Disneyland Resort

[mccgavin]

Boy, Disney does not have a good track record when it comes to fire-breathing dragons…

The Festival of Fantasy float was out for about 8 months. Because this one is more like an inflatable balloon, it’s hard to say if it can come back sooner or later.

My bets are that the animatronic is done for good. It looks like it sustained damages too severe to be salvaged, and I find it very unlikely that they intend to build a new one. The cost and complexity of the FoF figure is a fraction of what this is. Most likely they'll revert to using the prior effects for Maleficent, or we may see a new show entirely with more modern characters.

 

[Nick]

My bets are that the animatronic is done for good. It looks like it sustained damages too severe to be salvaged, and I find it very unlikely that they intend to build a new one. The cost and complexity of the FoF figure is a fraction of what this is. Most likely they'll revert to using the prior effects for Maleficent, or we may see a new show entirely with more modern characters.

Y’all could also simply go back to the timeline where DHS is still living in Dragon-wise if they really want to get the show up and running by Memorial Day so they have it during summer.

Would be a shame if they don’t build a replacement over time though.

 

[Jake S]

the b-mode, which is used when the dragon is malfunctioning or down for refurbishment, essentially replaces the physical dragon with dragon scenes projected onto water screens. my expectation is that disneyland operates it that way while deciding what to do with murphy.

 

[TheGentTrent]

My bets are that the animatronic is done for good. It looks like it sustained damages too severe to be salvaged, and I find it very unlikely that they intend to build a new one. The cost and complexity of the FoF figure is a fraction of what this is. Most likely they'll revert to using the prior effects for Maleficent, or we may see a new show entirely with more modern characters.

I'd have trouble believing that they won't ever bring it back. Disney knows that the dragon is the highlight of the entire show. It will take a while and may look different, but there has to be a plan to bring some sort of physical figure there.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Taking a semi-educated guess, a hydraulic line came loose when the figure began moving, hence this photo.



I think that's hydraulic fluid leaking from the mouth. That then soaked into the figure so when they did the powdered creamer fire effect it lit up the fluid and spread through the whole figure.

the b-mode, which is used when the dragon is malfunctioning or down for refurbishment, essentially replaces the physical dragon with dragon scenes projected onto water screens. my expectation is that disneyland operates it that way while deciding what to do with murphy.

Rumor on the street is quite a bit of show infrastructure was destroyed, so we'll see how quickly they can get things replaced.

 

[Jerroddragon]

https://www.micechat.com/354214-shocking-news-disneylands-fantasmic-dragon-engulfed-in-flames/?fbclid=IwAR22FV8q6B5AVUijTDs7XM6t5ygO7XDrQnnCfp7calkZtfySD7kun7mBtJE&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

“During the final showing of Fantasmic at Disneyland park on Saturday evening, the dragon prop caught fire. Anaheim Fire & Rescue quickly responded, and the fire was extinguished. All cast members were safely evacuated from Tom Sawyer Island. Due to smoke and wind, attractions near the island were safely evacuated of any guests, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time. We are temporarily suspending fire effects similar to those used at Disneyland park’s Fantasmic at select shows and entertainment experiences globally out of an abundance of caution following the Fantasmic prop fire at Disneyland park. The continued safety of our cast and guests is of the utmost importance.”

 

[chris.g]

Fantasmic 3.0 here we come!

 

[Jerroddragon]

Fantasmic 3.0 here we come!

I was thinking about this

With WDW updating recently, I wonder if next summer we get an updated version of the show

Also will they just re make the dragon or update it to be even better.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

I was thinking about this

With WDW updating recently, I wonder if next summer we get an updated version of the show

Also will they just re make the dragon or update it to be even better.

the cynical part of my brain thinks they’re probably reuse the older and more cheaper Maleficent dragon model from the early years/WDW Fantasmic. If they’ll bother to recreate the dragon from scratch at all. Don’t know if it was for Fantasmic 2.0 (forgot much of it) but when the Dragon wasn’t available they would just have Maleficent on the lift so they could probably go back to that.

And as one poster said above, maybe they’ll create an entirely new finale?

 

[Jerroddragon]

the cynical part of my brain thinks they’re probably reuse the older and more cheaper Maleficent dragon model from the early years/WDW Fantasmic. If they’ll bother to recreate the dragon from scratch at all. Don’t know if it was for Fantasmic 2.0 (forgot much of it) but when the Dragon wasn’t available they would just have Maleficent on the lift so they could probably go back to that.

And as one poster said above, maybe they’ll create an entirely new finale?

It would suck if the dragon is just dropped so

I hope they find a way to keep it

 

[Nick]

Fantasmic 3.0 here we come!

It’s as good of a reason as any to potentially help get funding for an updated show.

 

[Evan]

It’s as good of a reason as any to potentially help get funding for an updated show.

I wouldn’t mind this. Give us another update, a new dragon, fix the fountains. Can make it a relatively simple new offering for summer 2024 if they start ASAP.

 

[chris.g]

Just get rid of the Pirates segment and I'll never talk smack about DLR entertainment again lol

 

[Jerroddragon]

Found this, RIP Murphy

 

[Nick]

Just get rid of the Pirates segment and I'll never talk smack about DLR entertainment again lol

See, everyone i've experienced Fantasmic! with others at DLR for the first time (which is at least 5 or 6 people + myself) all think the Pirates segment, while a bit out of place, is an absolute stand out in the show.

 

[Rideguy70]

^I do agree... while it's a really long segment, because it takes so long for that boat to get around, it's physically impressive to see a life sized boat with so much activity on it. Same goes for Mark Twain at the end. Without those, it's really not the same, as anyone who's seen the WDW/DHS version can tell you.

As for the dragon, while it is/was a huge highlight, the show for years had a different, much scaled down dragon. So the show could easily continue with an alternative plan. As had already been mentioned, this could be a blessing in disguise as an opportunity to make some improvements in designs... Murphy was notoriously temperamental from the get go. Could be an opportunity to make something more reliable with updated tech.

If Universal could turn around from their massive backlot fire, Disney can make something happen. It'll just take time.

 

[Nick]

^I do agree... while it's a really long segment, because it takes so long for that boat to get around, it's physically impressive to see a life sized boat with so much activity on it. Same goes for Mark Twain at the end. Without those, it's really not the same, as anyone who's seen the WDW/DHS version can tell you.

As for the dragon, while it is/was a huge highlight, the show for years had a different, much scaled down dragon. So the show could easily continue with an alternative plan. As had already been mentioned, this could be a blessing in disguise as an opportunity to make some improvements in designs... Murphy was notoriously temperamental from the get go. Could be an opportunity to make something more reliable with updated tech.

If Universal could turn around from their massive backlot fire, Disney can make something happen. It'll just take time.

This is just me predicting, but after that giant fire, I wouldn't be surprised if fire never comes back to the Dragon in the Festival of Fantasy parade at MK after we only just recently got it back working. Disney halted all fire at every resort today as a precaution, but I wouldn't be shocked for it to not come back to FoF because if that happened on the parade route (worse than it did in 2018) would kinda be like a giant bomb exploding on Main Street. And someone is actually inside of that Dragon making it worse if the same thing happened in that situation.

 

[SkiBum]

This is just me predicting, but after that giant fire, I wouldn't be surprised if fire never comes back to the Dragon in the Festival of Fantasy parade at MK after we only just recently got it back working. Disney halted all fire at every resort today as a precaution, but I wouldn't be shocked for it to not come back to FoF because if that happened on the parade route (worse than it did in 2018) would kinda be like a giant bomb exploding on Main Street. And someone is actually inside of that Dragon making it worse if the same thing happened in that situation.

While the fire is kind of cool, it isn't completely necessary either. The parade and that particular float are enjoyable enough, in my opinion.

 

[Disneyhead]

While the fire is kind of cool, it isn't completely necessary either. The parade and that particular float are enjoyable enough, in my opinion.

More fire is good, unless it's not.

Just sayin'

 

[Clive]

Reading between the lines here, it sounds like they found something very wrong with the show building - not urgent enough to require an immediate shutdown (i.e. Space Mountain pre-50th anniversary), but serious enough to require relatively fast intervention. Awful timing with the start of summer, Splash going under the knife, and the potentially indefinite Fantasmic! pause.