Disneyland unveiled official photos and video of the new Fantasmic dragon but still has yet to set a date for the 40-foot-tall animatronic's much-anticipated debut.
Despite top billing, the oft-delayed dragon failed to appear during the Disneyland's Summer Nightastic promotion — a big black eye for the Anaheim theme park.
Several key dates lay on the horizon, including the upcoming Labor Day weekend when crowds will throng Disneyland and the Disney D23 Expo on Sept. 10-13 when the Disney faithful will descend on the Anaheim Convention Center. But when the dragon will take the stage along Disneyland's Rivers of America remains a continuing mystery.
Disneyland officials said the dragon won't appear tonight, despite rampant Web speculation to the contrary.
Online knife-twisters, who dubiously dubbed the malfunctioning monster Murphy (as in Murphy's Law), have spent the summer delighting in the dragon's continuing misfortune.
Dragon Tracker (@DragonTracker) on Twitter even provided nightly Fantasmic updates with a constant refrain: No Dragon.
Disneyland wasn't alone in the misery department though. It was a painful year for several theme park projects across the United States:
- Repeated delays pushed the launch of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster at Universal Studios Orlando from spring to mid-August.
- Cliffhanger at North Carolina's Ghost Town in the Sky closed one day after its debut when inspectors spotted hairline cracks in the coaster cars.
- California's Great America in Santa Clara postponed a planned wooden coaster when neighbors raised noise concerns.
Disneyland unveiled official photos and video of the new Fantasmic dragon but still has yet to set a date for the 40-foot-tall animatronic's much-anticipated debut.