We pass the time before the show chatting about life in general – Wallaby and I seem to have a lot in common – and also trying to figure out which Disney characters are on the flags marking each section of seating. The ones up close are easy to identify, but the far sections to the left and right are giving us problems.
As we’re straining to see, the family seated to my right gets my attention and asks me a question – about which characters are on the far flags! They’re doing the same thing as us.
Eventually we figure out all of the characters, and it’s time for the show to start.
What a show! Fantasmic! is amazing, and is still going to be one of my favorites, I can tell. I love the story with Mickey at its center, and all of the nods to Disney romance, action, and even villainy. The water, fire, and fireworks are awesome, and it’s one of those shows that has you cheering at the top of your lungs at the finale.
Sitting close to the center is wonderful, too. There’s really not a bad seat in the amphitheater, but that doesn’t mean that some aren’t better than others. Give me center stage if at all possible! And the show is scarier than I recall. Maybe that’s a function of being seated in the middle and having it fill my sight?
The cold wind is blowing pretty hard – hard enough that there's no way I'm getting out my camera and risking frostbite in the process. Besides its making us very cold as we sit here, the wind is blowing the water screens that the animation is projected upon into a fine mist. So instead of a flat projection surface, the projected images fan out into a thick three-dimensional block of moving color. It’s actually pretty cool.
The Indians paddling their canoes during the Pocahontas sequence are having trouble keeping their torches lit in the wind. I’ve worked a lot of tech crews behind the scenes in various shows, so I tend to notice a lot of production details, and the Fantasmic! tech guys are on their toes, bringing up lights on the “moat” to show the otherwise unlit canoes. But I’m guessing there’s not much they can do to get Pocahontas herself any warmer, dressed as she is!
There are a couple of concessions to the wind that I notice. For one, the snake? It doesn’t move. I’m guessing the different sections of the snake are of a lightweight material, so the performers underneath them get in a snakelike position and then just hold them down as best as possible. The snake’s head turns from side to side, but it doesn’t chase Mickey at all. It’s actually kind of funny watching Mickey running back and forth trying to appear threatened by the immobile snake.
The only other change in the show due to the wind comes when the steamboat appears – no pinwheel fireworks announce its presence. I miss them, but I’m not shocked. After all, from the direction the wind is blowing, the sparks would blow right back onto the boat and onto the multitude of characters. And no one wants to risk a Disney character inferno.
The strong wind makes me worry about the finale. I can’t imagine what the end of Fantasmic! would be like if Sorcerer Mickey does not appear at the top of the mountain. At the same time, the wind is fierce, and I’m afraid Sorcerer Mickey will blow off of the mountain! But right on queue, the music swells, the lights hit the top of the mountain, and there he is!! Yay!!
I know you’re magical, Mickey, but do hold on, please!!!
Big fireworks, lots of lasers, fountains, lights, and the best closing line in the universe, “Some imagination, huh?!” What an awesome, awesome show.
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