Finding Nemo
The Big Blue... and Beyond!
The Theater in the Wild, home to Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!
Disney's Animal Kingdom
NameFinding Nemo – The Musical (2006–2020)
AreaDinoLand U.S.A.
Coordinates28°21′26″N 81°35′14″W / 28.3571592°N 81.587295°W / 28.3571592; -81.587295
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateNovember 5, 2006 (original)
June 11, 2022 (revamped)
Opening dateJanuary 24, 2007 (original)
June 13, 2022 (revamped)
Closing dateMarch 15, 2020 (original)
ReplacedTarzan Rocks![1]
Ride statistics
Attraction typeMusical show
ModelTheater
ThemeFinding Nemo
MusicKristen Anderson-Lopez
Robert Lopez[2]
Audience capacity1,500[2] per show
Duration40 minutes (original)[3]
25 minutes (revamped)
DirectorPeter Brosius[2]
Production DesignerMichael Curry[2]
Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Available
Disabled access Wheelchair accessible
Assistive listening available
Closed captioning available

Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond! is a live puppet and musical stage show based on Disney/Pixar's 2003 film Finding Nemo, located at the Theater in the Wild in DinoLand U.S.A at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The original 40-minute show titled Finding Nemo – The Musical started holding previews on November 5, 2006, officially opening on January 24, 2007. The music is composed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who also composed the music for Frozen, using direct lines from the film.

On March 15, 2020, the original show had its final performance before the Walt Disney World Resort closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on Florida. A new reimagined and revamped version of the show entitled Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond! premiered on June 13, 2022, as part of Walt Disney World Resort's 50th Anniversary celebration.[4]

History

The stage musicals Journey into the Jungle Book and Tarzan Rocks! occupied the Theater in the Wild at DinoLand USA in Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida from 1998 to 2006. These were themed to the animated films The Jungle Book and Tarzan. After the closure of Tarzan Rocks! in January 2006, rumors began spreading that it would be replaced by a musical adaptation of Finding Nemo.[5] This was confirmed on April 7, 2006, when Disney announced that the musical adaptation of Finding Nemo, 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.[6] Years later, Anderson-Lopez explained that she had written a compact 15-minute a cappella version of the story of Oedipus; someone at Disney read it and recognized her talent for condensing material, and offered her the opportunity to make a pitch for the Finding Nemo project.[7]

Tony Award-winning director Peter Brosius signed on to direct the show, with Michael Curry, who designed puppets for Disney's successful stage version of The Lion King, serving as leading puppet and production designer.[8]

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".[9] To condense the feature-length film to 30 minutes, she and Lopez focused on a single theme from the movie, the idea that "the world's dangerous and beautiful".[9]

The show started holding previews on November 5, 2006, officially opening on January 24, 2007.[2] That same month, 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.[8] Avenue Q star Stephanie D'Abruzzo also appeared on the recording, as Sheldon/Deb.[8] Finding Nemo was the first non-musical animated film to which Disney added songs to produce a stage musical.[8] In 2009, Finding Nemo – The Musical was honored with a Thea Award for Best Live Show from the Themed Entertainment Association.[10]

When Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic, all stage shows remained closed due to a dispute between the Actors' Equity Association and Walt Disney World over allowing performers to wear face masks and providing regular testing.[11]

On September 14, 2021, it was announced that a "reimagined" version of the show would open in 2022.[12] However, on November 19, 2021, it was announced that the show would be replaced by a new show entitled Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!. [13]

Plot

The musical is based on the plot of the film Finding Nemo, with characters performed in large puppetry by live actors and dancers on stage. It revolves around Marlin, a widowed clownfish who is desperate to find his son Nemo, who was snatched away by a diver in the ocean. Along the way, Marlin meets Dory, a regal blue tang with short-term memory loss, who ends up accompanying him on his journey. Meanwhile, Nemo ends up in a fish aquarium at a dentist office in Sydney, Australia and meets Gill, a moorish idol living in the dentist's aquarium, and the leader of the Tank Gang, who also live in the aquarium.

In the revamped version, a framing device is added in which the Tank Gang narrate the story before being released from the Marine Life Institute (depicted in Finding Dory).

Soundtrack

All songs featured in the show were written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. A soundtrack album was released a day prior to the original show's opening date in 2007, with Anderson-Lopez and Lopez providing the voices of Dory and Marlin, respectively. Other cast members include Victor E. Chan as Crush, Alison Cimmet as Coral/Peach, Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Sheldon/Deb, Jordan Gelber as Chum/Nigel, Victor Hawks as Mr. Ray/Gill, Karla Mosley as Tad/Squirt, Graham Stevens as Bruce, Kate Wetherhead as Nemo, and Michael-Leon Wooley as Bloat.

Finding Nemo – The Musical
Soundtrack album
ReleasedJanuary 23, 2007 (2007-01-23)
GenreShow tunes
Length31:48
LabelWalt Disney Records
No.TitleCharactersLength
1."Prologue"Marlin and Coral1:30
2."In the Big Blue World"Marlin, Nemo, Mr. Ray, Tad, Pearl, Sheldon, Reef Dads and Finding Nemo Ensemble4:26
3."The Drop-off"Marlin, Nemo, Tad, Pearl and Sheldon1:01
4."Dory's Ditty"Marlin and Dory0:56
5."Sharks"Marlin, Dory, Bruce, Anchor and Chum0:45
6."Fish Are Friends, Not Food"Marlin, Dory, Bruce, Anchor and Chum2:49
7."Where's My Dad?"Dentist and Nemo0:45
8."The Tank Gang"Nemo, Deb, Bloat, Bubbles, Peach, Gill, Nigel and Dentist1:07
9."We Swim Together"Nemo, Deb, Bloat, Bubbles, Peach, Gill and Nigel1:58
10."Dory and Marlin"Marlin and Dory0:26
11."Just Keep Swimming"Dory, Marlin and Moonfish5:16
12."Not My Dad" (Reprise)Nemo and Gill0:52
13."Go With the Flow"Marlin, Dory, Crush, Squirt and Finding Nemo Ensemble3:38
14."Gossip"Octopus Mom, Octopus Baby, Lobsters, Swordfish, Penguins and Nigel0:54
15."That's My Dad" (Reprise)Nemo and Nigel0:39
16."Darla!"Nemo, Deb, Bloat, Bubbles, Peach, Gill, Nigel, Dentist, Darla and Marlin0:38
17."Sewage Treatment Plant"Marlin, Dory and Nemo0:42
18."We Swim Together" (Reprise)Marlin, Nemo, Dory and the Finding Nemo Ensemble1:11
19."Finale - In the Big Blue World" (Reprise)Marlin, Nemo, Dory, Mr. Ray and Finding Nemo Ensemble2:15
Total length:31:48

References

  1. ↑ Rasmussen, Nate. "Vintage Walt Disney World Resort: Building a Theater in the Wild". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Finding Nemo - the Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom". allears.net. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Finding Nemo - The Musical". Walt Disney World. Disney Parks. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Gross (September 14, 2021). "New Updated Finding Nemo Musical Coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park in 2022".
  5. ↑ "Finding Nemo - The Musical Overview". www.wdwmagic.com. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  6. ↑ Hernandez, Ernio. "Avenue Q Composer Lopez Co-Pens Musical Finding Nemo for Disney,"Playbill.com (April 10, 2006).
  7. ↑ Gross, Terry (April 10, 2014). "Transcript of "Songwriters Behind 'Frozen' Let Go Of The Princess Mythology"". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Sophie (June 19, 2012). "Pixar Week: Finding Nemo: The Musical is a Hidden Gem | GeekMom". Wired. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Maupin, Elizabeth (November 26, 2006). "Swimming with big fish". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  10. ↑ "14th Annual Thea Awards Honor Outstanding Achievement | Theatre content from Live Design Magazine". Livedesignonline.com. January 31, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  11. ↑ Carter, Ashley (29 July 2020). "Disney World, Actors' Union Rift Keeps Shows in the Dark". Spectrum News. Bay News 9. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  12. ↑ Coffey, Kelly (2021-09-14). "NEW Reimagined 'Finding Nemo' Musical Coming to Animal Kingdom". Inside the Magic. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  13. ↑ ""Finding Nemo: The Big Blue House…and Beyond!" Debuting 2022, Replacing Finding Nemo the Musical". www.blogmickey.com. November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
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