This photo courtesy of Shawna Bell shows a fire during the “Fantasmic” show at the Tom Sawyer Island section of the Disneyland resort in Anaheim, California, on Saturday, April 22, 2023.
Shawna Bell/AP
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Shawna Bell/AP
This photo courtesy of Shawna Bell shows a fire during the “Fantasmic” show at the Tom Sawyer Island section of the Disneyland resort in Anaheim, California, on Saturday, April 22, 2023.
Shawna Bell/AP
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Spectators in the popular “Fantasmic!” of Disneyland. show got a shock this weekend when the feature’s fire-breathing animatronic dragon suddenly burst into flames.
No injuries were reported following Saturday night’s fire at the Southern California theme park, the Anaheim Fire Department said.
Ryan Laux, a frequent Disneyland visitor, said the fire has always been part of the “Fantasmic!” presentation. But he said he knew something was wrong when the flames didn’t come from where they usually do.
“The head started to catch fire instead of the fire coming out,” said Laux, who lives in Los Angeles and caught the fire on video.
The show was stopped almost immediately “and then right after that, the dragon started to catch fire and the whole body was on fire,” he told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The show takes place twice in the evening near the park’s famous Tom Sawyer Island. The climax features Mickey Mouse fighting a giant dragon named Maleficent.
Laux said that Mickey ran off the stage as soon as the dragon’s head was engulfed in flames.
The extent of the damage was not immediately known.
