It was announced by Disney officials back in November 2023 that the popular Fantasmic! nighttime show which has been suspended since April 22, 2023 will return to Disneyland Park on May 24, 2024 at the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend and the start of the summer. 

It has just been announced by The OCRegister than when Fantasmic! returns to Disneyland Park it will contain a fan-favorite Peter Pan scene replacing the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean sequence which featured previously in Fantasmic! prior to it being suspended after the incident when during the second Fantasmic! show on April 22, 2023, the head of Maleficent caught fire and was then engulfed in flames. 

It was confirmed that when Fantasmic! does return it will not include the iconic fire breathing dragon figure but it will feature new special effects and a new battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent.

It was in somewhat shocking news that Disney announced back at the end of May that Fantasmic! would continue to be suspended throughout the summer and would not return until Labor Day at the earliest. It was then announced at the end of July that Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park will be suspended until Spring 2024. 

We learnt from reporter Scott Gustin, that although when Fantasmic! does return it will not include the iconic dragon figure that it will instead feature new special effects along with a new battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent.

Fantasmic! at Disneyland Resort will remain on hiatus until spring 2024. When the show returns, it won’t include the dragon figure - but it will feature new special effects and a new battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent. pic.twitter.com/ojJlCLkGQe

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) July 26, 2023

From July 21, a new evening entertainment offering, The Jambalaya Jazz Band featuring Queenie has been performing three performances each night starting at 7:35PM on a New Orleans-themed river barge as they float down the Rivers of America. 

The Jambalaya Jazz Band featuring Queenie will perform nightly on a New Orleans-themed river barge as they float down the Rivers of America at Disneyland Park starting this Friday, July 21. Three performances each night starting at 7:35 p.m. pic.twitter.com/3ht38Tg7W9

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) July 18, 2023

Disney had announced that it would be adding another nighttime entertainment offering, The Heartbeat of New Orleans – A Living Mural. The information below has just appeared on the official website:

"Starting September 29, 2023, taking place between the Jambalaya Jazz Band and Queenie sets, this limited-time experience pays tribute to the spirit of New Orleans! Set to a dynamic jazz score, colorful projections on the Rivers of America will tell a short, whimsical tale of a mischievous little frog from the bayou that leaps into the lively city of New Orleans when he is lured by the jazzy sounds he hears in the distance.

This unique art installation will animate original artwork by Disney Live Entertainment graphic designer Marcella “Marci” Swett, best known for her chalk art at Downtown Disney District during Celebrate Soulfully."

It is positive to see that Disney are trying to give guests at Disneyland Park as many entertainment offerings as possible to try to make up for the loss of Fantasmic! until Spring 2024. We so far have not had confirmation as to how long, The Heartbeat of New Orleans – A Living Mural, will be performed for at Disneyland Park. We do know that it will be a limited-time offering and will inform you of further details regarding this when it is announced.

Disney released the statement below when it announced Fantasmic! would be suspended through Labor Day which includes a sentence saying it was taking this time to evaluate the show. Disney has obviously decided that more time is needed to revitalise Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park and we will look forward to seeing what they have in store.

"Our goal is to always deliver the best possible show for our guests. With that in mind, we've made the difficult decision to put "Fantasmic!" on hiatus through at least Labor Day. Teams are actively exploring alternate entertainment offerings for guests this summer and we look forward to sharing more soon." "We are taking this time to evaluate the show and explore opportunities to add magic and touches for Guests to enjoy."

At this time, investigations are still underway as to cause of the incident on the evening of Saturday April 22 when during the second Fantasmic! show, the head of Maleficent caught fire and was then engulfed in flames. It was originally hoped that Fantasmic! would return around May 14, then by the end of May and then Labor Day but unfortunately we know this is not meant to be and instead it will be Spring 2024.

The information on the official Disneyland website reads, "With the goal of delivering the best possible show for our guests, performances of Fantasmic! are currently paused until Spring 2024." 

On May 17, we heard the news that the fire-breathing effect of the Maleficent dragon in the Festival of Fantasy Parade float at Magic Kingdom has now returned. It was temporarily suspended whilst investigations were underway to discover the cause of the fire during the Fantasmic! performance at Disneyland Park on Saturday April 22. Fortunately for Walt Disney World, Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios uses a completely different fire effect and has therefore continued performances without any disruptions.

There were shocking scenes on the evening of April 22 when during the second Fantasmic! performance, at the point when Mickey Mouse shoots sparks to defeat the dragon from Sleeping Beauty the head of Maleficent caught fire and was then engulfed in flames.

According to the OC Register the area was safely evacuated and no Cast Members or guests were hurt. Fire fighters accessed the fire on small boats across the Rivers of America to Tom Sawyer Island and it was successfully extinguished. 

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

All guests were evacuated from Tom Sawyer Island, New Orleans Square and Critter Country due to the impact of smoke. Investigations are currently underway to establish the cause of the fire and all similar fire effects used in other Disney attractions across the globe were temporarily suspended.

Disneyland crews are working this morning at the site of last night’s Fantasmic! Maleficent fire. @thecalibae captured video of the clean-up efforts. pic.twitter.com/2DVZeptQZm

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 23, 2023

We will continue to keep you updated on any developments with Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park on our news and Facebook pages.