An honest review of Hollywood Studios’ really big show
There’s an iconography that comes with any of the fireworks shows that have closed Magic Kingdom over the years.
The explosion of color and sound behind that iconic castle has left a lasting impression on guests since 1971, as I can personally attest.
As a four-year-old about to turn five, during my first stay at the park in 1979, I refused to get on the boat back to Fort Wilderness for the evening until we’d seen the Main Street Electrical Parade and the fireworks—known then as Fantasy in the Sky.
The addition of projection mapping onto the castle itself has only enhanced the experience, the extravaganza of the Magic Kingdom’s closing show, which reaches an emotional resonance that is hard to compete with.
Happily Ever After is the most affecting, iconic, and emotional show at Disney World.
But is it the best?
There’s a little show in Hollywood Studios that just might have something to say about it.
IN THIS ARTICLE
What is Fantasmic!?
It is a voyage through the dreamscape of one Mickey Mouse. Locked in this dream/nightmare, Mickey battles classic Disney villains across vignettes inspired by different Disney movies while classic characters make a variety of appearances on boat – there’s a moat between, the island and it’s mountain, upon which the majority of the story takes place, and the audience.
The show features a wide array of characters amongst water effects, pyrotechnics, lasers, mist and bubble projections, and a giant Mark Twain style riverboat piloted by Steamboat Willie and ferrying a couple dozen characters around the moat.
It’s really quite something.
The original story launched at Disneyland in 1992 and Hollywood Studios in 1998. Another, relatively short-lived version debuted at Disney TokyoSea in 2011.
It is visually stunning and extremely entertaining.
Do I need a ticket or anything to get into the show?
No ticket needed other than your park admission. Though, the schedule is somewhat erratic. On busy nights, Disney does two shows a night with the second frequently starting at or even after park close.
The Hollywood Hills Amphitheater seats nearly 7,000 people with standing room only pushing capacity to nearly 10,000. When there are special events like Jollywood Nights, the showtime will be moved up. And the show will not happen in the case of inclement weather.
The best plan is to keep a weather eye on the MyDisneyExperience app or the Disney website and check the calendar and schedule appropriately.
I’ve never personally had any trouble getting in and getting a decent seat, but I have heard of people missing out. Especially, on single show nights or for the early show.
Are there any ways to guarantee I can get in?
In the old days of FastPass, you could schedule a FastPass to save your seat. But in the modern area, there is no Lightning Lane option.
What you can do is book the Fantasmic! Dining package, available at the 50s Prime Time Café, Hollywood & Vine, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, or the Hollywood Brown Derby. The package is available for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the restaurants that serve all three.Your purchase will give you one entrée, a non-alcoholic drink, and a dessert at three of the four locations, and access to the buffet at the character dining experience, Hollywood & Vine.
Is it worth it? That’s really up to you. Of the four options, Hollywood Brown Derby is the only one I’d choose. The package price for adults there is $83. Entrée prices at the Brown Derby range up to $56 while desserts are about $14.
Throw in a drink and a regular meal without an appetizer or anything special, and you’d be at about $63. So you’d be paying roughly $20 for your seat—considerably more if you chose a less expensive entrée. If you do the Derby package, you have to order as expensively as you can, or you’re just giving Disney extra money. Get the $30 Cobb Salad, for instance, and even with a dessert and a Coke, you’d be paying more than $30 for access to a show that you likely could walk into for free.
The character dining meal at Hollywood and Vine – for lunch and dinner is $64 for an adult and $44 for a child. Package pricing is $81 and $51, respectively.
The most expensive meal at the Sci-Fi – the steak frites with a Caramel Brownie Cheesecake – will run you $41 plus a drink while the package is $59.
Would I pay an extra $15 to $20 to avoid the crowds and guarantee myself a seat? If I was eating at one of the restaurants anyway, I might. But honestly, probably not. Waiting in line for Fantasmic! Is pretty miserable, but for my family of five, I could use that hundred dollars for something more memorable.
Are there any reasons not to go see Fantasmic!?
The show itself? No. But the preshow is a little rough. Due to the perception of limited availability, people start lining up for the show well in advance.
And once a queue starts, other guests feel an increasing pressure to join for fear of missing out or – in my wife’s case – to make sure we get the good seats even though it’s an amphitheater and all the seats are pretty good.
And as Tom Petty sang, at Disney the waiting is the hardest part. I’m good for most of my Disney day, but when you have to stand relatively still for 45 minutes to an hour on that concrete it can get taxing. The kids get bored. There’s not a lot to look at or do, and the spot wasn’t really built to harbor a long line.
There are some places where you can sit down and rest your legs, but it’s not so much of a queue as it is a throng. Then, once they open the gates, so to speak, it’s a cattle call to the amphitheater.
Also, as park close nears and the Fantasmic! queue starts to fill up, it can be a good time to sneak in a few more rides under the wire.
My general preference is to do two park days at Hollywood Studios, or park hop so that I can see the show one night and hit the rides the other.
Also, especially with the late show that runs after park closing, there’s a post-show Bataan death march to get out of the park. I know, intellectually that Disney will keep the transportation systems running until all the guests have been let out, but that one hour after park closing thing gets in my head anyway.
Also, it’s a mass of people all moving in one direction after a long Disney day, it’s not the most pleasant group of folks on the march. Disney will open up a little short cut to the front of the park, but I prefer taking the long way up Hollywood Boulevard and getting away from the crowd.
I’d like to be leisurely and explore any of the shops that are still open during this time, but I feel guilty keeping the cast members after hours. I know if Disney didn’t want me to shop after closing, they would close the stores, so I could, but I can’t get past the guilt.
Should I see Fantasmic!?
Yes, it is an absolute must. The show remains amazing, elaborate, thrilling, and completely entertaining. The only time I even consider skipping is if I’ve just seen it, and I can sneak in some extra rides.
It really is the best show in Disney World, even better than Happily Ever After.
That’s a personal opinion, of course, I understand that Fantasmic! will never create the emotional response that the castle can, but the sheer number of live action characters, the little stunts, and the technological wonder make for a unique spectacle that I’ve never seen matched at a theme park.
