Disneyland's nighttime spectaculars are all back on the schedule this summer, as Disneyland and Disney California Adventure prepare for their first summer at full capacity in three years.
Fantasmic! has joined the Disneyland Forever fireworks and the 50th anniversary of the Main Street Electrical Parade, while World of Color is entertaining guests once again over at Disney California Adventure. During the day, large-scale live entertainment has returned with the restaging of Tale of The Lion King in Disneyland's Fantasyland Theater.
Disneyland hosted its biggest press event since the pandemic Thursday to show off its returning entertainment. Not everything went according to plan with that, unfortunately. Disney had to cancel Disneyland Forever due to high winds - as often happens with Disneyland's fireworks shows - and all performances of Tale of the Lion King were cancelled Thursday due to a large number of cast calling sick. (In perhaps not-unrelated news, Covid is still a thing. At least enough to get shows canceled when too many people are too sick to perform.) Even Fantasmic! got its B-mode, with water screens replacing the giant practical dragon in the finale.
But even at less than full strength, Disneyland is offering a loaded entertainment schedule for visitors this summer. The Main Street Electrical Parade remains a crowd-pleaser, especially with the substitution of a new grand finale unit, honoring a slew of Disney characters as well as the park's It's a Small World ride. [Here is our review: The Main Street Electrical Parade Returns to Disneyland]
After the parade, the Mickey's Mix Magic projection show subs when Disneyland Forever does not run. It's a fun show with a catchy theme that would star at most parks, making it a more than adequate fill-in for Disneyland Forever. But as we wrote in our recent review: 'Disneyland Forever' Remains A Masterpiece.
Those shows, along with World of Color, returned in April, making Fantasmic! and Tale of the Lion King the most recent debuts at the park. I reviewed the Lion King production last week after a media preview for that show: First Look at Disneyland's Bigger, Better Tale of The Lion King. But Thursday night was my first look at the return of Fantasmic!
The show remains pretty much as it was before the parks closed in 2020. Yes, the B-mode is not as impressive as the main, but I don't think any guest who saw this version without knowing of the alternative would think the show any less for it. Fantasmic! opened 30 years ago on Disneyland's Rivers of America, and shows don't get to endure for that long if they fail to connect with generations of fans. Sure, World of Color does the water screen thing better these days, but Disneyland's Fantasmic! offers those unbeatable set pieces with the Pirates of the Caribbean stunts aboard the Columbia and the grand finale on the Mark Twain riverboat. It's a visual feast and an emotional delight, no matter which version you get.
Disneyland is offering a special summer discount on three-day tickets for California residents, and our travel partner has that deal available at an even lower price than what Disney is offering on its own website. Other deals also are available for out-of-state visitors, too. See our partner's Disneyland tickets page to buy.
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Glad Fantasmic is back!!
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really looking forward to the return of Nighttime Spectacles