Now You Will Deal With Me

... and all the powers of my imagination!

The long wait is finally over! The new dragon finally appeared after being absent from its June 12, 2009 premiere.

Word had gotten around that the new dragon would finally emerge today after a disappointing Monday no-show. It had gotten packed a lot sooner than it did the previous night. And on this night, one would have to expect the dragon to appear because Disney had reserved the usual “reserved area” that is on the right side of the control booth, to those who had worked on the project. And tonight, they finally saw the dragon in it‘s splendor with a live audience.

And now my thoughts about the dragon: It’s very cool! The previous dragon wasn’t much of anything compared to the current one and this new dragon now closely resembles what was originally displayed in commercials way back in 1992. Obviously a lot of hard work and dedication went into creating this dragon.

When I first saw Fantastic at the Cast Premier on May 12, 1992, the climactic battle was about to start. I got goose bumps as the mist of water displayed the animated dragon clips from Sleeping Beauty. I saw the eyes glow, the head move … and finally the mist had settled. I couldn’t believe what I saw. Not only was I amazed, but I was also confused. I wondered if the dragon was finished or not because it looked more like a head on a stick with some mylar strings coming from its neck and some wings. I had always wondered why Disney could not come up with something like the dragon that was on the commercials and over time, I had this crazy idea the previous dragon sort of made sense from a theatrical point of view and because of that, I appreciated it even more.

When Darkness and Light Colide, the Night Becomes Fantasmic!

As most are already aware of the new Maleficent Dragon being installed for Fantasmic! At Disneyland Park, many fans are wondering what the dragon will actually look like. As far as it is publicly known according to the Disneyland Press Release, all that is mentioned is that "The evil Maleficent from 'Sleeping Beauty' transforms into a 40-foot tall, fire-breathing dragon." But according to Disney's mini documentary from 1992, it is already stated that "A 40 foot dragon hides and wait, rising from a hidden trap door".

Aside from it being 40 feet high, the dragon will have a flame 20'-30' from her mouth. And when the dragon is in slumber, it is folded onto itself in order to fit in the 25 foot pit. This dragon should hopefully resemble the dragon that was seen in the original commercial for the spectacular water show when it debuted in 1992

And what is really great about all of this, is that the new dragon alone is costing more than $1 million. Along with the new Flotsam and Jetsam puppets , and an improved Crocodile, Disney is pouring money into a show that hasn't lost any popularity since it's 1992 debut

Photos and Video copyright: Disney.  Youtube video post by: supertrouper01