Fantasmic!

Fantasmic! is a long-running nighttime show at both Disneyland in California and Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, now recently added to Tokyo DisneySea. It originated at Disneyland in 1992 after Disneyland's entertainment department was asked to create a nighttime spectacular involving water and fireworks to invigorate the space in front of the Rivers of America. Disneyland Entertainment employed the resources of Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering as collaborators. Much of the area around the Rivers of America needed to be reworked, including terracing the walkways to accommodate viewing and modifying part of Tom Sawyer Island so that it could act as a stage for much of the show's live action.

In 1996, Walt Disney Entertainment in Florida partnered with Imagineering and Feature Animation to bring a new version of the show to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly the Disney-MGM Studios), featuring new animated and live action scenes. The Rivers of America at the Magic Kingdom was not conducive to a of the layout at Disneyland, so a new purpose-built 10,000 seat amphitheater was built at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Intended to boost low attendance numbers at that park, the new Fantasmic show was also seen as a needed replacement for Sorcery in the Sky, an aging nighttime fireworks show.

Synopsis
The show is located on the waters of the Rivers of America at Disneyland and on a stage across the waterway. A tavern and tall trees act as a backdrop for the show. To begin, lights around the Rivers of America fade and a female narrator introduces the story. "Welcome to Fantasmic! Tonight, our friend and host Mickey Mouse uses his vivid imagination to create magical imagery for all to enjoy. Nothing is more wonderful than the imagination, for in a moment, you can experience a beautiful fantasy or an exciting adventure. But beware, nothing is more powerful than the imagination, for it can also expand your greatest fears into an overwhelming nightmare. Are the powers of Mickey's imagination strong enough, and bright enough, to withstand the evil forces that invade Mickey's dreams? You are about to find out. For we now invite you to join Mickey, and experience Fantasmic!… a journey beyond your wildest imagination."

The show follows a dream of Mickey Mouse, which begins with him in formal attire directing a water show on the river. The show's signature water projection screens are activated, onto which animation from the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence from the film Fantasia. Musical scores from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and the "Imagination" theme accompany the animation as Mickey conducts animated shooting stars pyrotechnics launched from the six pyrotechnic barges on the river.

The animation then blends with live performers interpreting different flowers. The petals then become huge green leaves and combine with on-screen animation to become flora and fauna of the jungle. The lighting and music change to a jungle beat, and Kaa the snake from The Jungle Book, makes its way across the island with beams of light firing from his eyes. Accompanying this scene are three floating barges carrying King Louie and blacklit monkeys across the river, dancing along to the beat.

The music segues to a contemporary rendition of "Pink Elephants on Parade" from Dumbo, as animated pink elephants appear onscreen and in the form of performers on the island. The elephants then seem to be puppets dancing on strings, which serves to transition into a sequence based on Pinocchio. Three large puppets are manipulated by nine performers with fiber-optic "strings" stretching 30 feet above the puppets.

Onscreen animation shows Jiminy Cricket underwater searching for Pinocchio. An animated Monstro the Whale interacts with live splash effects on the river. The storyline progresses as Mickey notices his dream becoming darker. A concussion cannon is fired from Sailing Ship Columbia, which has been transformed into Captain Hook's pirate ship, where Smee, Peter Pan, Wendy, and pirates participate in a stunt sequence as the ship makes its pass. Following the ship is an articulated crocodile barge, with the sound of a ticking clock emanating from its tail.

Snow White and her Prince, Ariel and Eric, and Belle and the Beast appear on three floating stages (transformed since the Jungle scene earlier) on the river, dancing to a medley of each princess' signature song ("Some Day My Prince Will Come", "Part of Your World", and "Beauty and the Beast", respectively) accompanied by lighting and water effects.

The music turns darker, as the Evil Queen appears on stage, calling for her magic mirror — which appears onscreen in animated form. The mirror informs the Queen that the three princesses are fairer than she, and that "in Mickey's imagination, beauty and love will always survive." In anger, she moves to her cauldron, where the Queen transforms into the Hag from Snow White. The hag summons "forces of evil" to transform Mickey Mouse's dream into a "nightmare Fantasmic." Onscreen, we see her face dissolve into that of Ursula. Ursula sings a bit of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and joins the plot against Mickey as her two pet eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, glide across the river. Onscreen, the face of Ursula transforms into Chernabog, from Fantasia. Animation from the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence from Fantasia accompanies Mussorgsky's score.

A pyrotechnic burst of flames heralds Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty's arrival, beginning the climactic showdown sequence. Maleficent rises 30 feet from the stage and transforms into a dragon onscreen. The animation gives way to a 45-foot animatronic dragon, who rises from the stage before breathing fire onto the river. Mickey appears as the Brave Little Tailor and uses a magic sword to destroy the dragon. As the dragon screams, the villains who have appeared are also destroyed onscreen, and the sequence ends with a pyrotechnic burst from the river.

Following an appearance by Tinker Bell, the Mark Twain Riverboat crosses the stage, piloted by a black and white Mickey Mouse, dressed in attire from Steamboat Willie. Approximately 50 Disney characters dance on the ship in a ribbon routine. The sequence is accompanied by searchlights, fountains, and pyrotechnic effects.

Mickey appears on top of the tavern as Sorcerer Mickey, and "conducts" laser beams, fireworks, and lighting effects that span the length of the river stage. In a flash, he disappears from atop the Tavern, and re-appears center stage, resuming his formal attire. Mickey says to the audience, "Some imagination, huh?" and with a laugh, he disappears in a flash. A final burst of pyrotechnics is accompanied by searchlights placed around the tavern and stage. As a finale, a brilliant green flash of pyrotechnics ignites on the water where the river once again becomes quiet and dark. Usually following the victory of good over evil come the fireworks celebration spectacular, Magical!

Synopsis
As the lights fade, a female narrator gives a brief welcome and mentions of the powers of imagination. A very faint musical note is heard, swelling and growing into a dramatic chord in the complete darkness. Once the chord strikes, two tall columns rise on stage left and right, with roving spotlights, until finally Mickey appears centre stage. He conducts various water fountain effects, until bringing up the giant water-mist "screens", which, in conjunction with a few flares, fade into the famous "Sorcerer's Apprentice" scene from Fantasia.

From there, the falling stars of the Sorcerer's Apprentice scene morph into flowers, and after a brief interlude, into a jungle scene. Elephants, giraffes, monkeys, birds, ostriches, rhinos, crocodiles, and cheetahs begin to herd in the mountain. Neon animals make noise and dance around on the island while Rafiki and monkeys do a dance on floats traveling across the water. Simba and Nala romp together on the screen. Next, a large bubble montage takes place, where scenes and characters from major classic animated Disney movies appear in floating bubbles. Scenes from The Lion King, The Jungle Book, Dumbo, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alice in Wonderland, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Hercules, Pinocchio, Aladdin, Mulan, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Fantasia, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid pop and float across the screen. An animated Monstro then appears onscreen, accompanied by a heavy musical score as he crashes through the waters. The chaotic sea morphs into one of the opening scenes from Pocahontas, with the ship caught in a storm. The screens disappear, and the lights immediately darken.

A loud cannon blast erupts. Live characters re-enact battle scenes from the movie Pocahontas. Governor John Ratcliffe and his fellow Englishmen fight against the Native Americans, followed by John Smith. As John Smith climbs to the very top of the mountain, a Native American warrior moves to strike Smith when Pocahontas arrives; the water screens spring back up, and Grandmother Willow appears, with a quote from the movie; the lights dim on the battle, and the Colors of the Wind scene plays out on the screens. The show then moves into classic dancing scenes with Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and Princess Jasmine and Aladdin.

Three small floats now arrive, with Belle and the Beast, Ariel and Prince Eric, and Snow White and her Prince each contained in their own float. As each float reaches the center, the spotlight shines on it, with the accompanying signature melody from each movie — "Beauty and the Beast," "[[Part of Your World," and "Someday My Prince Will Come," respectively.

The music takes on an eerie tone as Mickey's dream takes a turn for the worse. The Queen appears and concocts a spell amidst pyrotechnics and other special effects, and turns herself into a hag. She invokes the help of Ursula, Cruella de Vil, Scar, Frollo, and Jafar. Jafar uses his magic to send Mickey to the Cave of Wonders. After escaping a wave of lava, Mickey encounters Jafar, who transforms himself into a giant black cobra, appearing on both the stage and the mist screens. Seeing a magic lamp, Mickey rubs it, assuming it will help him. Unfortunately, Jafar is transformed into a genie and calls upon Hades, who then calls Chernabog, who summons spirits from the dead.

As Chenabog finishes, Mickey comes face to face with Maleficent, who transforms into a 40-foot-tall fire-breathing dragon that sets the waters ablaze. Guests as far as halfway back in the theater can feel the heat from the fire. Mickey, now in his Brave Little Tailor outfit, manages to create a wall of water around the island, smothering the flames and defeating the dragon. He destroys the villains using the power of his imagination and his sword. Maleficent dies as the water splashes with a large firework bang.

All is quiet, until we see Tinker Bell fly to restore the mountain. Magical stars sparkle in the mountain as the Steamboat Willie River Boat approaches. Then a spark of pyrotechnics ignite from the riverboat, revealing Mickey, looking as he did in the original short, controlling the boat. As it glides past the audience, various Disney characters appear aboard the River Boat, dancing with golden streamers to a tune from Disneyland's Parade of Dreams. A celebratory atmosphere prevails amid a flurry of fireworks.

With another flash of pyrotechnics, Mickey appears atop the highest point of the mountain in his Sorcerer outfit as fireworks, fire, and water light up the stage. As the finale concludes, Mickey disappears from the top of the mountain with another spark of pyrotechnics, a small explosion in the main stage and simultaneously reappears in his shiny tuxedo suit. A small applause from the crowd and Mickey says, "Some imagination, huh? Ha ha!" Pyrotechnics shoot out of the main stage and barges on the moat, he vanishes one last time to the final notes of the music while a cone of lights and searchlights bright up the stage for a few seconds. All turns dark once again and the show has concluded.

Tokyo DisneySea version
A third edition of Fantasmic! debuted on April 28, 2011, at Tokyo DisneySea in Japan. It features a new theme song and, being set in the Mediterranean Harbor area of the park, is done in the round with a series of barges, with a central "hat" stage for Mickey and other characters to appear from.

Synopsis
The show begins with the tune of the Sorcerer's Apprentice as out of the stars, Sorcerer Mickey emerges on a tower of stars in a comet. The new theme song, Imagination plays as Mickey conducts the water and images of different characters appear on the tower. The music shifts into the instrumental Fantasmic theme and continues into Sorcerer's Apprentice as Mickey conducts the stars and sea and calls on the Magic Brooms. The waters rise and we enter the sea with Ariel singing Part of Your World, with Crush and his seaturtles swimming in the background. The dancing fish from Fantasia's Nutcracker suite also appears as does Jiminy Cricket in his bubble, who pops it and fills the sky with bubbles.

Mickey's eyes appear in the dark asking what's going on and the show enters the jungle. While Tarzan and Jane Porter appear swinging on the projection tower, floats featuring giant inflatable versions of Baloo, King Louie, Pumbaa and Simba as a cub appear along with a floating Kaa. A medley of music from Tarzan, I Just Can't Wait to Be King, The Bare Necessities, I Wanna Be Like You and Hakuna Matata plays, eventually building up into the Circle of Life.

When Rafiki is about to hold up Simba though, Stitch appears instead (similar to one of the Inter-Stitch-al trailers of the film) and the music goes into an electric guitar version of Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride with Stitch conducting the water while Angel pilots Stitch's red speeder shooting plasma blasts. Mickey appears again, accompanied by the show's theme song and When You Wish Upon A Star and sets the stage for an appearance by the Genie singing Friend Like Me as well as the scene of A Whole New World. As Aladdin and Jasmine fly off, the music segues into Cinderella and a sequence based on the Disney Princesses.

After the Princess medley, Mickey encounters the Magic Mirror and asks "Who's the most powerful Sorcerer of all". The Mirror tells him "True magical power lies within the mirror, gaze deep into your own reflection… Look closer… That’s it, closer…". Mickey is then trapped inside, allowing the Witch and the villains to take control, each one appearing within the mirror. The Witch calls on the assistance of Ursula (singing Poor Unfortunate Souls) and Chernabog (whose appearance is accompanied with a mix of Night on Bald Mountain and Hellfire). The witch laughs at the power of Imagination and the last villain emerges from the mirror: Maleficent who shows the power of her imagination by turning into her dragon form. Mickey defeats Maleficent with his magic wand and the power of his imagination. He falls back into his sleeping body and with a wave of Tinker Bell's wand, the show moves into the finale, with a reprise of the song and many of the good characters appearing on the barges, including regular Mickey. The barges stop and Sorcerer Mickey reappears on the tower, clad in a glowing white robe to conduct the final fireworks and fountains as the theme builds. Mickey then remarks "Some Imagination, huh?" and disappears, with a few notes of the Sorcerer's Apprentice theme and the final fanfare. The tower takes on the appearance of the Sorcerer's Hat and the exit music plays.

Featured Disney films

 * Mickey and Friends
 * Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
 * Fantasia/ Fantasia 2000
 * Lilo & Stitch
 * The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh/ Winnie the Pooh
 * Toy Story/ Toy Story 2/ Toy Story 3
 * Aladdin
 * The Little Mermaid
 * Peter Pan
 * The Lion King
 * Pocahontas
 * The Jungle Book
 * Alice in Wonderland
 * Cinderella
 * Sleeping Beauty
 * Beauty and the Beast
 * Pinocchio
 * Dumbo
 * Bambi
 * Lady and the Tramp
 * Mulan
 * Hercules
 * The Hunchback of Notre Dame
 * The Princess and the Frog
 * Tangled
 * The AristoCats
 * Mary Poppins
 * Robin Hood
 * Tarzan
 * Finding Nemo
 * Who Framed Roger Rabbit 

Heroes and Heroines

 * Mickey Mouse
 * Jiminy Cricket
 * Peter Pan (Disneyland version only)
 * Tinker Bell
 * Simba (Florida version only)
 * Nala (Florida version only)
 * Pocahontas (Florida version only)
 * Cinderella
 * Stitch (Tokyo version only)
 * Angel (Tokyo version only)

Villains

 * All versions
 * The Queen (Louise Chamis)
 * Maleficent (Linda Gary)
 * Ursula (Pat Carroll)
 * Chernabog (Corey Burton)
 * Pink Elephants
 * Monstro
 * Disneyland version only
 * Kaa
 * Captain Hook (Corey Burton)
 * Mr. Smee (Jeff Bennet)
 * Flotsam and Jetsam
 * Disney's Hollywood Studios version only
 * Governor Ratcliffe (David Ogden Stiers)
 * Jafar (Jonathan Freeman)
 * Cruella De Vil (Susanne Blakeslee)
 * Scar (Jim Cummings)
 * Hades (James Woods)
 * Claude Frollo (Tony Jay)

Characters appearing in the finale
Besides Mickey himself, numerous characters appear on the steamboat in the finale.

Disneyland version

 * Minnie Mouse
 * Chip 'n' Dale
 * Goofy
 * Pluto
 * Donald Duck
 * Cinderella
 * Perla and Suzy
 * Snow White
 * The Prince
 * Dopey
 * Princess Aurora
 * Prince Phillip
 * Aladdin
 * Princess Jasmine
 * Princess Tiana
 * Ariel
 * Prince Eric
 * Belle
 * The Beast
 * Mary Poppins
 * Alice
 * White Rabbit
 * The Mad Hatter
 * Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
 * Woody
 * Buzz Lightyear
 * Jessie
 * Two Green Army Men

Walt Disney World version

 * Minnie
 * Chip 'n' Dale
 * Goofy
 * Pluto
 * Donald
 * Pinocchio
 * Geppetto
 * Hercules (occasionally)
 * Megara
 * Baloo
 * Snow White
 * The Prince
 * The Seven Dwarfs
 * Aladdin
 * Jasmine
 * Fa Mulan
 * Belle
 * The Beast
 * Ariel
 * Prince Eric
 * Rafiki
 * Brer Bear
 * Lilo
 * Stitch
 * Pocahontas
 * John Smith
 * Meeko
 * Mary Poppins
 * Bert and the Chimneysweeps
 * Timon
 * Genie
 * Robin Hood
 * Alice
 * Fairy Godmother
 * Peter Pan

Tokyo DisneySea version

 * Minnie
 * Pluto
 * Donald
 * Daisy
 * Chip 'n' Dale
 * Clarice
 * Goofy
 * Jiminy Cricket
 * Marie
 * Snow White
 * The Prince
 * Dopey
 * Pinocchio
 * Geppetto
 * Jiminy Cricket
 * Aurora
 * Prince Phillip
 * Ariel
 * Prince Eric
 * Max the Dog
 * Aladdin
 * Jasmine
 * Abu
 * The Fantasmic dancers

Trivia

 * It is the only show to appear in 3 theme parks with 3 different versions of the show, but with the same storyline.
 * Special performances of Disneyland's "Fantasmic" in May 2012 celebrating its 20th anniversary featured a preshow with news reports and show credits, and a finale featuring rare Disney characters that no longer appear or never appeared in the finale, including Br'er Fox, Br'er Bear, Br'er Rabbit, The Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, and the extremely elusive Roger Rabbit.