The original Disneyland soft opening was scheduled to begin Wednesday, April 29, 1992. By late afternoon, rioting began in Los Angeles following the acquittal of the Los Angeles police officers involved in the Rodney King beating. Promotional materials with the catchphrase "Be There When the Night Ignites" were then quickly pulled from public circulation.
Differences between the California Fantasmic! and the Florida Fantasmic!
- the Fantasia (1940) sequence at the beginning of the show transitions into a scene from The Lion King (1994).
- the Dumbo (1941), The Little Mermaid (1989), Finding Nemo (2003), and Pinocchio (1940) sequences are replaced with a bubble montage of Disney animated films presented on the mist screens.
- the onstage battle scene from Pocahontas (1995) appears in place of the Peter Pan (1953)/Pirates part.
- the climax features more villains than in the previous incarnation.
- the battle between Mickey and the villains, as well as their subsequent defeat, is longer in the Florida version.
- Snow White and her prince still appear in the princess segment, performing "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
- Mickey still appears in his Brave Little Tailor (1938) attire and uses the sword to defeat the dragon.
- Instead of the Mark Twain Riverboat, the characters appear on board the Steamboat Willie during the finale.
The Hollywood Studios version of Fantasmic! features some unique elements, incorporating scenes from recent animated releases such as "The Lion King," "Pocahontas," "Hercules" and "Mulan."
An animatronic for Ursula from The Little Mermaid was used in the show but was later cut.