2012 Best Attraction Tournament: Fantasmic! vs. MuppetVision 3D

March 20, 2012, 7:13 AM · We've got one spot remaining in the semifinals for Best Theme Park show in the 2012 Theme Park Insider Tournament. Which one of these two Disney favorites will get your vote?

The Muppets are enjoying a revival with the release of their new movie on Blu-Ray today, but Fantasmic! has been the king of this category for years on Theme Park Insider. Will its reign continue today, or will the Muppets pull another upset?

Fantasmic! - at Disneyland, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Tokyo DisneySea

MuppetVision 3D - at Disney California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios

Tell us in the comments why you voted the way you did, and drum up some more votes for your favorite by linking to this post on Facebook and Twitter. Voting is open for 24 hours.

Wednesday: We've got 3. Pirates of the Caribbean vs. 6. Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges for the final spot in the Best Themed Ride bracket.

Replies (16)

Skipper Adam

March 20, 2012 at 7:21 AM · I'm a hardcore Muppet fan, but I can't stand Waldo, the Spirit of 3D. And yet I still voted for that over Fantasmic. Of course in my mind that was over the WDW version. The DLR version beats Muppetvision...I guess I'm saying I can't explain my vote.

Tim Odom

March 20, 2012 at 7:25 AM · I love the Muppets. Love them. But, as much as I love the Muppets, I cannot vote for them over a far superior show. Fantasmic! is a pure joy to watch, I am blown away by it every time I see it.

76.0.201.2

March 20, 2012 at 7:30 AM · Voting for Fantasmic! based solely on Disneyland's version.....Which blows all the others (plus MuppetVission 3D..lol) totally out of the water!!!

Dominick D

March 20, 2012 at 8:05 AM · It was a toss up for me, but I went with The Muppets because I've actually seen it in person.

Eric Malone

March 20, 2012 at 8:14 AM · Never actually seen Fantasmic, so voted Muppets.

Sylvain Comeau

March 20, 2012 at 8:21 AM · I voted for the Disneyland version of Fantasmic!

Tyler Stover

March 20, 2012 at 8:36 AM · I love the Muppets, so very much, but 3D movies are just so played out. Yes MuppetVision does add animatronics and even a live costumed actor, but I'll go with the fully live show with special effects and a full live cast, especially if we're going with Disneyland's version on the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer's Island, with the Columbia and the Mark Twain.

James Rao

March 20, 2012 at 9:30 AM · A brilliant pyrotechnic show with dazzling special effects and excellent music, or a show featuring talking socks. Not a tough decision.

Mark Fairleigh

March 20, 2012 at 10:30 AM · Voting on this one based on pure word-of-mouth as I've done neither. Hope to do Fantasmic! one day...too bad it's at DHS though.

AJ Hummel

March 20, 2012 at 11:16 AM · I've seen both, and I voted for Fantasmic! With the exception of Terminator 2: 3D, I haven't seen a 3D show that is worth watching more than once or twice. Fantasmic, on the other hand, is my second favorite theme park show and I'll stop to watch it any time I'm walking by while it is playing.

Michael Overstreet

March 20, 2012 at 1:52 PM · Why does James hate Muppets from the very fiber of his soul? It is a deep psychological fear or just hatred?

James Rao

March 20, 2012 at 1:52 PM · My hatred stems from my deep psychological fear. So the answer is both.

Randall Peek

March 20, 2012 at 2:15 PM · MuppetVision 3D just doesn't impress me that much, and I too hate Waldo. I do like having a live Sweetums and the other in-theatre effects are nice, but the whole show could use an update.

Fantasmic!, at least in its Disneyland incarnation, is a spectacular show with a good storyline and plays out like a Best Of Disney compilation. I love the repurposing of the Mark Twain and the Columbia. Murphy, despite his problems, is a much better dragon than the one in DHS.

Fantasmic! gets my vote, but only in its Disneyland incarnation.

Mark Kausch

March 20, 2012 at 5:23 PM · I've seen both, both at DLR (not sure if we saw Muppets when we were at DHS or not), and imho Fantasmic is the best thing Disneyland has. Period.

Mike Gallagher

March 21, 2012 at 9:53 AM · @Rao & Overstreet (sounds like a law firm!)...you're both in Missouri. Meet for coffee. Talk it out. Mike, report your findings to us. Get to the core of James' abhorrence of all things Muppet. We'll be waiting.

James Rao

March 21, 2012 at 7:05 PM · Overstreet actually sits right behind me at work. We've been buds for years now. I drive him crazy with my endless theme park rants all day long. It is probably therapeutic for him to post in this way, to let the whole world know the Hell he is living through here at the office!

This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

2012 Best Attraction Tournament: Fantasmic! vs. MuppetVision 3D

Replies (16)

Vacation deals

Park tickets

Subscribe by email

Subscribe by RSS

New attraction reviews

News archive