8. You can mind-control the Toy Story characters

Image: Disney

This is another mini-misconception, one that was made popular by a viral internet meme. Supposedly, if you shout, “Andy’s Coming!”, characters from Toy Story will drop to the ground and play dead.

While this may have happened once or twice, common sense is all it takes to know the characters wouldn’t be able to do this every time. Children and adults alike would torment the poor cast members with this trick if it were real. The wear and tear on the costumes and the cast members would be insane. The characters may react to mention of Andy, but they won’t drop like rag dolls. No mind control for you.

9. Fantasmic is the same as at Disneyland

Fantasmic! at Disneyland
Video: YouTube, User: DarthVader92

Oh, Fantasmic… Where to begin?

Originally having premiered in Disneyland in 1992, Fantasmic might be the greatest nighttime spectacular Disney has ever produced. It has held decades long appeal among fans even after updates in 2017. It’s no surprise that Disney wanted to bring the magic of this incredible show to Walt Disney World, and they even went so far as to build an amphitheater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios specifically designed to accommodate the show.

It’s a wonder then that, when compared to the Disneyland version, Walt Disney World’s Fantasmic is… not that great.

If you don’t have any pre-conceived biases regarding its Disneyland predecessor, Florida’s Fantasmic is still an enjoyable celebration of Disney magic. However, the changes between the two shows are significant enough that the Walt Disney World version just doesn’t hold up.

The biggest difference is overall quality. Even though the Walt Disney World version is longer, the choreography, effects, and characters just don’t feel as crisp. On a more practical level, portions of the show are different. The pirate battle on the sailing ship Columbia is missing entirely, replaced with a baffling sequence from Pocahontas. Even with the teetering-on-goofy tweaks to incorporate Pirates of the Caribbean to the Disneyland version, it’s still heads and tails better than the DHS equivalent.

Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios
Video: YouTube, User: WDW Details

The Walt Disney World version also doesn’t include Kaa the snake (replaced by Jafar as a laser-eyed cobra in the villain sequence), the pink elephants on parade, or some of the dazzling new “Fantasmic 2.0” sequences. The biggest change, however, is in the villains section. In the Walt Disney World version, Mickey incurs the wrath of more baddies including Frollo, Hades, Scar, Cruella DeVille, and Jafar. There’s nothing wrong with these additions, though there is something comical about how the villains seem to burn with the hatred of a thousand suns for the Mouse.

The biggest let down is the dragon. In both versions of the Disneyland show, the reveal of Maleficent as the dragon is one of the most breathtaking moments in Disney parks. The animatronic is absolutely insane. The Walt Disney World version is bigger but in the wrong way. It’s essentially a dragon head on a pole surrounded by bizarre wire wings draped with streamers. The effect just doesn’t work, and Mickey’s iconic death blow to the dragon is followed by a uniquely macabre montage of every nasty Disney villain ever being electrocuted, concluding with a shrieking Maleficent exploding in a hail of sparks.

Curious about more misconceptions surrounding Disney parks? Check out our explorations of the biggest misconceptions everyone gets wrong about Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot!