Disneyland Animatronic Goes Up In Flames During Fantasmic! Show

There was a little too much excitement at Disneyland last night went things went awry during the Fantasmic! show. According to NBC News, a fire broke out during the nighttime show when Maleficent's animatronic dragon was set ablaze. This occurred during the second Fantasmic! performance of the night when Mickey was fighting the iconic dragon from Sleeping Beauty. He's supposed to blast sparks at her head, but something went wrong and the dragon ended up catching fire. Thankfully, no one was injured in the process.

According to the report, Anaheim Fire and Rescue personnel arrived at the scene at around 11 PM to help the Disneyland Fire Department put out the fire on Tom Sawyer Island. Anaheim Police Sergeant John McClintock shared that Disneyland employees evacuated the area and the fire was quickly put out. While some of the cast members were treated for potential smoke inhalation, they were all released. There are videos circulating of the incident on Twitter, including one posted by /Film's Peter Sciretta. You can check it out below:

This wide-angle video of Fantasmic shows the moment the dragons head caught fire! pic.twitter.com/Q0t15sRNsi

— Peter Sciretta (@PeterSciretta) April 23, 2023

Here's another video shared by frequent Disney poster, Scott Gustin, which shows just how intense the fire got:

The Maleficent dragon caught fire during the second showing of Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park on Saturday night.

It happened when Mickey shoots sparks at the giant dragon’s head. The Anaheim Fire Department responded to the scene.

pic.twitter.com/pISjxaSC3a

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 23, 2023

What Is Fantasmic!? 

Fantasmic! is a nighttime show that occurs at both Disneyland in California as well as Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. The original show debuted in 1992 and there have since been a couple of different iterations. The latest reopening happened earlier this year in Disneyland with new characters appearing in the finale and special effects as a part of Disney's 100 Years of Wonder celebration. The beloved show takes place on the waters of the Rivers of America at Disneyland and on a stage across the waterway on Tom Sawyer Island.

When Is Splash Mountain Closing?

Splash Mountain will officially shut down next month at Disneyland. Disney Parks has announced that its Splash Mountain ride's last day of operations will take place on May 30th, with the ride officially shutting down on May 31st. The ride will then go a lengthy refurbishment and re-theming titled Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which is based on Princess and the Frog and is anticipated to open in late 2024. The Magic Kingdom version of Splash Mountain previously shut down in January of this year. The Tokyo Disneyland version of the ride remains open for now, with no announced plans to shut down. 

What are your thoughts on the Fantasmic! fire? Tell us in the comments!