Dream a Fantasmic Dream: Immersion, World Building, and Nostalgia in Disneyland’s Fantasmic!
Location
Rosen Classroom 111
Start Date
20-6-2024 9:30 AM
Description
“Welcome to Fantasmic,” is met with resounding cheers as the lights around the Rivers of America dim. An electronic hum begins to echo while Pirate’s Lair begins to darken and is lit by glimmering lights beginning one of several of Disneyland’s nighttime spectaculars. The show premiered in 1992 and has continued to enchant audiences since. Fantasmic! details the power of dreams and the imagination through the eyes of the illustrious Mickey Mouse journeying through different settings of various Disney movies. What is it about Fantasmic! that not only draws enormous crowds to it every night but allows it to tell a compelling narrative through a kaleidoscope of various Disney intellectual properties?
Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of immersive theater (Kokai and Robson 2019; Machon 2013), double-diegesis (Camp 2017), musical topophilia (Bolderman 2020), and place theory (Tuan 1975), I argue that Disneyland’s Fantasmic is a form of immersive musical tourism that transforms theme park spaces into experienced places that have meaning to individuals, and as a result, Disney fans. I analyze Fantasmic through a lens of musical worldbuilding by examining how the show utilizes Disney intellectual properties through projections, fireworks, live actors, and most importantly, the music to create a meaningful immersive and nostalgic experience.
By viewing Fantasmic through these various lenses, I demonstrate the vast significance that Disney theme park shows have on the Disney experience and consequently contemporary U.S. culture.
Recommended Citation
Lopez, Anna Marinela, "Dream a Fantasmic Dream: Immersion, World Building, and Nostalgia in Disneyland’s Fantasmic!" (2024). Theme Park Music and Sound. 2.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/tpms/2024/thursday/2
Dream a Fantasmic Dream: Immersion, World Building, and Nostalgia in Disneyland’s Fantasmic!
Rosen Classroom 111
“Welcome to Fantasmic,” is met with resounding cheers as the lights around the Rivers of America dim. An electronic hum begins to echo while Pirate’s Lair begins to darken and is lit by glimmering lights beginning one of several of Disneyland’s nighttime spectaculars. The show premiered in 1992 and has continued to enchant audiences since. Fantasmic! details the power of dreams and the imagination through the eyes of the illustrious Mickey Mouse journeying through different settings of various Disney movies. What is it about Fantasmic! that not only draws enormous crowds to it every night but allows it to tell a compelling narrative through a kaleidoscope of various Disney intellectual properties?
Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of immersive theater (Kokai and Robson 2019; Machon 2013), double-diegesis (Camp 2017), musical topophilia (Bolderman 2020), and place theory (Tuan 1975), I argue that Disneyland’s Fantasmic is a form of immersive musical tourism that transforms theme park spaces into experienced places that have meaning to individuals, and as a result, Disney fans. I analyze Fantasmic through a lens of musical worldbuilding by examining how the show utilizes Disney intellectual properties through projections, fireworks, live actors, and most importantly, the music to create a meaningful immersive and nostalgic experience.
By viewing Fantasmic through these various lenses, I demonstrate the vast significance that Disney theme park shows have on the Disney experience and consequently contemporary U.S. culture.