Part 1
**Congratulations to Fantasmic! on 21 years! It’s been an amazing run!**
In September of 1991, Disneyland started construction on a new type of show that would change the west side of the park forever. Once the place to enjoy a quiet evening along the river, the addition of Fantasmic! replaced the crickets with state-of-the-art water screens, fireworks, and Maleficent as the fire-breathing dragon who sets fire to the Rivers of America. The technical wizardry behind Fantasmic! was just as impressive as the show itself as nothing of this scale had never been done before in a Disney, or any, theme park. Surround sound envelopes the senses, light towers rise out of the ground and a tightly choreographed cast of characters race around Tom Sawyer’s Island to take on multiple roles in the show. Fantasmic! opened in the summer of 1992 to rabid reviews, and is still going strong today.
I wanted to dedicate space on this blog to showcase the construction process of this amazing show. Living close to Disneyland gave me the opportunity to document this process long before digital cameras and fan websites made regular construction updates commonplace. Even though this has nothing to do with Knott's Berry Farm, I think it is interesting enough to share with the online world. Sit back and enjoy this Bear-ytales.blogpot.com exclusive, and see how Mickey's imagination came to life.
Back in the day, only a small stage sat at the end of Tom Sawyer's Island. Bands on this stage entertained the crowds in New Orleans's Square.
The muddy, clay river bottom.
The Mark Twain spent the next nine months propped up on blocks.
Destruction of the front of the island was soon in full swing.
The beginnings of a retaining wall, and the hole for the dragon pit take shape.
The stage takes shape, and a new mill is built stage left.
