Tips and tricks for Fantasmic (How to watch)

Hollywood Studios’ nighttime show is called Fantasmic! and it’s well worth your time to see, but it can be tricky to make sure you see it without long waits.

Here are some tips and tricks to help you avoid long lines, get the best seats, and make an easy exit from the show.

What is Fantasmic?

Fantasmic! is the primary nighttime show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The exciting 29-minute spectacular is performed in a large theater (which means you get to sit while you watch it!) and features lots of Disney characters, projections on water screens, boats, fireworks, water effects, and great music.

It’s a fantastic visual treat, though some little ones may find some of the darker scenes to be scary. Here’s a brief description of each section:

Sorcerer’s Apprentice:

• Mickey conducts water fountains and brings up giant water-mist screens that transition into the iconic “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” scene from Fantasia.

Jungle Scene:

• Neon-colored animals like elephants, giraffes, and monkeys, along with Rafiki and Simba, fill the island and water screens. Includes boats that float past.

Disney Movie Montage:

• A montage of classic Disney animated movies appears in floating bubbles, featuring characters and scenes from films like The Lion King, The Jungle Book, Dumbo, Snow White, Aladdin, and more.

Disney Heroes and Heroines:

• Mickey finds himself lost in a chaotic sea, which transitions into scenes featuring Disney heroes and heroines. This includes a scene from Pocahontas and other heroes like Mulan, Tarzan, Moana, and more.

Princess Medley:

• Classic dancing scenes with Disney princesses and their princes, including Aurora and Prince Phillip, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and Jasmine and Aladdin. Belle and Beast, Ariel and Eric, and Snow White and her Prince arrive on floats, each spotlighted with their signature melodies.

Villains:

• Mickey’s dream takes a dark turn as the Queen from Snow White conjures a spell and transforms into a hag, calling on villains like Ursula, Cruella de Vil, Scar, Frollo, Jafar, Hades, and Chernabog. Mickey battles Jafar as a giant cobra and faces the 40-foot-tall fire-breathing dragon Maleficent.

Mickey’s Victory:

• Mickey defeats the villains using his imagination and a magical sword, creating a wall of water to smother the flames and banish the villains.

Steamboat Finale:

• Tinker Bell restores the mountain, and the Steamboat Willie riverboat approaches with Mickey at the helm, joined by various Disney characters. The show ends with Mickey atop the mountain in his Sorcerer outfit, fireworks, and a final “Some imagination, huh?” from Mickey.

VIDEO: Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

How to Watch Fantasmic!

You have 2 different ways to get seats for the show:

• Pay for the Fantasmic! Dining Package (guaranteed seats as long as you arrive about 30 minutes before the show starts)
• Wait in the Standby Line (no guarantee)

The show is presented in a huge outdoor theater that seats 11,000 guests, and during busy times of the year, people are often lined up in the Standby Line an hour or more beforehand to get in. We don’t wait an hour for anything, and don’t suggest you do either.

Fantasmic! Dining Packages

If you don’t want to worry about waiting in a long line for Standby seating, you can book a Fantasmic! Dining Package at one of 5 restaurants at Hollywood Studios:

• 50’s Prime Time
• Sci Fi Dine In
• Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
• Hollywood & Vine
• The Hollywood Brown Derby

Depending on which restaurant you choose, here’s what you’ll get:

• An entrée and appetizer or dessert at select full-service restaurants or one (1) full buffet (where applicable), along with a non-alcoholic beverage
• One voucher for guaranteed seating at Fantasmic! in a reserved area (you get your voucher when you dine)

Price for the package varies depending on the restaurant.

About the show schedule

The times when the show is offered vary throughout the year, so here are a couple of thoughts to keep in mind:

• Fantasmic! is a 29-minute show.
• The show is often scheduled after or at the official park closing time. The closing time is really just the time that you need to be in line for an attraction. The park will still be open after that to allow you to take pics, shop, and see Fantasmic!.
• During busier times of year, two shows might be offered. The second one will always be much less crowded, but the Fantasmic Dinner Package is only available at the first show.
• For less busy times, Fantasmic may not be scheduled nightly, so check the schedule for your trip dates to make sure it’s an option.
• During the winter months, the show is sometimes scheduled pretty early (around 6 or 7), making it much easier to see it for people who can’t stay up late.

Where to sit

Once in the theater, no matter which section you are in, aim to get as close to the middle section as possible and at least half way back.

Sitting further back will allow you to see the whole show more easily and avoid getting wet (which happens to many people sitting in the first couple of rows). However, people sitting closer to the front can snap better pics of the boats as they float by.

Eating at your seat

Since the theater is outdoors, you can bring food in to eat while you sit. There is also a concession stand inside the theater that sells snacks, but the lines can often get pretty long so we’ve always found it easier to bring stuff in with us.

Making a graceful exit

When you enter the Fantasmic! seating area, you’ll enter via the upper left. However, if your goal after the show is to exit the park, we’d suggest exiting to the upper right. That will take you right to the front of the park, and allow you to exit easily.

Important note: This secondary exit may not be available every night.

Will Fantasmic Use Genie+?

Back in the olden days, Fantasmic! was available with FastPass and FastPass+.

And, it isn’t unusual for Disney to utilize Genie+ for other shows like Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and the Frozen Sing-Along at Hollywood Studios and Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Big Blue….and Beyond! at Animal Kingdom.

Adding an additional Genie+ opportunity would definitely be appreciated, especially during the busy holiday season.

However, this hasn’t happened yet and maybe never will. We will just have to wait and see.

Historically, the giant theater was divided up into 3 distinct sections – 1 for standby, 1 for dining packages, and 1 for the precursor to Genie+ – FastPass+.

We could (eventually) see something similar. Or not. At this point, since it hasn’t been added, we’ve kind of given up hope, to be honest.