Fantasmic - Jan 2026

Goofy2015

To Hakuna Matata and Beyond
Joined
Jun 1, 2014
Messages
596
We are going to Disneyland in Mid January. At the moment, the schedule does not show any Fantasmic showtimes. I am not sure if they are not showing it during that time of year or if the schedule has not been updated yet.
 
Per Freshbaked the Show isn't at 100% right now and they before the end of the year were just doing weekends

So it could come back on weekends but they might also have it down to try and try to have the show in better shape this summer.
 
Although it’s not on the schedule, they’re selling dining packages on Friday and Saturday’s. Last year they didn’t add the January Fantasmic performance to the schedule until about mid-December, ao it’ll likely be updated any day now.
 
Per Freshbaked the Show isn't at 100% right now and they before the end of the year were just doing weekends

I think Freshbaked is mistaken here. I saw the show on Nov. 30th, and it was almost at 100% - even “moving Mickey” was back. The “almost” is that the finale was performed on the island, not the boat, but I’ve read that this was a scheduling issue (performers calling out for Thanksgiving week and Disney unwilling / unable to replace them, and didn’t want to do an empty boat) and not a technical.
 

There are Fantasmic dining options available for the Saturday 1/10 and Saturday 1/17. So it appears that Fantasmic is a go. For the weekends at least.
 
I think Freshbaked is mistaken here. I saw the show on Nov. 30th, and it was almost at 100% - even “moving Mickey” was back. The “almost” is that the finale was performed on the island, not the boat, but I’ve read that this was a scheduling issue (performers calling out for Thanksgiving week and Disney unwilling / unable to replace them, and didn’t want to do an empty boat) and not a technical.
Not sure if it is just a rumor, but I heard that the lack of pyro was due to people calling out as well (those on the safety crew).
 
Not sure if it is just a rumor, but I heard that the lack of pyro was due to people calling out as well (those on the safety crew).

That actually makes sense. Pyro was active on Fri and Sun but skipped Sat, which doesn’t make a lot of sense. Could very well be that their short staffed pyro team wasn’t available to work Sat.
 
That actually makes sense. Pyro was active on Fri and Sun but skipped Sat, which doesn’t make a lot of sense. Could very well be that their short staffed pyro team wasn’t available to work Sat.
So Fresh baked is right

Less Pryo and the boat not being used sounds like the show is not ready to go at 100% any night and might be part of the reason it was not nightly until like last week while in the past it was just always going

I saw the show a few weeks ago, still great but....not sure why they put it down and just get it working at 100% and hoping the Dragon is coming back and is better because we have no heard anything about that and its been almost 2 years
 
Fantasmic was always a must for me but since my up coming trip is more about my friend than me I am not even putting Fantasmic on list.
 
So Fresh baked is right

Less Pryo and the boat not being used sounds like the show is not ready to go at 100% any night and might be part of the reason it was not nightly until like last week while in the past it was just always going

I saw the show a few weeks ago, still great but....not sure why they put it down and just get it working at 100% and hoping the Dragon is coming back and is better because we have no heard anything about that and its been almost 2 years

Freshbaked is a great streamer but he’s not a Disney insider and sometimes reports erroneously information.

F has been running 100% most nights. They’ve started cutting pyro again during the Holiday season, but the fireworks have been a last minute decision many nights and ultimately cancelled more times than in years past. So blame it on the weather. The finale was performed on the island during Thanksgiving week but the Mark Twain was running fine during its scheduled hours. A person who works the show posted on Reddit that it was due to staffing - there were numerous call outs and Disney couldn’t / wouldn’t replace them, and for aesthetics (an empty boat is noticeable) put the cast on the island.

Ultimately, F is an expensive show. I’ve heard the highly cost for labor alone - everyone from additional crowd control - is nearly $20K per night. In the past decade, they’ve cut around 30-50 annual nightly performances while adding 30-50 fireworks shows… that’s pretty telling of the true cost of the show. At WDW, DHS has seen an even larger number of shows cut, even with a purpose made venue that makes the show significantly cheaper than its DL counterpart (although it operates nearly every day, albeit with a single show). DHS has barely any pyro compared to DL. Again… shows the expense of the show.

I’d like to see the dragon return as well, but I’m fine without it. Reports were that the fire damage was far greater than what Disney has acknowledged, and that execs favored closing the show. So we’re lucky to get it back. Allegedly the dragon and Aladdin’s carpet will cost a few million to replace and Disney isn’t committed to spending it.
 
Freshbaked is a great streamer but he’s not a Disney insider and sometimes reports erroneously information.

I watch Freshbaked and enjoy his content. And he does get some second or third hand "insider" information but also a lot of what he says is opinion not fact. There has been time he says something and it is incorrect information. Like the California tickets, he did an entire video and said they were only available for SoCal Residence. He also very much does a lot of his videos from the view point of a local Magic Key holder. Ignoring that a portion of Disneyland guests are out of town visitors going on multi-day tickets.
 
I watch Freshbaked and enjoy his content. And he does get some second or third hand "insider" information but also a lot of what he says is opinion not fact. There has been time he says something and it is incorrect information. Like the California tickets, he did an entire video and said they were only available for SoCal Residence. He also very much does a lot of his videos from the view point of a local Magic Key holder. Ignoring that a portion of Disneyland guests are out of town visitors going on multi-day tickets.

He has a large enough profile that he’s fed information to correct the narrative, but he often chooses not to. I stopped participating in Reddit awhile ago when I pointed out that Kim Irvine debunked a rumor that Freshbaked was on the bandwagon for, but the community was like “but Freshbaked said!!”
 
Before the dragon incident, Fantasmic would often go completely dark in January and February. It sounds like that's not happening in 2026, but it wouldn't be shocking if it happens again in the future.

I love Fantasmic, but there's also beauty in the show not running while you're there. Enjoying the ROA at night is wonderful and taking a nighttime ride on the Mark Twain is enjoyable. Much of the year it's impossible to spend time at night near the ROA because of Fantasmic.
 
Freshbaked is a great streamer but he’s not a Disney insider and sometimes reports erroneously information.

F has been running 100% most nights. They’ve started cutting pyro again during the Holiday season, but the fireworks have been a last minute decision many nights and ultimately cancelled more times than in years past. So blame it on the weather. The finale was performed on the island during Thanksgiving week but the Mark Twain was running fine during its scheduled hours. A person who works the show posted on Reddit that it was due to staffing - there were numerous call outs and Disney couldn’t / wouldn’t replace them, and for aesthetics (an empty boat is noticeable) put the cast on the island.

Ultimately, F is an expensive show. I’ve heard the highly cost for labor alone - everyone from additional crowd control - is nearly $20K per night. In the past decade, they’ve cut around 30-50 annual nightly performances while adding 30-50 fireworks shows… that’s pretty telling of the true cost of the show. At WDW, DHS has seen an even larger number of shows cut, even with a purpose made venue that makes the show significantly cheaper than its DL counterpart (although it operates nearly every day, albeit with a single show). DHS has barely any pyro compared to DL. Again… shows the expense of the show.

I’d like to see the dragon return as well, but I’m fine without it. Reports were that the fire damage was far greater than what Disney has acknowledged, and that execs favored closing the show. So we’re lucky to get it back. Allegedly the dragon and Aladdin’s carpet will cost a few million to replace and Disney isn’t committed to spending it.
What are you Arguing then?

You admit the show isn't always working 100%, which is what he's saying

Like I get people on here think he's just not right but I find the statement close enough to the truth to not be like "well technically"

I'm just warning people Fantasmic is not at 100% every night right now and I saw it for my self a few weeks ago

People can take from that what they want, for me it means the show is something I go to if I'm near it but not making too much of an effort because the show while still great isn't at its peak all nights.
 
People can take from that what they want, for me it means the show is something I go to if I'm near it but not making too much of an effort because the show while still great isn't at its peak all nights.
This.

Honestly IMO it feels like every few weeks (post-covid and dragon incident) more and more is cut out of show. Guests shouldn't expect to know because of Cast Member call outs or whatever 'avoidable' excuse vloggers may give. Pre-covid Disney kept standby Entertainment shifts for that exact reason.

I know tickets keep selling so the park has no reason to care as sad as that may sound.
 
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What are you Arguing then?

You admit the show isn't always working 100%, which is what he's saying

Like I get people on here think he's just not right but I find the statement close enough to the truth to not be like "well technically"

I'm just warning people Fantasmic is not at 100% every night right now and I saw it for my self a few weeks ago

People can take from that what they want, for me it means the show is something I go to if I'm near it but not making too much of an effort because the show while still great isn't at its peak all nights.

The show is 100%. It’s subject to occasional weather and technical difficulties, just like everything else at Disney and just like it has since Day 1. You’ve suggested in the past that the show could use some downtime to fix the issues it’s having, which is the same argument Freshbaked has made, which is misleading because no issues exist.

I’ve watched F since I was a child. The Pinocchio and dragon segments working properly were always hit-or-miss. The original barges, which were replaced circa 2010, were frequently out of service. You and others frequently mention that “more and more” of the show is frequently not working… but what are these things? The current version of the show cut the dragon, so that’s not an issue.

And as much as we get upset about the lack of pyro, it’s a relatively new addition to the show. For most of the show’s life, pyro was limited. I’m always astounded by the posters who complain about the pyro and say the DHS version is way better… when the DHS version follows the original DL version (very limited pyro). I think we’re spoiled here.

BTW, Freshbaked has mentioned that he rarely watches F, so shame on him for attempting to address people’s concerns with the show, given he doesn’t have sufficient knowledge.
 
The show is 100%. It’s subject to occasional weather and technical difficulties, just like everything else at Disney and just like it has since Day 1. You’ve suggested in the past that the show could use some downtime to fix the issues it’s having, which is the same argument Freshbaked has made, which is misleading because no issues exist.

I’ve watched F since I was a child. The Pinocchio and dragon segments working properly were always hit-or-miss. The original barges, which were replaced circa 2010, were frequently out of service. You and others frequently mention that “more and more” of the show is frequently not working… but what are these things? The current version of the show cut the dragon, so that’s not an issue.

And as much as we get upset about the lack of pyro, it’s a relatively new addition to the show. For most of the show’s life, pyro was limited. I’m always astounded by the posters who complain about the pyro and say the DHS version is way better… when the DHS version follows the original DL version (very limited pyro). I think we’re spoiled here.

BTW, Freshbaked has mentioned that he rarely watches F, so shame on him for attempting to address people’s concerns with the show, given he doesn’t have sufficient knowledge.

I kind of agree with the bold. He is relying on second hand information, which is not always accurate or subjective.
 
Before the dragon incident, Fantasmic would often go completely dark in January and February. It sounds like that's not happening in 2026, but it wouldn't be shocking if it happens again in the future.

I love Fantasmic, but there's also beauty in the show not running while you're there. Enjoying the ROA at night is wonderful and taking a nighttime ride on the Mark Twain is enjoyable. Much of the year it's impossible to spend time at night near the ROA because of Fantasmic.

Going to disagree here. For years, Disney has ensured that the park had a “nighttime spectacular” every weekend. For most of those years, it was F. The years run together, but I can recall that post-Holidays, for most years, F was the only show they ran. Maybe when they brought back MSEP, they cut F during the early months - I can’t recall.

But in recent years, they’ve most definitely have cut F performances and increased the number of firework shows.

We’ve been spoiled by having fireworks, F and PTN offered alongside each other so many days this year. It’s like it’s the mid-90s and I’m a kid again! Let’s bring back Videopolis as well? Too much? Okay!

Sadly, all fairy tales have to come to an end. Soon, Price Charming will be replaced by the legacy of Paul Pressler and our only weekend entertainment will be a projection-only showing of Mickey’s Mix Magic.
 
Tonight’s show was 100%
- Mickey used the elevators throughout the show… and Moving Mickey finished the show
- full pyro
- Maleficent-on-a-stick returned
- full character staffing

Also, I noticed a whole raft of pyro people came in behind the Hungry Bear. I didn’t realize how many people Disney uses for pyro… they look like fireman and I asked and a CM said they were pyro.
 
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I saw the show from the RDZ viewing area on Friday night. Loved it. I don't go often enough to know how it compares bit by bit to how it normally is, other than I know I miss the dragon, but the barges, the pyro, giant Maleficient -- everything was great. We saw WOC from the dessert party seating the night before, and IMO Fantasmic put that show to shame. I thought the $40 or so I paid for F! viewing was well worth it, considering it came with a very good meal. I was going back and forth on whether or not I was going to do it since it was our last night in the parks, but I'm really glad I did.
 


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