Posts Latest Activity Photos. Page of 1. Filtered by:. Previous template Next. Mark Dewd. I'm really curious to know how Disney puts on a big production like Fantasmic. Some questions: 1. How do the cast and crew members get out to the island prior to the show? Is there a tunnel beneath the river? Do they take a raft to get there? How many cast and crew members does it take to put on a single performance?
Is the entire show run on "automatic pilot"? Do they just push a "start" button and all of the music, lighting and special effects run automatically and are pre-programmed?
Or do they have technicians pushing buttons during the show to make things happen lighting changes, effects, music blends? If the show requires technicians to make it work, can the show be changed midway through if they need to?
For example, if somthing goes wrong or misfires, can they "wing it" and make changes or is it all set in stone? Have you ever seen or heard of mistakes or misfires happen during the show?
Tags: fantasmic backstage. There are a whole bunch of threads about this. To answer question 3. The lighting and pyro is digitally controlled and programmed ahead of time. They program cues or scenes for everything and link those cues to a specific time. For the most part it is on autopilot except the pyro. I believe a tech has to have their hand on a button to allow the pyro to fire. If the button is not held down then no pyro will fire.
The timing is way to specific to run the show manually. Comment Post Cancel. The Forbidden Eye. Originally posted by Mark Dewd View Post. Ursula sings a bit of " Poor Unfortunate Souls " and joins the plot against Mickey as her two pet eels, Flotsam and Jetsam , glide across the river. Onscreen, the face of Ursula transforms into Chernabog. Luckily, Mickey eventually manages to escape the mirror. A pyrotechnic burst of flames heralds the arrival of Maleficent , beginning the climactic showdown sequence.
Maleficent rises 30 feet from the stage and transforms into a dragon onscreen. The animation gives way to a foot animatronic dragon, who rises from the stage before breathing fire onto the river. Sorcerer Mickey appears as he eventually uses his mind and sorcerer powers to destroy the dragon. As the dragon screams, the villains who have appeared are also destroyed onscreen resulting in Chernabog vanishing away, destroying him, Ursula screams in agony as she is struck by bolts of lightning, destroying her too, The hag transforms back into the Evil Queen, causing her to also be destroyed and Maleficent falls to her demise causing her to be destroyed lastly , and the sequence ends with a pyrotechnic burst from the river.
Following an appearance by Tinker Bell , the Mark Twain Riverboat crosses the stage, piloted by a black and white Mickey Mouse, dressed in attire from Steamboat Willie. Approximately fifty Disney and Pixar characters dance on the ship in a ribbon routine. The sequence is accompanied by searchlights, fountains, and pyrotechnic effects. Mickey appears on top of the tavern sometimes on the stage when the lift isn't working as Sorcerer Mickey , and "conducts" laser beams, fireworks, and lighting effects that span the length of the river stage.
In a flash, he disappears from atop the tavern, and re-appears center stage, resuming his tuxedo. Mickey says to the audience, "Some imagination, huh? A final burst of pyrotechnics is accompanied by searchlights placed around the tavern and stage. As a finale, a brilliant green flash of pyrotechnics ignites on the water where the river once again becomes quiet and dark. The show follows a dream of Mickey Mouse that he has one night while fast asleep. As the lights fade, a female narrator gives a brief welcome and mentions of the powers of imagination.
A very faint musical note is heard, swelling and growing into a dramatic chord in the complete darkness. Once the chord strikes, two tall columns rise on stage left and right, with roving spotlights, until finally, Mickey appears center stage. He conducts various water fountain effects, until bringing up the giant water-mist "screens", which, in conjunction with a few flares, fade into the famous "Sorcerer's Apprentice" scene from Fantasia.
From there, the falling stars of the Sorcerer's Apprentice scene morph into flowers, and after a brief interlude, into a jungle scene. Elephants, giraffes, monkeys, birds, ostriches, rhinos, crocodiles, and cheetahs in black-lit fluorescent colors begin to herd in the mountain.
The neon animals make noise and move around on the island while Rafiki and monkeys do a dance on floats traveling across the water, and Simba and Nala romp together on the water-mist screen. An animated Monstro then appears onscreen, accompanied by a heavy musical score as he crashes through the waters.
The chaotic sea morphs into Mickey lost in an overflowed room as he is whisked into a whirlpool. After Mickey wonders where he is, the scene shifts to one of the opening scenes from Pocahontas , with the ship caught in a storm.
The screens disappear, and the lights immediately darken. A loud cannon blast erupts. Live characters re-enact battle scenes from the movie Pocahontas.
As John Smith climbs to the very top of the mountain, a Native American warrior moves to strike Smith when Pocahontas arrives; the water screens spring back up, and Grandmother Willow appears, with a quote from the movie; the lights dim on the battle and the " Colors of the Wind " scene plays out on the screens. As each float reaches the center, the spotlight shines on it, with the accompanying signature melody from each movie — " Beauty and the Beast ", " Part of Your World ", and " Someday My Prince Will Come ", respectively.
The music takes on an eerie tone as Mickey's dream takes a turn for the worse. The Queen appears and concocts a spell amidst pyrotechnics and other special effects, and turns herself into a hag.
Jafar uses his magic to send Mickey to the Cave of Wonders. After escaping a wave of lava, Mickey encounters Jafar, who transforms himself into a giant black cobra to squeeze him and possibly drain him dry, appearing on both the stage and the mist screens.
Seeing a magic lamp, Mickey rubs it, assuming it will help him. Unfortunately, Jafar is transformed into a genie and calls upon Hades , who laments on how "noble" Mickeys thoughts are before he calls Chernabog , who summons spirits from the dead.
As Chernabog finishes, Mickey, now in his Brave Little Tailor outfit, comes face to face with Maleficent, who tells the mouse that he'll now deal with her and all the forces of her imagination. As her pinnacle rises, she transforms into a foot-tall fire-breathing dragon that sets the waters ablaze as the villains laugh at Mickey and his imaginaion.
Guests as far as halfway back in the theater can feel the heat from the fire. Mickey, finally deciding to stand up to the villains for his dream, manages to pulls a nearby sword out from its stone similar to The Sword in the Stone and creates a wall of water around the island, smothering the flames and defeating the dragon. He eliminates the villains from the dream world using the power of his imagination and his sword.
The villains feel the wrath of the magical electricity from the sword; resulting in Chernabog attempting to shield himself from the light of the electricity as he vanishes away, Hades cringes in surprise from the effects as he too disappears, Jafar screams in agonizing pain decimating him as well, Frollo looks back in shock as he yells out "Witchcraft!
All is quiet until we see Tinker Bell fly to restore the mountain. Magical stars sparkle in the mountain as the Steamboat Willie riverboat approaches. Then a spark of pyrotechnics ignites from the riverboat, revealing Mickey, looking as he did in the original short, controlling the boat.
As it glides past the audience, various Disney characters appear aboard the boat, usually waving streamers. A celebratory atmosphere prevails amid a flurry of fireworks. With another flash of pyrotechnics, Mickey appears atop the highest point of the mountain in his Sorcerer outfit as fireworks, fire, and water light up the stage.
As the finale concludes, Mickey disappears from the top of the mountain with another spark of pyrotechnics, a small explosion in the main stage and simultaneously reappears in his shiny tuxedo suit. A small applause from the crowd and Mickey says, "Some imagination, huh?
All turns dark once again and the show has concluded. Like the other incarnations, the show follows a dream of Mickey Mouse that he has one night while fast asleep. The show begins with the tune of the Sorcerer's Apprentice as out of the stars, Sorcerer Mickey emerges on a tower of stars in a comet. The new theme song, Imagination plays as Mickey conducts the water and images of different characters appear on the tower.
The music shifts into the instrumental Fantasmic theme and continues into Sorcerer's Apprentice as Mickey conducts the stars and sea and calls on the Magic Brooms. The waters rise and we enter the sea with Ariel singing " Part of Your World ", with Crush and his sea turtles swimming in the background. The show opens with a big surprise: Mickey Mouse appears out of thin air in his classic tuxedo and begins to conduct the water screens like a composer of a great musical score.
This is the first of many incredible effects that are unnoticeable to the audiences, but we know a bit about how all of that magic unfolds! There are two different lifts used by Mickey in the show, and both are high-tech enough to go unnoticed while maintaining exceedingly high safety guidelines for the performers who use them.
The timing of lights, costumes, performers, music, and animated set pieces must be perfectly synchronized each night for the show to go off properly. It requires everyone from costumers to performers to work together. A Cast Member friend of mine told me that, in order to make all their cues in time, the performers in the show actually spend the entire 23 minute duration under the stage where the show is performed!
With such an elaborate production, mishaps are to be expected. That means that anything can, and will, happen! Another time, I witnessed a performance when the Sorcerer Mickey lift was experiencing issues mid-show.
The Stage Director had to make a split-second decision to play the alternate finale. Instead of Sorcerer Mickey popping up at the top of the mountain, tuxedo Mickey appeared on the stage to perform the same choreography sequence.
If I had never seen the show before, I would be none the wiser. Instances like this really do prove that the show must go on! What is your favorite scene? I want to know, so leave a comment below!
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