The dragon form of Maleficent suffered a significant malfunction this past week. The giant animatronic used at Disneyland’s Fantasmic nighttime show caught fire, leaving little left of the creature but a smoldering metal structure.
But how will this affect Disney’s Hollywood Studios version of Fantasmic? Not at all, apparently. According to the park’s official schedule, Fantasmic is still on schedule this week, with tonight’s show kicking off at 9 PM.
The dragon from the Disneyland show “Fantasmic” catches on fire during the show 😳
— Know Your News (@knowyournewz) April 24, 2023
You may not know it, but I’ve had my hand in constructing several aspects of the Disney and Universal parks. So when I first heard about Maleficent’s tragic demise, I wanted to see when the last time was that our local dragon had been inspected.
It turns out that the impressive prop used in Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was updated just last year and passed all its required inspections. So, I doubt we’ll see a repeat of the Disneyland debacle.
Thanks to so many people recording Disneyland’s Fantasmic, we could see what could have been the culprit. During Mickey’s showdown with Maleficent, a liquid appears to be pouring out of the dragon’s mouth. This is most likely either the fuel for the flames or hydraulic fluid.
Hydraulic fluid has a flashpoint of 300 degrees Fahrenheit. So, I doubt this was an issue with the mechanics responsible for movement in the head. We see the animatronic’s belly light up as flaming material drops. Therefore, fuel is more the probable cause.
Although, Walt Disney World isn’t a stranger to Maleficent catching on fire. In 2018, the parade version of the creature went up in a blaze right in Liberty Square!
Pyrotechnics can be fickle effects. With a complex system of flammable liquids and electronic controls attempting to work in perfect unison, errors are bound to happen. Sometimes, just a tiny spark can ruin a costly prop.
[Source: Hollywood Studios]
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