Nightastic!

[DisneyDaniel]

Ditto to much of what iSm said above. The new Fantasmic! dragon was the star of the evening. The crowds who gathered around Rivers of America loudly cheered as Maleficent first appeared (because they knew her transformation was coming, of course), and then applause exploded when the reluctant dragon finally came out for the world to see. From the timing of the applause, you could tell there were plenty of eager, dedicated dragon-watcher, Disney fans in attendance--which made it exciting to give the wonderful Fantasmic! show a renewed energy.

Side note, I shot the video on the "Pirates" bridge for a more clear view of the dragon to avoid videotaping the back of people's heads. Even though that location was several feet away from the river's edge, the volume of the cheering crowds was evident.

Of course, you all need to fully experience the whole show in person to truly be in awe of the dragon as it fits in with the rest of the show--but, as Disney fans, you know that already.

Also, from different photos and videos posted on various boards, it can be interesting to see the dragon from different sides of the river. Next time, I may try being in the audience's far left, closer to Haunted Mansion, to see the dragon menacing over Mickey the Brave Little Tailor, as seen in THIS POST on MC.

And, yeah, a LoT viewing of the updated Fantasmic! would be great! Twirling napkins in unison would be a bonus!

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaniel

applause exploded when the reluctant dragon finally came out for the world to see.

Silly Disney, they could have avoided months of bad press and disappointed fans if they had just announced that Pete's Dragon would fill in for Murphy during the down time.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaniel

...to see the dragon menacing over Mickey the Brave Little Tailor...

OMG he's dressed as the Brave Little Tailor, isn't he? All these years I just thought he was dressed as Prince Phillip. What a bad Disney fan I am.