Finding Nemo - The Musical captures the heart, humor, characters and story from the Disney-Pixar animated film Finding Nemo and adapts them into a mesmerizing 30-minute Broadway-style musical stage show. The performance is for audiences of all ages in the air-conditioned Theater in the Wild in the DinoLand U.S.A. area at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.
It's a big, blue beautiful world, but not without its dangers, as the overprotective clownfish father, Marlin, his curious son, Nemo, and their friend, Dory, find out in this big fish story-complete with new musical numbers that take their cue from lines from the movie, including "Just Keep Swimming" and "Go with the Flow." The innovative lighting, sound, special effects and stunning theatrical puppets-some as large as cars-make Finding Nemo - The Musical a must "sea" production.
The "Theater in the Wild" has been transformed into the undersea world of Marlin and Nemo. Through the use of puppetry, acrobats, dancers performing against an animated backdrop, "Finding Nemo" comes to life.
The Musical marks the first time Disney has taken a non-musical movie and transformed it into a musical show for the parks. It's an adaptation of the Disney-Pixar movie, re-telling the story of a father clownfish, Marlin, and his son, Nemo, who learn how to love and understand each other. Nemo is taken away and Marlin will stop at nothing to get his son back, facing undersea challenges such as sharks, jellyfish with his new, ever loyal, friend Dory. Meanwhile, Nemo is trapped in a fish tank in Sydney, and makes his own new friends who inspire him to do whatever it takes to see his father again.
Not only does the audience get a chance to see the well loved story in a new production, but they enjoy the original songs written just for the show, including "Big Blue World", also heard at The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot, and Crush's big number, "Go With the Flow", a tribute to 60s surfing music.
Touring Tips
- This show lasts approximately 30 minutes and is performed at several, scheduled times each day.
- Seating is wooden bench seats with backs. Guests may remain in their wheelchair, motorized scooter or ECV to experience the attraction.
- Arrive at least 30 minutes before the performance, and be prepared to wait in a long line. However, the theater seats a lot of people, so don't let the line make you give up.
- Before the show starts, the bubbles on the left and right sides of the stage show Nemo swimming by. You can't tell when and where he'll show up, so keep your eyes peeled! This helps break up the wait for the show. Don't miss what happens in the bubbles as you leave the theater; the bubbles' characters will also change what they say after awhile.
- Anyone booked for lunch at Tusker House between 1:00pm and 1:40pm will receive a ticket for reserved seating at the Finding Nemo 3:15pm show. Only reservations between 1:00pm and 1:40pm qualify. One ticker per person dining.
- The show doesn't have an official Character meet and greet; however, some performers may come out with their puppets to talk to the audience for a short while after the performance. Please note that they do not leave the stage area, so those who are seated closer have a better opportunity to see them.
Facts
- The Theater in the Wild holds 1,500 guests and is the largest theater in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
- Finding Nemo - the Musical was announced at the April 7, 2006 Grand Opening of Expedition Everest. It held previews starting November 5, 2006, and opened on January 24, 2007.
- Nemo was the first non-musical animated film to which Disney added songs in order to produce a stage musical. In 2009 Finding Nemo - The Musical was honored with a Thea award for Best Live Show from the Themed Entertainment Association.
- The puppets for "Finding Nemo - The Musical" are designed by Michael Curry, creator of the amazing puppets for Disney's Broadway smash hit, "The Lion King." The oversized sea creatures include Crush who's the size of VW Bug and the incredible 22 foot tall Nigel the Pelican.
History
The stage musical "Tarzan Rocks!" occupied the Theater in the Wild at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida from 1999 to 2006. When, in January 2006, it closed, it was rumored that a musical adaptation of Finding Nemo would replace it. This was confirmed in April 2006, when Disney announced that the adaptation, with new songs written by Tony Award-winning Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez and his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, would "combine puppets, dancers, acrobats and animated backdrops" and open in late 2006. Tony Award-winning director Peter Brosius signed on to direct the show, with Michael Curry (puppet designer), who designed puppets for Disney's successful stage version of The Lion King, serving as leading puppet and production designer.
Anderson-Lopez said that the couple agreed to write the adaptation of "one of their favorite movies of all time" after considering "The idea of people coming in to see the musical at 4, 5 or 6 and saying, 'I want to do that'....So we want to take it as seriously as we would a Broadway show." To condense the feature-length film to thirty minutes, she said she and Lopez focused on a single theme from the movie, the idea that "The world's dangerous and beautiful."
The forty-minute show (which is performed five times daily) opened on January 2, 2007. Several musical numbers took direct inspiration from lines in the film, including "(In The) Big Blue World," "Fish Are Friends, Not Food," "Just Keep Swimming," and "Go With the Flow." In January 2007, a New York studio recording of the show was released on iTunes, with Lopez and Anderson-Lopez providing the voices for Marlin and Dory, respectively. Avenue Q star Stephanie D'Abruzzo also appeared on the recording, as Sheldon/Deb.