Episode 104- Parks of the Future: Dream Disney Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Okay, so now for today's episode, we're going to kind of go through our list of ideas, and I will start off and then dad will do his.

So I'll start with my first one.

This one I called the dream a fantastic dream tour.

And this one will surprise nobody.

I honestly can't believe that Disney doesn't already offer something like this.

And I know there have been cast member experiences and backstage opportunities in the past, but As far as I could find, there really hasn't been a true public offered behind the scenes tour dedicated to my favorite nighttime show, Fantasmic.

If there was previously, listeners, please let me know.

But I thought that there was.

I researched this when we were doing our tours of the past episodes, and I could not find anything except for the cast member tour.

But I would picture this being about a three-hour premium tour offered on select afternoons before the evening performances.

And the tour would begin, obviously, at Hollywood Studios with a check-in where guests would receive an exclusive Fantasmic lanyard, name tag, and maybe even like a collectible tour guidebook filled with concept art and production facts.

From there, the real magic would begin.

The first stop would be the history of Fantasmic, and you learn about how the show was originally developed for Disneyland in the early 90s, and why Walt Disney World decided to build an entirely dedicated amphitheater instead of using the rivers of America like Disneyland does.

They could show early concept artwork, scale models, and maybe even some of the original Imagineering blueprints showing how the mountain and theater were designed.

Then you'd head backstage to explore areas that guests never get to see.

I'd love to actually walk inside the mountain itself.

from the audience it just kind of looks like a giant rock but obviously inside it's like an enormous stage filled with stairways catwalk storage areas lighting equipment and mechanical systems so imagine seeing how performers make those lightning fast costume changes or how mickey appears at the very top of the mountain just moments after being somewhere else in the show they could explain the network of backstage corridors the elevators and stair systems that the performers use and how everyone hits their cues with split-second precision.

Considering that there's dozens of performers, characters, stunt actors, technicians, and boat operators all working simultaneously, it really is like watching a perfectly choreographed machine.

I'd also love to have an entire section kind of focused more on the technical side of the production, where they show us the lighting, the control room, where every spotlight is programmed, and let us see the audio booth where the music and narration are mixed live.

It would also be nice if they would explain how the projections are mapped onto the water screens and mountain, and how the lasers are synchronized with the soundtrack, how the massive fire effects are safely controlled, and Disney has some of the best entertainment engineers in the world.

and hearing directly from them would be fascinating for sure.

Another section could focus kind of on the costuming aspect and character operations.

Imagine seeing Maleficent's dragon costume up close or learning how the princess gowns are maintained after hundreds of performances.

Maybe the guests could even handle samples of specialized fabrics kind of designed to withstand the heat, water, and pyrotechnics while still looking great under the stage lighting.

And speaking of the dragon, I think one of the highlights would be kind of learning exactly how Murphy's Replacement Dragon, or whatever version is currently performing, is operated.