Something is going to happen to Fantasmic

[Disnutz311]

It's a business people...
It's a facelift at best. Look at all the Dinner and Dessert packages tied to Fantasmic. $54 for dessert that has a 16% food cost. Sell 300 a night if not more. Guaranteed revenue at restaurants or you lose your seat and pay a cancelation fee.

What would current management do? Tear it down and spend 750 million to bring a new land extension that is open all the time with major labor dollars. Or close it to reprogram and spend 20 million to call it New Fantasmic while continuing to shove dessert in our mouths. Happy 50th!

Fantasmic has to make a minimum of 20k a show directly and 50k indirectly.

 

[drizgirl]

Why is that sad? Are you saying you'd prefer to pay separately on top of your park admission to see it?

It's sad because Disney keeps wanting to "monetize" things that are already monetized. I expect Fantasmic to be included with admission, not to pay to get in the gate then pay to see it.

 

[mergatroid]

It's sad because Disney keeps wanting to "monetize" things that are already monetized. I expect Fantasmic to be included with admission, not to pay to get in the gate then pay to see it.

I'm sure they're not going to make you pay to see it if you just want to see the show. For years now they've been selling dinner packages which include reserved seating for Fantasmic (my dad went), I think that's the type of thing the other poster was referring to.

 

[JohnD]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the current version of Fantastic, it's still a great cleaning project..

p.s. I am aware that this is probably a result of auto-correct.

I would prefer to see the opposite. The new Director of Parks comes from DL. His knowing the DL version, I'm crossing my fingers he would update the WDW version.

 

[JohnD]

Went to WDW in 2015 and 2017 and Disneyland in 2018 & enjoyed the show on each occasion but feel the obvious Disneyland difference. Only when I watched WDWs finale on YouTube this year did I realise how desperate it is for an update. The contrast between the Mark Twain and that pathetic little show boat is too glaring.

Yes. But the DL Fantasmic is in the Rivers of America. So why not use the Mark Twain already in place. The WDW version isn't in MK where the Liberty Belle could be used. It's asking a lot to build or install a geninue riverboat in the water surrounding the HS stage.

 

[BraveGirl]

Went to WDW in 2015 and 2017 and Disneyland in 2018 & enjoyed the show on each occasion but feel the obvious Disneyland difference. Only when I watched WDWs finale on YouTube this year did I realise how desperate it is for an update. The contrast between the Mark Twain and that pathetic little show boat is too glaring.

Agreed. I have seen it dozens of times at WDW, then I saw it for the first time at DL and can't even bring myself to go back to the one at WDW. That little boat is so TINY and sad in comparison. In that big arena it looks ridiculous once you see how impressive the DL show is.

 

[danlb_2000]

I would prefer to see the opposite. The new Director of Parks comes from DL. His knowing the DL version, I'm crossing my fingers he would update the WDW version.

Disney management has absolutely no say over the future of Fantastic, that is totally up to the SC Johnson.

 

[Lilofan]

I would prefer to see the opposite. The new Director of Parks comes from DL. His knowing the DL version, I'm crossing my fingers he would update the WDW version.

If the Imagineers gets their way, Fantasmic is bye bye and WDI is going to come up with something brand new.

 

[ObscurityPoint]

Speaking of Fantasmic, Tokyo DisneySea will be losing their version of Fantasmic in March.

No way! That’s probably the most well-imagined version of the show.

 

[ObscurityPoint]

they need to remove the Star Wars show. It’s hollywood studios not Star Wars studios. Fantasmic needs an update but not a replacement

Thank you. Although it wouldn’t surprise me if Disney axed Fantasmic soon to cut costs, and they replace it with some half-a$$ed temporary daytime show featuring Star Wars and Pixar characters. Seems like the sort of thing that would happen, considering the focus being shifted on to Epcot. Why not cut down more entertainment costs by closing the most well done and expensive show in the resort. I swear, if a suitable refurb/replacement isn’t announced upon it’s closure, and we get “Frozen 2: Elsa’s Musical Water Show” while the dragon slowly rots away inside the mountain, I’m gonna lose it.

 

[ObscurityPoint]

Considering the previous sponsor for the show (Pop Secret) got dropped or the contract simply didn't get renewed within the last year, I'm afraid of now where the future of this spectacular might go to in terms of any updates or upkeeps.

To add to that, the DHS Park hasn’t put Fantasmic or the Maleficent Dragon on it’s merchandise in quite some time. Usually, it can be seen along with the Tower, Star Wars, and maybe the guitar from RnRC, but it hasn’t been anywhere. My red flag was the 2019 WDW vacation planning video. It’s not featured once in the whole DHS segment, and it has been in almost every video in the past years. When DHS chooses to showcase the horrible Frozen sing a long in a 10 minute video over a twenty year old nighttime spectacular, you know something is up.

 

[Por-Favor-Manténgase]

The one budget cut i would be 100% fine seeing happen is removing the lame Pocahontas scene from Fantasmic. The rest can stay as is.

 

[ToTBellHop]

The one budget cut i would be 100% fine seeing happen is removing the lame Pocahontas scene from Fantasmic. The rest can stay as is.

Don’t cut it. Change it. I want A Night on Bald Mountain with an inflatable Chernabog...

 

[TJJohn12]

If Disney wants to rebuild the dragon, all they need to do is stop off at Walmart. It's where they got the parts for the original:

 

[cjkeating]

No way! That’s probably the most well-imagined version of the show.

Rumour has it the floats will be making their way to Walt Disney Studios Park for future use.

 

[Lilofan]

But will they commit the resources to do way better?

The company probably has decided what's in store for the future of Fantasmic and the huge very underutilized piece of land it occupies in Hollywood Studios. The "way better" part is using this valuable piece of land with something the guests can enjoy day and night and not just when the land comes to life at night with the nightly Fantasmic show. And don't ask when it rains then you have thousand of guests like my family and I going home dissapointed when the Fant show is cancelled.

 

[bUU]

Guardians of the Galaxy? SW Episode 9?

Maybe Moana.

 

[bUU]

If they can find a way to Monetize it...

Which brings it back to us and how we implicitly control what they do by what we value and how we value it.

 

[bUU]

The sad thing that everyone loves to forget..... is that it's already monetized. It's called park admission.

That's what we're talking about - increasing park admission by way of making changes.

Fantasmic! will survive as long as it continues to contribute in terms of park admission what it has always contributed. When we guests decide, through our assessment of value, that Fantasmic! isn't worth it anymore, then it'll end. If we guests decide, through our assessment of value, that a certain change to Fantasmic! will make it worth more to us, then it'll be changed. This isn't rocket science.

 

[Disneyfanman]

Interestingly, I just saw the wdw version this week for the first time in 15 years (I’m a frequent visitor to DL but get to Orlando much less frequently). I still loved the show! DLs version is superior, but they have the two ships to work with. DLs is also much more difficult to see. Orlando needs a refresh but as far as I am concerned it can stay for another 20 years. Go Fantasmic!