The Disneyland dragon that has been somewhat less than reliable since its introduction, has a history of technical difficulties. Disney delayed debuting the dragon’s public appearance as the company worked to address problems, finally introducing the dragon Sept. 1, 2009. Its performance problems have earned the Audio-Animatronic the affectionate nickname “Murphy,” after “Murphy’s Law,” by Disney fans.
Murphy lived up to its reputation on Saturday, August 28, 2010 as Disney fans took to Twitter and Disney fan websites to describe the event and its aftermath as it was happening. MiceChat and MousePlanet and their users reported the dragon collapsed, its neck and head falling into a slump, during Fantasmic!
Disneyland then shrouded Rivers of America, the show’s site, in mist and canceled the night’s second scheduled performance.
During Disneyland’s 2010 “Summer Nightastic!” promotion, Fantasmic! had been shown every night. The promotion ended and the show returned to its weekends-only schedule.
Now the troubled Fantasmic! dragon is back and MousePlanet has the video to prove it! Yay!