Changes to Fantasmic!?

[ShoeCello]

I just saw F! again last night (10:30 PM showing) for the first time since the start of summer, and noticed two changes that I haven't heard anything about. First, there were no stunts on the Columbia during the Pirates section - no one was swinging from the ship, nor was Jack up on the high rope. The sword fighting was down on deck, and no performers or stunt actors were on the high wire. The "wanted" banner unfurled by itself. Secondly, the ending was different - normally Sorcerer Mickey appears at the top of the mountain to set off pyro before magically appearing down on the main level for the "some imagination, huh?" line as tux Mickey. Yesterday it was only sorcerer Mickey, and he was down on the main level the whole time. The pyro effects were also different and shot up at different angles.

Has anyone heard about these changes or confirm when they occurred? I don't like either and hope that it's not a consequence of cost cutting (I imagine cutting stunts people and decreasing the number of Mickeys by one would save some money) - the show just appears less magical than before.

Also - does anyone know what's replacing Disneyland Forever and Main St Electrical Parade after Sept 2?

 

[HydroGuy]

I saw F! last Friday and the pirates were swinging around Columbia. You must have had an off night. If I recall Mickey was down on the stage for the final scene.

 

[pharmama]

The section on the ship sounds like the version they run when its been damp or raining. What was the weather like yesterday evening when you saw the show?

 

[yetiowine]

We had experienced similar Fantasmic changes a week ago. The current show feels more like they're cramming in more characters and tunes along with the loss of some classics (Peter Pan). I'm glad I did the BB package this last trip, but will probably skip it altogether next time I visit. Too much water screen work and overlap with WoC.

 

[ShoeCello]

The section on the ship sounds like the version they run when its been damp or raining. What was the weather like yesterday evening when you saw the show?

Sunny all day with no rain at all!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I just saw F! again last night (10:30 PM showing) for the first time since the start of summer, and noticed two changes that I haven't heard anything about. First, there were no stunts on the Columbia during the Pirates section - no one was swinging from the ship, nor was Jack up on the high rope. The sword fighting was down on deck, and no performers or stunt actors were on the high wire. The "wanted" banner unfurled by itself. Secondly, the ending was different - normally Sorcerer Mickey appears at the top of the mountain to set off pyro before magically appearing down on the main level for the "some imagination, huh?" line as tux Mickey. Yesterday it was only sorcerer Mickey, and he was down on the main level the whole time. The pyro effects were also different and shot up at different angles.

Has anyone heard about these changes or confirm when they occurred? I don't like either and hope that it's not a consequence of cost cutting (I imagine cutting stunts people and decreasing the number of Mickeys by one would save some money) - the show just appears less magical than before.

Also - does anyone know what's replacing Disneyland Forever and Main St Electrical Parade after Sept 2?

The version we saw in July sounds like your version. It was actually the first time we had bothered to watch the show since they changed it a few years ago.

 

[pharmama]

We had experienced similar Fantasmic changes a week ago. The current show feels more like they're cramming in more characters and tunes along with the loss of some classics (Peter Pan). I'm glad I did the BB package this last trip, but will probably skip it altogether next time I visit. Too much water screen work and overlap with WoC.

The change to POTC instead of Peter Pan, increased projection sequences and some other changes came about with the return of F! in 2017 after the extensive closure when the RoA were re-routed for SWGE. I like POTC and all but really wish they’d left that sequence Peter Pan.

Interesting that they were running altered sequences last night. In May the end of the show was as you described with Mickey on top of the building on the island. Sounds like the Columbia sequence was normal last week so perhaps some other technical difficulties there since it doesn’t sound like it was weather related. They do have that non swinging choreography as an option when needed.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I saw F! last Friday and the pirates were swinging around Columbia. You must have had an off night. If I recall Mickey was down on the stage for the final scene.

I saw it last Thursday and it was the same as you - plenty of swinging pirates but no magically moving Mickey.

 

[coreyfdizz]

We had experienced similar Fantasmic changes a week ago. The current show feels more like they're cramming in more characters and tunes along with the loss of some classics (Peter Pan). I'm glad I did the BB package this last trip, but will probably skip it altogether next time I visit. Too much water screen work and overlap with WoC.

I’m with you. Ever since it got changed from the original. It’s too similar to WoC with water projection show. Agree that Peter Pan was a better fit. Like you we did the Blue Bayou package and now I don’t have to make reservations for a Fantasmic or WoC package. No more time commitments. Enjoying the park more.

 

[Malcon10t]

The change on the ship occurs when something has happened to make the ship slippery (ie rain, fog, dampness) and can happen when there ship just wasn't rigged in time. Regarding Mickey, sounds like something just went wrong. Similar to when a prince doesn't show up on a float.

 

[justlai87]

I saw Fantasmic this past Sunday, and had the same experience as the OP.

I also noticed that the projections on the screen behind the cabin were not aligned properly. It was like watching a 3D film without 3D glasses. I don't recall it being like that.

 

[MommyLove]

Our family is disappointed by a lot of the changes they made with the revamp. Maleficient turning into the dragon isn't NEARLY as cool/dramatic. The little Pinocchio/marionette bit is missing. The dancing monkies & music is different and not as entertaining. A lot of the re-vocalized music isn't as good. And it's just overall not as exciting. We're so bummed by it all.

 

[ShoeCello]

I saw it last Thursday and it was the same as you - plenty of swinging pirates but no magically moving Mickey.

I watched F! yesterday (10:30 PM showing), and the magically moving Mickey is back! The change back had to have come in the last two weeks, since I last watched F! two weeks ago and there was no magically moving Mickey two weeks ago. Very excited to see that, particularly after they cancelled the fireworks yesterday due to high wind.

Also, Rob (@WonkaKid ), I was inspired by all your postings about your scores on Buzz and went on it for the first time in ages yesterday. I got 88,000 and saw you on the top of the leaderboard with 2 million plus. How in the world do you score that high?! Tell us your secrets!

 

[WonkaKid]

Also, Rob (@WonkaKid ), I was inspired by all your postings about your scores on Buzz ... How in the world do you score that high?! Tell us your secrets!

These are the Buzz tips that I offer to anyone that asks. Note also that I ride it at least six times per park visit. In short, I do it a lot on my weekly visits .
· Only ever shoot diamonds (5,000 points) and triangles (10,000 points – 50,000 when lit). Shoot squares only when lit (5000 points). As I often explain to other guests, shooting one triangle is the scoring equivalent to shooting 100 circles. Don’t waste time on circles.

· Shoot targets multiple times, not just once. I often leave the first room with 250,000 – 300,000 points.

· If you have trouble hitting targets, take a moment to shoot at a blank wall to determine if your gun is shooting high, low or to one side. Often times that’s the key. Not all guns are created equal ;-).

· Make note of where the triangle targets are and go for them as often as possible. For example, in the second to last room (where the second Zurg is), there’s one behind you as you near the exit. You have to shoot the circle beneath it to make it pop up. That alone -- hitting it ten times -- can earn players at least 100,000 points.

· This won’t be an issue for most players, but be aware that if you exceed approximately 2,096,000, your score will reset and you’ll lose everything. This happens to me regularly and it’s very frustrating. The challenge is that once you exceed 1M points, the cruiser will only display 999999. You’ll need to keep track (or try to) in your head. This has been an issue for the past two years or so. I’ve raised it with Disney many times but I think it unlikely that they’ll ever fix it. They tell me that the game is designed to do that; that it's not a bug. It was never meant to allow players to exceed that score. The way it performs now is the way it was always intended to. Which seems unnecessary but they’ve done it.

· On a related note, scores above 1M will only display at the photo kiosks at the ride exit. Lately there’ve been problems with scores flowing through with pictures. I’ve also raised this issue with Disney and hopefully it will be corrected. It’s also been a problem for a long time and I doubt it will ever be fixed.

· One note: my father was a marksman in the army. When he first taught me to shoot a pistol when I was 12, I hit a dead-center bullseye from 50 yards on my absolute first try. In short, I’ve always been a great shot.

 

[ShoeCello]

These are the Buzz tips that I offer to anyone that asks. Note also that I ride it at least six times per park visit. In short, I do it a lot on my weekly visits .
· Only ever shoot diamonds (5,000 points) and triangles (10,000 points – 50,000 when lit). Shoot squares only when lit (5000 points). As I often explain to other guests, shooting one triangle is the scoring equivalent to shooting 100 circles. Don’t waste time on circles.

· Shoot targets multiple times, not just once. I often leave the first room with 250,000 – 300,000 points.

· If you have trouble hitting targets, take a moment to shoot at a blank wall to determine if your gun is shooting high, low or to one side. Often times that’s the key. Not all guns are created equal ;-).

· Make note of where the triangle targets are and go for them as often as possible. For example, in the second to last room (where the second Zurg is), there’s one behind you as you near the exit. You have to shoot the circle beneath it to make it pop up. That alone -- hitting it ten times -- can earn players at least 100,000 points.

· This won’t be an issue for most players, but be aware that if you exceed approximately 2,096,000, your score will reset and you’ll lose everything. This happens to me regularly and it’s very frustrating. The challenge is that once you exceed 1M points, the cruiser will only display 999999. You’ll need to keep track (or try to) in your head. This has been an issue for the past two years or so. I’ve raised it with Disney many times but I think it unlikely that they’ll ever fix it. They tell me that the game is designed to do that; that it's not a bug. It was never meant to allow players to exceed that score. The way it performs now is the way it was always intended to. Which seems unnecessary but they’ve done it.

· On a related note, scores above 1M will only display at the photo kiosks at the ride exit. Lately there’ve been problems with scores flowing through with pictures. I’ve also raised this issue with Disney and hopefully it will be corrected. It’s also been a problem for a long time and I doubt it will ever be fixed.

· One note: my father was a marksman in the army. When he first taught me to shoot a pistol when I was 12, I hit a dead-center bullseye from 50 yards on my absolute first try. In short, I’ve always been a great shot.

Thanks! Didn't even know the targets had different values...