, but this was finally fixed recently it seems, thank goodness.
  • Less pyro launches being used, you can see this easily in the finale (but this is expected, especially around this time of year)
Honestly, my guess is just that Disney doesn't have a sponsor for the show, so there's really no extra budget to fix some of these things currently. The one giveaway I noticed a couple months back is that all the pre- and post-show announcements have all been modified to omit the previous sponsor, PopSecret!

And for bonus, some "cuts"/issues in DL version:
  • Mickey no longer appears at top of Tom Sawyer cabin. This has been a thing since like August as far as I can find.
  • Because Mickey doesn't appear at top, almost all the pyro launches aren't being used. Again, watching the finale you WILL notice the drastic cutback.
 

gerarar

Premium Member
Lack of a sponsor has nothing to do with any of your points. Point 3 is your only budget related issue, as the show reduced equity stunt from 5 to 3 stunt performers quite awhile back. 3 of your points are safety-related with one already resolved... The other two should be back soon. Point 2 is nothing more than a lengthy watercraft refurb.

A lot of the "broken" stuff would've been fixed/repaired by now imo. The last time a barge went down, it was back fairly quickly. Now we're coming up on almost a year since its disappearance.

I also don't see how using less pyro in a show is "safety-related" as it could just be a measure from the higher ups saying to cut back pyro 10% or something to save costs. HEA is also currently in the same "mode".
As for the lasers, they're brand new, so I'm just surprised that it's even taking this long to address it (if they even will).

I'm not trying to criticize the show or justify anything. I'm a big fan of Fantasmic, so to just see it in this state has me worried. I noticed the lack of a sponsor now, which leads me to look at other things/attractions post-sponsor, so it has me optimistic.
Hope WDW can maintain the show for many more to come tho!
 

gerarar

Premium Member
The barge isn't broken. It's a complete overhaul/rebuild with unexpected delays during the process.

The "less" pyro is 4 pieces - 2 yellow comets and 2 orange comets. The pieces weren't performing properly and were cut for safety reasons. Should be back soon. All other pyro is currently in show. There is no "mode". If pyro is missing from a show it's almost always a safety issue related to a malfunction or in some cases a manufacturer supply issue.

Lasers very frequently get cut due to aircraft in the vicinity of any show at WDW. Likewise, if lasers don't perform properly, they get cut from shows until they can be repaired. Laser repairs almost always happen at the manufacturer level, thus increasing the delay.

Whether it's a safety issue or a repair issue. There are a lot of steps involved in taking something out of show and getting something back into a show and it takes a lot of time. If it's a show critical piece, the timeline can be shorter.

I like Fantasmic a lot as well. However, it's doing just fine and I'm sure it will be around for awhile, along with some much needed TLC.
Thanks for your thoughtful insight and comments, makes me even more assured about things currently going on with the show!! :)
 
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Lilofan

Well-Known Member
A lot of the "broken" stuff would've been fixed/repaired by now imo. The last time a barge went down, it was back fairly quickly. Now we're coming up on almost a year since its disappearance.

I also don't see how using less pyro in a show is "safety-related" as it could just be a measure from the higher ups saying to cut back pyro 10% or something to save costs. HEA is also currently in the same "mode".
As for the lasers, they're brand new, so I'm just surprised that it's even taking this long to address it (if they even will).

I'm not trying to criticize the show or justify anything. I'm a big fan of Fantasmic, so to just see it in this state has me worried. I noticed the lack of a sponsor now, which leads me to look at other things/attractions post-sponsor, so it has me optimistic.
Hope WDW can maintain the show for many more to come tho!
So can you tell us what that crane is for behind F! Show?
 

Jedi Stitch

Well-Known Member
Then Disney needs to spend time, money and some good old fashioned imanginering, to make easy to install seating a that can be installed and removed. I love Fantasmic in DHS, because it had seating. I love the DLR one, but it lack seating, and for someone with bad knees, it was pins and needles, while watching a great show. So, Please Disney Seating, for your shows and parades.
 

RollerCoaster

Well-Known Member
F! show has run its course. Such an underutilized land at DHS. Absolutely nothing goes on during the day and only comes to life at night with the F! show.

Fantasmic is now a land? That's quite a stretch.

Florida's Fantasmic sucked in 1999 when I first saw it and 20 years later it still sucks. I love the show at Disneyland and should've remained an original show for that park alone.
 

SplashJacket

Well-Known Member
Then Disney needs to spend time, money and some good old fashioned imanginering, to make easy to install seating a that can be installed and removed. I love Fantasmic in DHS, because it had seating. I love the DLR one, but it lack seating, and for someone with bad knees, it was pins and needles, while watching a great show. So, Please Disney Seating, for your shows and parades.

I personally disagree with this, but that's a story for another day.

However, something extremely interesting was Hong Kong Disneyland.

The majority of railings contained pull-down chairs. This was most notable in the bus stations where you could easily sit while you wait and when you need to move you simply stand up and begin walking.

It is much more useful when lines are stationary for long periods of time and therefore could be useful for simulator attractions like Soarin'.

The main issue with WDW seating vs Hong Kong is scale. WDW is cranking guests through a corporate grinder as efficiently as possible, seats take up far more space than standing. On the other hand, saying Hong Kong Disneyland is not packed is being generous.

I am primarily unsure how you would suggest implementing seating along an entire parade route which is already packed.

My main takeaway from this is culture. In WDW the majority of people stand in the front of the parade or for fireworks.

In Tokyo, Anaheim, and Hong Kong I distinctly remember rows of people sitting down to watch the parade. I do not remember such a thing occurring in Paris or Shanghai, but I also did not watch a parade on my latest visits.

Yes, sitting on the floor is not directly comparable to an actual chair, but I would much rather sit on the floor than standing for a show which would take an hour of my time.
 

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
Fantasmic is now a land? That's quite a stretch.

Florida's Fantasmic sucked in 1999 when I first saw it and 20 years later it still sucks. I love the show at Disneyland and should've remained an original show for that park alone.
If you consider the onstage and backstage area that would be a yes.
 

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