Fantasmic Returns to Hollywood Studios in November 2022
Walt Disney World just announced that Fantasmic will return to Hollywood Studios in November 2022. This post shares details, what to expect with Genie+ and dining packages, and commentary about how this will change the crowd dynamic at DHS this fall and Christmas season.
Fantasmic is the last major nighttime spectacular to return to Walt Disney World, and will be a welcome addition to the entertainment lineup heading into the busy holiday season. It should help address attendance and Park Hopping dynamics, redistributing guests more evenly throughout the day at DHS. (This was a big problem last year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and again this year during spring break.)
Within the last few months, the reimagined Finding Nemo: the Musical debuted Theater in the Wild and the full Festival of the Lion King returned to Animal Kingdom. The former was a big addition that changed attendance (and wait time) trends at DAK, making it less of a half-day park. As we’ll discuss in the commentary, we’re expecting an even bigger impact at Disney’s Hollywood Studios thanks to the return of Fantasmic.
The return of Fantasmic is long overdue. There was a point early last year when a heavily-modified Fantasmic was rumored to be the first nighttime spectacular to reopen at Walt Disney World. That was in the “era” of physical distancing and more stringent safety protocol, and fizzled out for a few reasons.
Since then, EPCOT and Magic Kingdom both had their first fireworks shows return…and both got new nighttime spectaculars for the start of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary last October. Almost a full year ago.
Even earlier this year, there were plans to bring back Fantasmic this summer. Various long-passed major holidays were all internal targets, with countless false starts. At the beginning of last month, rehearsals for Fantasmic began with the intention of opening Fantasmic this month. A specific date was even set internally, but slipped yet again.
All of this is the backdrop to explain why Walt Disney World is only teasing on social media that Fantasmic will return in November 2022. There’s no specific date because they haven’t been able to nail one down with 100% certainty, and after so many past issues, that’s probably the smart move. (Had the date been announced at the D23 Expo, as we expected, Walt Disney World would’ve been forced to postpone it.)
For those who haven’t been closing tracking the saga of Fantasmic’s return, Walt Disney World revealed details about changes coming to the beloved nighttime spectacular. The original teaser indicated that Fantasmic would incorporate an all-new sequence featuring live performers, stunts, special effects and more.
Tom Vazzana, Show Director with Walt Disney World Creative Entertainment shared the work his team had been doing on Fantasmic. In a burst of excitement, he said: “This segment will bring hope and joy to your heart in a scene that you are not going to believe. I can’t wait to tell you more about it…but I can’t. So we’ll just move on.” While all of this was about a year ago, it all remains accurate to the best of our knowledge.
The inclusion of details from Aladdin, Moana, and Frozen is the teaser poster released last year was deliberate and notable. When Fantasmic returns in November 2022, it’ll feature characters from all three films in the core show.
It would be odd for a single scene featuring these disparate properties–but it’s probably not a single scene. The part that’s being replaced is almost certainly the extended Pocahontas scene, which has a runtime of approximately 82 minutes (longer than the movie!). While that’s probably a slight exaggeration, the Pocahontas portion is lengthy—long enough for multiple replacement segments.
The Walt Disney World version of the nighttime spectacular has always felt inferior to Disneyland’s, and one big reason why is the Pocahontas part that drags and dates Florida’s Fantasmic. It would be like if this show debuted in the mid-aughts and still featured a lengthy scene based on Meet the Robinsons (sorry, fans of that—but it’s no classic) despite the promotional window for that film closing long ago.
One of my go-to “dad jokes” is calling the Disney’s Hollywood Studios version Pocahontasmic! I will happily retire that feeble attempt at humor once Fantasmic 2.0 debuts in November 2022, especially if it means a better version of the show. What would be a really nice surprise is if Vazzana and co. also managed to convince the misers who hold the pursestrings to give us a new dragon. He’d need to be a bona fide walk-on-water miracle worker to make that happen, though!
With those details out of the way, there are a couple of big questions we have heard (or wonder ourselves). The first is whether the “reimagined” Fantasmic will be the full show or a modified/scaled back version. In terms of duration, my expectation is that the new Fantasmic is equivalent to the old version, but with the aforementioned scenes replacing much of the old Pocahontas segment.
Beyond that, it’s always possible that the number of performers, especially equity positions, are reduced. That seems to be one of Walt Disney World’s default moves. Regardless of the reason, entertainment had reduced around Walt Disney World even pre-closure, so it’s not like this is anything new.
In fairness, even if Walt Disney World wanted to bring back the full Fantasmic, shortages of performers might preclude it. Walt Disney World has struggled to bring back character meals and meet & greets have been perpetually understaffed in the last few months. We’ve seen this especially at Magic Kingdom, which appears to have reallocated resources from the Town Square meet & greet to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
These staffing shortages are not for lack of effort. This is especially true with meals, which directly generate revenue. While Fantasmic is slightly different as an equity-driven production, it would be unsurprising to see the same underlying issues also exist there.
The next question concerns crowd dynamics. Without question, this will alter the attendance distribution at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’ll also impact evenings at EPCOT.
For the last couple years, wait times at DHS have peaked in the morning—before any other park. They’ve fallen sharply in late afternoon, with the last couple hours being blissful.
While Genie+ already has pushed crowds later into the day, this will change that even more significantly. Fantasmic will keep people at Disney’s Hollywood Studios much later into the evening. Wait times won’t drop until shortly before seatings begin, meaning 2-3 hours before park closing will still see elevated wait times.
The upside to this comes for those who didn’t previously stay late. More guests should arrive at DHS later in the day, meaning more time in the morning when wait times remain low. Midday will still be busy, but the park won’t be totally bonkers by 10 am.
With that said, it won’t be purely a redistribution of existing crowds at DHS. It’s likely the park will have its capacity cap increased as a result of this new dynamic. Even if it doesn’t, more people will Park Hop to DHS, instead of the current evening exodus.
The upside there comes for visitors to EPCOT and, to a lesser extent, Magic Kingdom. No longer will those parks pull disproportionate numbers of Park Hoppers from both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Instead, three parks will pull hopping guests from Animal Kingdom—almost exactly how things worked preclosure.
Another question we’ve heard is whether Walt Disney World will bring back Fantasmic dining packages.
In our view, Fantasmic dining packages are almost a foregone conclusion. They generate revenue, and there’s plenty of precedent for their return. Just look at Candlelight Processional or other EPCOT festival entertainment.
On top of that, I’m reasonably confident that Disney’s Hollywood Studios has held back Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) availability for November and December. A few readers have inquired about this, and when spot-checking myself, I’ve found similarly “suspicious” results.
It’s true that those two months are going to be incredibly busy–and are popular months for ADR bookings–but it just ‘feels’ like something more is happening. This could be a simple matter of confirmation bias since I’m expecting Fantasmic dining packages, but that’s my take. For what it’s worth, the same phenomenon was observable with EPCOT restaurant ADR availability prior to the Candlelight Processional dining packages being announced. So…draw your own conclusions!
Next, there’s the question of whether the nighttime spectacular will join the Genie+ lineup. Currently, no evening entertainment is part of paid FastPass at Walt Disney World. DHS could definitely use more capacity for the Genie+ service, so it would make sense. It’d also likely be easier to implement than reserved viewing for Harmonious at EPCOT.
Still, we could see that one going either way. Genie+ requires staffing, and also theoretically cuts into dining package sales. So Disney might hold off on introducing it until after the holiday season. It’s really hard to say.
Ultimately, we’re still really excited for the return of Fantasmic. It brings life to the evenings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and is a true nighttime spectacular. It has also needed a refresh for a long time, as the DHS version has felt stuck in the 1990s while Disneyland has continued to iterate and improve upon its version of Fantasmic.
Then there’s the practical perspective. Fantasmic will be returning just ahead of the peak holiday tourist time at Walt Disney World, and will be hugely helpful to absorbing crowds, especially since Disney’s Hollywood Studios has issues with attendance distribution throughout the day and problems with people bouncing from DHS to Epcot for Harmonious. Nightly performances of Fantasmic would solve all of that. It might be overdue news that’s been delayed a few too many times, but it’s nice to narrow its return date down to November 2022.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about this news that Fantasmic will return to Walt Disney World in November 2022? Disappointed that it won’t be back this month, or just happy it’s coming back by Christmas? Excited for the new Moana, Frozen, and Aladdin scenes? Or do you enjoy the extended Pocahontas edition? Are you actually disappointed by the return of Fantasmic, preferring to enjoy relatively uncrowded evenings at DHS? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Do you remember what time shows traditionally ran and do you think they will resume that schedule. I have dining reservations at Brown Derby on Thanksgiving and wondering if I should scramble to change 5:55 reservations. Thanks Tom
Too late! My sister & I have just finished our last visit to WDW for some years to come(so long Bob Paycheck is in charge!) Universal or our local Busch Gardens are looking great now.
HWS is such a crowded park it’s ridiculous. There is no off season here. There just isn’t enough attractions to absorb crowds. Same with Epcot. Especially with the near constant breakdowns. I almost got run over by a woman whose kid got stuck in the elevator at ToT. And it is so sad to see the little mermaid show vacant and taking up so much room. Just maintain what you have. Fantasmic is not going to be a panacea by any means.
@Jared W – thanks for the info. 🙂
Maybe we will check it out- I assume you get stuck there after show ends for a while lol
Comparing Pocahontas to Meet the Robinsons isn’t totally accurate. Pocahontas is a lot better remembered because it features an official Disney princess.
I said last time you ran a variation of this article that I would miss the Pocahontas segment. It was part of what made Fantasmic so magical to me. I was heartbroken by the ending of Pocahontas and refuse to watch Pocahontas II, which just added insult to injury in breaking John Smith and Pocahontas up. I see Disney’s Pocahontas and John Smith as fictional characters inspired by historical figures, not one and the same with them, so pointing out that the historical Pocahontas never married John Smith is a moot point to me. I still wish Pocahontas and John Smith got the happily ever after guaranteed to every other Disney couple. Having them featured together in Fantasmic was a salve to me, like saying even Mickey Mouse wanted them together.
The DHS version of Fantasmic (better by far in my opinion than the Disneyland version, though I realize most people feel the opposite way) is like consummation between Disney and the fans of its animated movies and theme parks. All that was missing was my favorite character, Iago. If Iago is featured in the new Aladdin segment, that should make up for Pocahontas and John Smith being gone (though perhaps they’ll still appear on the steamboat at the end).
New scenes replacing SlowPokeahontis sounds GREAT!!!!!! If Disney cuts the number of cast members that doesn’t mean the show has to be shorter. In fact less people and more action would be welcome. God help us if Disney can’t find someone to write fast paced, dramatic scenes.
Still waiting for the train.
Thinking of finally letting our out of state AP’s expire.
I’ll be at WDW the week before Halloween. As much as I would like to see the show I’m glad it won’t be open the week I’m there. I’m only going to Hollywood Studios in the evening the week I’ll be there – park hopping from MK on two different MNSSHP days. I definitely wouldn’t want to park be even more crowded on those nights because of Fantasmic.
Really disappointed this won’t be available for our trip in two weeks. Disney is always slow to bring things back but quick to raise prices. My disappointment is ever increasing with Disney and I’m not looking forward to our first trip in 10 years (we used to go every year), as much as I used to. After this trip it’s going to be a long time before we ever go back. Really tired of how Disney is socking it to patrons.
its funny… Disney raise prices on nearly everything and nickel and dimes you every step of the way and people are still flocking to the parks to stand in long lines and spend atrocious amounts of money for a product that has gone downhill over time (think of all the projects that were canceled attributed to the pandemic even though they are making record profits). Ill spend my money on a much better and more memorable vacation elsewhere and get 10x more value for my money (and much better food)
This December will be our 6th trip to DW – but we have never seen fantasmic. Is it a ticketed event?
Nope, it’s included in regular park admission. There is a huge outdoor arena built especially for it that exists back by the Tower of Terror and Beauty and Beast theatre; just show up in the 30 minutes before the show starts and you should be able to find a seat.
YAYYYYY!!!!!! My favorite show. We are going the last week in Nov and I am so happy!
When we did it in 2019 it wasn’t a dining package but a dessert ‘party’. You got given a dessert box on way in and got priority seating. It wasn’t a dinning package but not sure if they also did these along with the dessert thing??
If so, do you think they will bring back the option of the desert box rather than dinning plan? As we have dinning credit we are already eating in Disney restaurants quite a bit so would rather the dessert option.
Just glad it’s back when im there as was getting worried! I’m there from 17th nov to 5th December
Soooo help me understand how to get the Dining package once it is offered? We already have reservations for lunch at the Brown Derby as I was anticipating/hoping it would be back by the time we get there in mid November. How do I select the Fantasmic seating?
You cannot convert your current reservation to add the Fantasmic package. You will need to make a new package booking that includes dining choice.
So excited to hear this news! I was hopeful it would return for our scheduled trip in Feb, now hoping there will be a dining package that returns by then as well.
Nice! When were the usual showtime(s?) for this? Gotta rethink dining reservation plans for that day.
Sooo November is a big month and ADRs are already booked everywhere and park reservations are already made and it would be cool if they’d actually nail that down TO A PARTICULAR DATE….
Tom: Any word on whether the Fantasmic dining packages will also return? Thank you!
It’s in the article
That figures. We’ll be at Disney soon and are coming back home on the 3rd of November, so we’ll just miss it. Our favorite buffet, Tusker House, just returned to a buffet on the 1st, so with only two days to get ADRs before we leave, there weren’t any available (plenty before the return to the buffet, though). Our must-do, bucket list restaurants, Narcoossees and 1900 Park Fare, are closed. Disney is no longer the most magical place on earth. But it does rank highly for most stressful. This will probably be our last year going to Disney, ending a ten-year run.
I’m so excited! I had suggested skipping HS for our next trip… until my son said, “what about Fantasmic?”
I can’t wait to see what the new changes are and look forward to seeing them myself next year!
Yes! HS was a total mess on our last trip at 10:30am. It didn’t occur to me that the lack of a true evening show was causing the crowd shift. I don’t love the idea that stacking Genie+ for late afternoon at Hollywood Studios is about to get tougher, but this is overall good new.