Classics Come Back to Disneyland Park this Summer with the Return of ‘Fantasmic!,’ Rivers of America and Disneyland Railroad

Erin Glover

by , Director, Publicity, Walt Disney Animation Studios

This summer, iconic Disneyland park attractions make their return with the reopening of “Fantasmic!,” the Rivers of America attractions and the Disneyland Railroad. We know these classic attractions – many of which have delighted guests since the park’s opening day – are very special to Disneyland park fans, and we are excited to celebrate their return.

For 25 years, “Fantasmic!” has taken Disneyland park guests on a journey into Mickey Mouse’s imagination, and its return on July 17 – in celebration of the park’s 62nd anniversary – will bring new magic to this beloved nighttime spectacular! The treasured Disneyland park experience guests have loved for years, complete with its original fanfare and theme song, will be taken to brilliant new heights. New mist screens will combine with innovative, state-of-the-art projection technology for brighter and more vibrant visuals than ever before, and the show will feature new scenes inspired by Disney animated classics such as “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.”

Rivers of America and Disneyland Railroad at Disneyland Park

Also this summer, the classic Rivers of America attractions will reopen, starting with Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island this Friday, June 16, followed by Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes on July 29. For decades, guests have traveled the landscapes inspired by four of America’s majestic rivers: the Mississippi, the Columbia, the Missouri and the Rio Grande; each carefully recreated, complete with indigenous rock formations, natural forests and wildlife. The return of these watercraft will bring even more breathtaking views for guests to discover, including an enhanced adventure featuring the new Columbia Gorge section, highlighted by five picturesque waterfalls. Last year, we shared the artist’s rendering above, courtesy of Walt Disney Imagineering, showing the gorgeous new north bank of the Rivers of America, which will feature a beautiful new waterfront.

Disneyland Railroad at Disneyland Park

This new waterfront will also include several elevated trestles over which the Disneyland Railroad will travel when it reopens along with the Rivers of America attractions on July 29. An icon for more than 60 years, the Disneyland Railroad holds a special place in the hearts of our guests, and we are excited to take them on the grand circle tour of Walt Disney’s original Magic Kingdom once again. This classic experience will also feature new and enhanced adventures! For the very first time, the Disneyland Railroad will make a left-hand turn to continue around Disneyland park, and I’m excited to tell you that Walt Disney’s legendary dioramas of the Grand Canyon and Primeval World have been carefully restored to their original splendor, with a bit of new magic added to both!

Don’t miss this iconic summer as some of your favorite attractions return to Disneyland park.

Comments

  • We stay at the resort for Christmas. In the past we were able to get a dessert package with priority seating to Fantasmic. We LOVED doing this on cold night drinking hot chocolate. Will they bring this option back? We really hope so, it was a highlight of our trip!

  • Erin,
    By any chance will the priority seating with the desserts to view Fantasmic be offered again?

  • We absolutely love the train around the park. So glad to hear it is finally returning. We are hoping to make reservations to see Fantasmic as well. Thanks for making Disneyland a place we want to return to every year.

  • So excited!!!!

  • Do I need a fast pass for this show? Or do people just show up there? How does it work for Fantasmic?

  • Is this show like World of Color where we need a fast pass?

  • Fantasmic Dining options opened back up this morning, 7/6!

  • So happy fantasmic back. Will the blue bayou have the excellent dinner package for fantasmic, I keep checking and hoping….

  • Why no answers?

  • Waiting for dining . Will it be available July 23 or after

  • When will the dining packages for Fantasmic start ??????????????

  • This is fantastic. I’m coming to usa in August. Doing Disneyland for 4 days. Have been seeing all the posts of you bringing back some old rides, parades etc. I’m so excited. First time to Disneyland for me – from Australia.
    Please extend the light parade till end of august, as I’m not getting to you till aug 24th.

  • Will there be reserved seating dining packages? If so when will those go on sale?

  • Finally!!!! My last two trips to DL have been lacking with no F!, no Railroad, no riverboats, and no place to relax – Tom Sawyer Island. It might be easy to have one of these gone and still have a great day at DL. But to have all 4 down??? I felt like I was missing a whole chapter of the book.

  • AWESOME!!! My absolute favorite attraction in Disneyland!!! I am sooooo excited that it is finally BACK!!!

  • A left turn? Cool

  • When will the Dining Packages be available? …Blue Bayou? ?✨

  • Sooo many questions answered – yet sooo many new ones come up. Ya just can’t win. And for those that said they have to wait another two years to see some of these attractions…I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say you can probably see them WITHOUT a D23 convention. They’ll still be here.

    I hope. 😉

  • when will dining packages be open for Fantasmic?!

  • Is Fastpass coming back for Fantasmic?

  • Any chance Captain Sparrow will be at Pirates Lair?

  • What a perfect choice for the opening, Disneyland’s birthday. We get there in the 16rh. Yeah!! I can’t wait.

  • I agree why couldn’t you push this stuff back for people coming to the d23 convention? Now we will have to wait a few years to come back to see these things.

  • As much as I enjoy Fantasmic!, I also get tired of the way the park clogs up with people waiting for Fantasmic! and fireworks and whatever parade is going at that time. Some evenings, I’d just like to ride the rides and not be corralled in a direction that I don’t want to go or have to step over and around the people waiting. First world problems! I know!

  • What? We are going for D23 but we leave on the 17th. Can’t you push Fantasmic up a week? This is a family favorite so sad to miss it!

  • Please tell me the Fantasmic Dessert/VIP viewing packages are coming back!

  • Glad to hear! Only wish it had been in time for our trip down for D 23!

  • This will be an exciting summer.
    It is good to hear that some work went into restoring the dioramas, its to bad that the first show building could have been integrated into the section of the railroad closer to frontierland right before fantasyland where it makes more sense in theme.
    I’m just glad that care is being done to make sure things are working properly not lets hope that eventually some of those taxidermy static animals in the grand canyon Diorama could be replaced with something a bit less creepy and with some movement

  • So Disappointed this won’t be open when I’m there for the D23 expo I was really looking forward to seeing the new version of the show ?

  • When will information about dinner and or dessert packages for Fantasmic be released?

  • Thank you for all of the wonderful details in this post!

  • This announcement makes me so happy! Just in time for Summer with Halloweentime coming up

  • So thankful Fantasmic! will be open next month during our first Disneyland vacation! We love it in WDW and cannot wait to see the updated version in California. Is it best since it’ll be so close to opening (we are there July 21-28) to get a dining package? When will those be announced? Thanks!

  • Will the Disneyland railroad possibly have a “soft” reopening on Friday, July 28th? Was thinking of being there on that day from Oklahoma!

  • NO dinner times were available FYI

  • It’s really tempting to try to schedule a quick trip to see the re-opened attractions right before the MSEP stops! 🙂

  • Doh! Missed it by two weeks…. 🙁 Well, at least Tom Sawyer’s Island will be open.

  • Will dining packages be offered for Fantasmic!?

  • Will the Blue Bayou Fantasmic! dining package return on July 17 as well?

  • Yay! Fantasmic! is finally BACK!!!!!

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