Following the fire at Disneyland, which broke out during a performance of the nighttime show “Fantasmic!”, Walt Disney World is still using the fire effect in their version of their show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, despite Disney stating they 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”.
Walt Disney World Continues Using Fire Effect
Walt Disney World’s version of “Fantasmic!” also features Maleficent’s dragon and a fire effect during the show. Although the fire broke out during the same portion of the show at Disneyland, Disney World has not changed its performances and is still utilizing its pyrotechnics.
Reporter Scott Gustin shared a video of the Maleficent dragon at Disney World following the Disneyland fire incident, saying, “All good in Hollywood.”
All good in Hollywood. via @kolemccarthy
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 24, 2023
It is important to note that during this segment of Disney World’s version, Maleficent usually blows fire out of her mouth, lighting the rest of the lake on fire. In the video shared by Gustin, no fire comes out of Maleficent’s mouth, though this is not a result of the fire in Disneyland. This effect has been working on and off for the past week or two and is non-related to the incident that occurred over the weekend at Disneyland.
In a follow-up Tweet, Gustin shared, “That specific effect has been having issues recently. It was not working as recently as last week – but it has been on and off. But Disney said no changes to WDW Fantasmic resulted from the Disneyland incident.”
Disney World did, however, put a pause on the fire effect from Maleficent’s dragon during the Festival of Fantasy parade, which occurs daily at Magic Kingdom. The parade float still appears during the route but no longer blows fire. This specific parade float did catch fire once before in 2018. Luckily, it was quickly extinguished, and nobody was injured.
Disney Releases Statement On Fire At Disneyland
Following the incident that took place at Disneyland Park, the company issued the following statement:
“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.”
Workers rushed to extinguish the fire during the Fantasmic! Performance and the Anaheim Fire Department have confirmed no injuries due to the incident. Although no one was seriously injured, the Anaheim Fire Department later confirmed that they treated at least six Disney Cast Members for smoke inhalation following the incident.
Future performances of “Fantasmic!” have been removed from the Disneyland schedule until at least May 26, but that is subject to change.
