Fantasmic - appropriate for a 2.5 and 4 year old?

[UWSMom]

Is Fantasmic ok for a 2.5 year old and a 4 year old? They have already said they don't want to see any of the "bad" characters so my gut is telling me to skip it. Mistake or good planning?

 

[princesssfws]

If your kids scare easily I would say skip it. Have they seen Sleeping Beauty? Did they mind the Dragon scenes? It is very loud and when Malficient turns into the Dragon can be frigtening to small kids.
My 3 y/o did fine at it but my 5 y/o had to leave because she was terrified.
It all depends on the kids and their tolerance for noise and what they might consider fright.
It is amazing if you've never seen it. If the kids would be ok just turning their heads if they get scared then go for it, otherwise, you might be leaving in the middle of it.

 

[GEM]

My little guy LOVES it. He's seen in several times - at ages 2, 3, and 4. He's never been scared by it.

I will say, though, that he doesn't get scared by much. He loves the Haunted Mansion, doesn't mind the bad guys in movies, etc. His favorite movie is also the original Fantasia, so he loves seeing Sorcerer Mickey on stage!

 

[UWSMom]

This is helpful thanks! They DO scare easily and don't like loud noises. We were watching this old Disneyland Sing along video and I had to fast forward through the Haunted House. I think waiting waiting waiting for a late show (past their bedtimes) and then having to leave anyway - we'll wait til they are older!

 

[GoinToDisney]

It is all about the villians. I brought my 2 1/2 year old, and she was fine with it. However, I was not happy that I brought her. I kept thinking, "OK where is the happy ending?" It eventually did come, but it took way too long.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I took my kids last Nov. They were 20 mos and 3.5 at the time. I was very worried about my dd b/c she does not like anything scary, hates loud noise, does not like fireworks, etc. But, I really wanted to see it. It was one of the things I wanted to do most so we went. I warned her in advance that it was going to be loud, scary, etc. When it got loud, she hit her face in dh's chest. He held her tight and kept her occupied and she did fine. She actually talked about it a ton afterwards. We are going ot go back next year. It's at 7 when we are going which is perfect for our kids who go to bed early!

 

[kimberh]

My DGD had just turned 3 last Oct 06. When the scenes were scarey I covered her eyes and told her that Mickey was fighting the bad guys. She was fine. She seemed to enjoy the show otherwise.

 

[Mom2JPL]

I can't really answer if the show is ok or not since we didn't see it on our trip, but I will say that by 8:00 (which is the time the show was when we were there last month) my kids were TIRED and ready to head back to the resort to sleep (my oldest daughter is almost 4, son is 2.5, and youngest daughter just turned 1). And we're early risers so it was good for us to get back at a reasonable hour to give the kids a good nights sleep for our next busy day at the parks.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Every kid is different so its hard to say but I think its at least worth a try. I've never seen anything like it anywhere else... its amazing that they can use water as a screen... breathtaking.

 

[PrincessPirateMom]

I am not sure if anyone has ever suggested this but you can go to youtube.com and see video of Fantasmic. Sometimes the only way to know is to preveiw it yourself.

 

[tlbwriter]

Good idea, but a video won't really show you how huge it is, nor how loud. We took my DD when she was 5 (I knew nothing about it, and my mom and sister insisted it wasn't scary at all) and she was scared silly. She's 8 now and she still doesn't want to go. This is a child who loves thrill rides but hates anything loud, scary, or spooky, so your mileage will vary.

 

[kjetjl]

It is so hard to tell with kids.
My 4 year old was scared to death of Haunted Mansion, Pirates,the Backlot Tour and the Great Movie Ride but he LOVED Fantasmic!
If you really want to see it and have time, I say go for it. It is one of my favorite attractions/shows at WDW and my older kids wouldn't allow us to miss it!

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

Every child is different, and I think if you gut is telling you to skip it, then I think that you should skip it. You know your children best. For me, I have no plans to take my 4 and 2 yo to see Fantasmic until they are a little older.

 

[DisneyMagicMommy]

We are leaving for WDW next week and Fantasmic is something that I really want to see...we have 3 boys ages 4 (almost 5), 3 and 1.5 years and we are going to try it our. As people have said...every child is different. I don't know how my kids will react so we are sitting near the back so we won't be near all the action...plus we can make a quick getaway if needed.

 

[MomtoGKC]

I don't know - if they said they don't want to see bad guys then I can't imagine they'll like it. We took our kids to Spectromagic and they were scared of the witches and Ursula so I KNEW not to try Fantasmic as much as I want to see it!

 

[I believe]

I would skip it. I didn't bring my girls until my youngest was three and I wished I waited even longer. She spent most of it in my lap covering her eyes and really didn't like it. There are so many other things your kids will love I wouldn't push it with this. Plus, when they are older it will give you something new to look forward to seeing.

 

[MiniGirl]

It is LOUD and can be frightening. I am a CM and work crowd control there, and people leave every single night because their little ones are scared. My 8 yo does not like it and never really has. My 5 yo is absolutely mesmerized by it. She loves it and can't take her eyes off it. She sits so still and is just blown away by it, so it really does depend on the child.

Having said that though, I will add that it is my favorite of all the nighttime shows. I never get tired of watching it. (Good thing, huh?) I think shows like F! and the Candlelight Processional are good nights to utilize one of the Kid's Clubs (if you can fit it in the budget) and have a date night.

Good luck with your decision.