Mickey's PhilharMagic

Fantasyland
Magic Kingdom

Readers Chime in with Comments

This information contains a "spoiler" but you might want to read it if you are taking your young children to Mickey's PhilharMagic. My husband and I saw it Nov. 9th. We saw it during the Extra Magic Hour at 8:15 a.m. and it was not crowded, so you could pretty much sit where you wanted to. A family with a child about 5-6 yrs old sat in the left back corner (nearest to entrance doors). When Donald went into the wall behind them, it terrified the child and he began to cry and scream as loud as he could "I want to go home NOW." Seeing Donald catapulted into a cement wall may be fightening for your child. I would suggest sitting up front or at the other corner, immediately explaining it's not real, or not letting your child turn around at the end if they could be scared. After a few moments, Donald disappears into the wall, so you can walk out without your child seeing it. At the time, everyone in the theater laughed at this situation, but I can honestly say that poor child was terrified. It is an excellent show and not to be missed, we saw it twice! They had technical difficulties on Nov. 8 and it was shut down for almost the entire day and people never got to use their Fast Passes. See the show as soon as you get to the park. (Chris White, 11/03)

*****

We just returned from a visit to Disney and were able to view Mickey's PhilharMagic. We traveled with our two daughters ages 6 and almost 2 and both adults and children enjoyed the show. A tip though that might help is for the younger children to view the show without the glasses. My toddler had no problem wearing the glasses but the 3D effects were too intense. It bothered her that things were coming so close to her face. From the sounds of several young children crying in the audience she was not the only one that found this to be an issue. Once I removed her glasses and let her view the show without them she was much happier and excited at what she was seeing. (Samantha Deluca , 10/2003)

*****

We loved Mickey's PhilharMagic, but those of you with younger children might want to warn them that it can be loud at times - not really scary, just loud. There was a chorus of crying babies after the first loud effect - they seemed to calm down after that, though. One of the most wonderful things I experienced in this attraction was during one of the 3-D flying sequences: a small child sitting on her father's lap in the row in front of me threw out her hands as if she was flying. This show is a great addition to Fantasyland. (Mary Cronin, 10/2003)

*****

On the TV in our room they had a channel that showed the top 7 must see's in DisneyWorld. Mickey's Philharmagic should have been number one! (it was rated #3) it appeals to all ages and by far is the best 3-D attraction in all the parks. The changing of themes brought back the goose-bumps from the films from when they first were released! (Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Mermaid, etc.) (Sam Knight, 10/2003)

*****

PhilharMagic was simply breathtaking. It was so cool to feel as if I could just reach out and touch Jasmine and Aladdin. And give Ariel a big hug! What a beautifull movie! This is a must must see, way better than any of the other 3d movies! (Lisa Widzins, 10/03)

*****

Just returned from ten GLORIOUS days at Disney and I HAVE TO HAVE TO gush over Philharmagic! It is such a wonderful attraction, capturing the best of Disney old and new. The storyline weaving classic Disney characters (Mickey, Donald) with contemporary characters (Lion King, Aladdin) is such a wonderful marriage of what makes Disney so great. The show presents such a fresh homage to Mickey and Fantasia, while weaving in a lot of modern Disney stuff for folks who may have never even seen Fantasia! The 3-D effects were FAR superior to any we saw anywhere else (Honey I Shrunk the Audience at EPCOT, and the Muppets 3-D at Disney MGM). In fact, the Philharmagic effects were so wonderful, both of those attractions are going to need a MAJOR makeover to keep pace! I'm not going to give away any of the "surprises" of Philharmagic, but let me say it was my favorite attraction of the whole visit and we probably went through at least FIVE times!

We fast-passed Philharmagic every time to ensure we got in, but even on opening week, it looked like most everyone who wanted to get in did get in. Don't worry about being at the head of the line for this one! As a matter of fact, you'll want to be at the middle or back of the line so you can control your seating (in other words, if you want to sit toward the middle of the row and not get shoved to the far end, be in the back of the line where you can linger and pick your seat). We viewed the show from the back of the auditorium, the middle, and close to the front. It's a different show every time! Some effects are more pronounced toward the front; others are more pronounced toward the back!

And warning if you're a Small World fan: we definitely noticed that Small World got SLAMMED every time Philharmagic let out! The huge Philharmagic crowds are at least temporarily creating gridlock in the area when the huge audience lets out. (Brian Bahrenfuss 10/03)

*****

Mickey's Philharmagic was absolutely fabulous! My husband, father-in-law and I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and were really impressed by the size of the screen. The colors, animation, sound quality and effects were decidedly top notch and, in my opinion this attraction is classic-caliber, right up there with Peter Pan and It's a Small World. We will definitely be making it a usual stop. (Gretchen Osim, 10/03)

*****

My husband and I along with my two children (ages 4 and 2) were lucky to be one of the first people to take in the new Mickey's Philharmagic show and it went above any expectation we ever had. We absolutly loved it!!! We enjoyed it so much we fast passed it and saw it again and then returned later in the week just to see it a final time before going home. It was so much fun my 2 year old even sat through it with her glasses on! If you get the chance to see it I would highly recommend it. I have to say that it is a definete NOT MISS at the MK! (Nicki Drinane, 10/03)

*****

My family and I were fortunate enough to see Philharmagic twice during the soft opening in the last week of September. My 18 month old was afraid of the loud noises from the instruments at the beginning, but my 4 year old loved it and tried to grab all the items coming out of the screen. (Jancie Hatcher, 9/03)

*****

Wow. Where do I begin? About 2:30 PM, we were working our way back to find a good spot to catch the Parade when we spotted the location for Mickey's Philharmagic. I was unfamiliar with this attraction, and it looked like it wasn't open yet. But lo and behold, a CM came out and asked us if we wanted to take a sneak peek at the new attraction. The show was starting in ten minutes so the four of us decided to take a look.

Once inside the auditorium we waited outside some beautiful doors. The details in the waiting area were wonderful! Much better than any of the Broadway theatres I've been in! After a few minutes, the doors opened and we were ushered inside a very spacious, very plush auditorium. After another few minutes, the lights dimmed.... and dimmed some more.. and then we heard Goofy, the Stage Manager. He was having problems with the band, of course. He really wasn't having any luck getting the show started "on time".

Then the show started, and I for one was enchanted. We had seen a few other 3-D shows in the week we were in Florida (yes, even at another non-Disney park!) but this was was by far the most amazing. As told in previous reviews, Mickey is the leader of the Orchestra. Donald ends up using the Sorcerer's hat to conduct the magical orchestra, and ends up losing the hat in a vortex. He must go in and get it or else the orchestra will never stop. He goes "Under the Sea" and sings with Ariel (wearing a mask and flippers which was hilarious, since he's a duck!), flys over Big Ben with Peter Pan, was a "Guest" at the Enchanted Castle, and he flew on the magic carpet with Jasmine and Aladdin, almost getting his hands on the Hat a few times thoughout his journey.

Even I, as a thirty-something adult was enchanted with this show. I found myself constantly reaching out to touch the 3-D images which were seemingly right in front of me. I was amazed when one of the Dishes brought out a plate of apple pie during the Be Our Guest sequence and I actually smelled apple pie! And how when I was with Aladdin I could smell the scent of Jasmine. As in all good stories, the ending comes much too quick. Mickey drops by the save the day, and all is restored. Except poor Donald - I don't know if he'll ever get rid of his headache!! :)

As I sit and write this little recap, I find myself wishing we had turned around and gone right back in to view the show again, because even after less than a month, the details are slowly fading. It was a real treat to be one of the first to see this production, and my advice is to use your fastpass and make sure you see it at least twice. It will move you like no other Disney attraction, no matter what your age (Disney or real). :) (Heather Donovan, 9/03)