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Last week I talked about one of the scheduled, live shows available for guests at Animal Kingdom. Today I will talk about the other show – completely unique in so many ways. Click here to read last week’s article.
Located between Dinoland USA and Asia lies the Theatre in the Wild. Previously the home of Tarzan Rocks, this theatre now is the home of Finding Nemo: the musical since late 2006.
Finding Nemo is a traditional live show in that you sit in rows and the stage is at the front of the theatre. That’s about all that is traditional about this show. First of all, the Pixar movie is not a musical. It’s the first time a non-musical film has been transformed into a musical. The show recounts the story of clown fish Marlin and his son Nemo. If you haven’t seen the film, you will still be able to follow the story line with no trouble.
I generally believe that there isn’t a bad seat at a Disney show. I believe imagineers create theatre seating that makes for a full experience whether you are in the front middle or back to the side. Having said that, I have found that sitting on the sides in this theatre can result in a few show moments being obstructed. Not enough to ruin the viewing experience, but enough that I suggest trying to stay in the middle section of the theatre if at all possible.
Onto the show itself. The sets move on and off stage to set the scenes smoothly and effectively. The songs move the story along and are catchy. You will hear “In the Big Blue World” sung in The Living Seas with Nemo at EPCOT. The most creative element to this show is the portrayal of our characters.
Our main characters are represented by live actors operating large puppets. Here are Marlin and Nemo together.
Dory is here too. I find myself spending half the time watching the puppet and the other time watching the live actor. It’s very believable. This method of portraying animals was first seen in the Broadway version of The Lion King.
Two musical numbers that I’d like to highlight are Fish Are Friends Not Food sung by the sharks. It’s cleverly performed and costumed. Bruce’s puppet is handled by a small crew of puppeteers while our human version holds the audience’s attention.
The second number is Go With The Flow during the segment with Crush. A HUGE Crush character is maneuvered onto the stage and his “voice” stands on his back (tethered in for safety). Crush steals the show at this point with this Beach Boys sounding song encouraging Marlin to let go and go with the flow when parenting Nemo.
Another wonderful aspect of this theatrical experience is exposing your children to live theatre without having the expense of individual tickets and a full 4-5 act show to “survive.” This show is structured like a full musical. There will be applause after each song and the actors will come out on stage at the end of the production to take bows. Show your appreciation for these talented people by staying in your seats to applaud their performances.
Animal Kingdom offers two incredible live musical productions to see. If you have the time, see both of these unique productions. If you can only see one, I hope these articles can help you choose your show!
1 Comment.
I love this musical. I liked the movie but once I saw this show, it upped my liking and enjoyment of both. It is a can’t be missed show for me.
A couple years ago I was direly ill (at home quarantine is NO fun), I kept myself going with those epic words, Just Keep Swimming. The next time I was at AK and saw this show, I cried all during the Dory’s song.