Fantasmic...Overated

[Club Cooloholic]

I can see how this show might appeal to kids who get to see movie clips they know and love, but of all the parks big shows, I was really disappointed in this myself. A lot of guidebooks called it a must see but I thought it was boring with a plot that made no sense(what is the point of the John Smith battle scene?)

And the whole place is set up in a most uncomfortable way...as someone else on the forum recently said, you are herded in like cattle. Then when the show is over there is only one way out!

And does Disney really think it is wise to sell 3 foot long light up swords to kids waiting for a show in a super crowded area? You have to worry about two things, a sword blocking your vison the whole show, or being banged in the head with one.

I would probably never do this show again...did I miss something?

And excuse my typo....on "overrated"

 

[coasterphil]

I don't get the love for it either as I thought it was a huge waste of time.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Be prepared for a lot of flack over this - Fantasmic is a great show and in my opinion a "Must See".

As for the swords - if Disney can make money from them then they'll sell anything.

And John Smiths battle scene - well yes, what is the point.............or what's the point of the floats, the canoes, the images projected on water. You could ask that about all the show.

Just sit back and enjoy it for what it is. If you don't like it then there's no need to re-attend and room for one more at the next showing

 

[Master Yoda]

It is a must see.... once. After that the show just became uninteresting to me. It is a great show with great effects but it has no heart. I have see Illuminations:ROE and Wishes! more time than I can count and I still get teary eyed every time I watch them. If it is the holiday season and Illuminations is running the peace on earth tag I am a blubbering mess. Fantasmic has never so much as put a lump in my throat.

 

[disneymyway]

I really didn't care for it either but I think I am kind of holding a grudge because I got there an hour early and had to stand in that "standing room only pen" that kind of seems like a POW camp. I guess I should have gotten there 2 hours early? :shrug: I'm just not going to do that ever.

For those of you with the patience to do it and love the show, God bless you, I'm just not that way. And if it were a show that I could just stroll in and watch at the last minute, I bet I'd like it a lot better.

 

[Lucky]

It's not a lump in your throat sort of show. But that's not the only point of a night-time show.

For whatever it's worth, thousands of WDWMagicers voted in a poll on this site for favorite night-time show in the parks. Results were:

Fantasmic 37%
Illuminations: 30%
Spectromagic: 11%
Wishes 23%

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=56191

 

[DizneyPryncess]

I love Fantasmic - but I think I fall into the category of "kids who get to see movie clips they know and love" . Even though I'm 27.

I don't see it everytime I visit WDW, but I'm not a huge fan of Hollywood Studios so I don't go there each visit. For a first time visitor, I would call it a must-see, that's why it's probably in the guidebooks. Once you've seen it, it isn't necessarily a must see anymore. I don't like it as much as Wishes, which I think is always a must-see.

There's always mixed reviews here about Fantasmic - it has its flaws like anything else, but at the end of the day, I still enjoy it.

 

[Jenna]

I absolutely love this show <3 It has everything disney has ever promoted-good vs evil...good triumphs <3 As for the wait before the show well yes I agree that's a little tedious but I find it a good time for everyone to just sit, relax and soak up the disney atmosphere. We also usually end up talking to the other people who are around us that are usually amazed by the fact we're from Ireland-well the canadians and americans love it anyway lol!

 

[One Lil Spark]

I know it doesn't do it justice, but I've watched Fantasmic on youtube and it just wasn't something I'd be interested in waiting to see. I'd rather take advantage of the shorter lines due to Fantasmic crowds, but that's just me. Luckily though, that means more room for the people who want to see it.

 

[Master Yoda]

It's not a lump in your throat sort of show. But that's not the only point of a night-time show.

For whatever it's worth, thousands of WDWMagicers voted in a poll on this site for favorite night-time show in the parks. Results were:

Fantasmic 37%
Illuminations: 30%
Spectromagic: 11%
Wishes 23%

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=56191

Very true it, is not a lump in the throat type show but for me those are the ones that stick. I tend to be very Vulcan so when a show pulls emotion out of me I am drawn to it. At that point the show goes past entertainment and becomes something grander. Fantasmic is great entertainment. Illuminations is something grander.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

You know, for me... F! is the weirdest show. We've been on trips where we see it, and we leave saying "Well, I'd be perfectly fine with never bothering with seeing that again."

And then on the next trip, we'll see it and say "Why was it that last time we really didn't like it??"

We've gone both ways with it. For us, it's easily the lowest on the totem pole behind Wishes and Illuminations... And in fact on a 10 day trip, we'll probably try to see both of those shows a couple times before we bother to worry about seeing F!. :shrug:

 

[disnyfan89]

Fantasmic! was for one reason and one reason only. To be a giant Night Time Spectacle. That's all there is to it. Sure you have the lose story of we are watching Mickey's dreams. Also keep in mind when you dream it doesn't always make sense but your dreams mean something to you. In the same way where watching Mickey's Dreams of Adventure and Romance until they get taken over by Villains.

What makes Fantasmic so magical to me and the thing that give me chills everytime I see it is Mickey appearing on top of the mountain. For some reason the way it is timed with the music and how the crowd always has this same reaction and lets out this roar of excitement. I always feel like that at that moment people aren't seeing this fictional character who isn't alive. They see this Mouse who can do anything and just buy into it 100%. That just gives me chills every time. I would give anything to be that Mouse on top of that Mountain! It's just, magical, in away that I don't find anywhere else.

 

[Silvermist]

Our whole family loves it and it's definitely on our "not to be missed" list. We think it's a great show all the way around and as icing on the cake, we get to SIT and enjoy a good view. At every other show/parade, you have the hassle of trying to get a reasonable view and then stand for the whole thing, but at Fantasmic you can just sit and relax and really enjoy the show.

My personal favorite is Spectro with Fantasmic and Illuminations tied for second. Wishes is a fabulous fireworks show, but if I had to miss anything, it would be the one to go. But then many, many others LOVE Wishes and wouldn't miss it for anything.

Nothing, no matter how incredible, is going to appeal on the same level to every individual. People have different tastes and interests. But the huge crowds for two shows most every night indicate Fantasmic! has widespread appeal. Of course, I hope they maintain it properly, improve it and enhance it as time goes forward. Like everything, it has to continually be kept current or eventually it will lose it's appeal.

 

[jjgoo]

I have to agree with the OP. However, I really think in my case I was disappointed because it seemed to me to be overhyped by the reviews. From the reviews I read I thought it was going to be the best display of fireworks I have ever seen. It really did not live up to that perception. I also remember seeing Sorcery in the Sky (I think that is what it was called) and I did not love Fantasmic the way I loved Sorcery in the Sky.

I would say that it is really worth seeing, but only with the dinner package. I would never wait in line for two hours to see Fantasmic.

I think it is easy for someone to think the show is going to be mainly fireworks and then be disappointed when it is not. For a Mickey stage show that includes fireworks it really is great. For a fireworks show it is not the best.:wave:

 

[Lucky]

F! is a spectacle, as someone said. It's over the top. We only see it once per trip at most, versus 3 or 4 times for Illuminations and Wishes. No chills or lump in the throat for F! as I have had with Illum., Spectro and Wishes. But it's still a big, fun, wild spectacle.

 

[heliumalias]

I love both versions of F! and SpectroMagic but I can't stand Wishes or Illuminations. The DL version of Wishes is much better (esp. the projections onto IASW)

 

[hrcollectibles]

I love fantasmic but not in love with fantasmic. Just think next year it will only be shown twice a week

 

[jsdratm]

It is a good show and I like the music, but I hated waiting in line to get a seat for an hour, and then enduring the flood of people afterwards. I saw it once the last time I went, but I don't think I will wait that long to see it again. Next time I'll go to the rides and enjoy the short lines instead.

 

[sarabi]

I wholeheartedly agree that Fantasmic is overrated. Now, if they were doing it on my local lake, yeah, I'd show up.
But at Disney, there's other stuff to do at night. I think the show would be tolerable if you didn't have to wait so long in the miserable seating for it to begin and then it didn't take so long for you to bottleneck back out of the park when it's over, and there were nothing else to do.
As it is, I saw it twice and never went back.

 

[durangojim]

IMO Fantasmic is ok, not great, we see it once every couple of years, but there's no emotional connection to it for us which make it just meh. We much preferred Sorcery in the Sky. Also I think that DL's version is much better as the location is very cool and not having an amphitheater really helps.