One of the things that sets Disneyland and Disney World apart from other theme parks is the incredible talent of their Cast Members. Couple that with Disney’s extremely high-caliber live performances, and you have a recipe for some pretty fabulous entertainment during your Disney vacation. Each of the Disney theme parks is chock-full of stage shows, street performers, live music, improv routines, and character encounters all of which feature some uniquely gifted people.
Animal Kingdom park, which just celebrated its 15th anniversary this past Earth Day, is home to several not-to-be-missed shows and performances each day. One of those is Finding Nemo-the Musical, a large-scale theatrical presentation of the famed film featuring everyone’s favorite neurotic clownfish Marlin and his slightly rebellious son, Nemo. “Finding Nemo” is one of my favorite Pixar films, in part because I (as I’m sure many parents do) identify very closely with Marlin’s anxiety in allowing Nemo to find his own strength through risk-taking and learning things the hard way. Thankfully my husband helps to balance me out, as does sweet, ever-forgetful Dory for her friend Marlin.
Unlike other musical theater attractions in the Disney parks, with Finding Nemo-the Musical, Disney has taken a non-musical film and turned it into a live musical production with 12 original songs created specifically for this show by acclaimed Tony Award-winning “Avenue Q” co-composer-creator Robert Lopez and a cappella musical “Along the Way” co-creator Kristen Anderson-Lopez. One of the show’s songs, In the Big Blue World, can also be heard during The Seas with Nemo and Friends in Epcot.
The show is truly spectacular, spotlighting the beautiful, theatrical puppetry of Michael Curry, one of the artists who created the puppets for “The Lion King” on Broadway. If you aren’t familiar with Curry’s work on Broadway’s version of “The Lion King,” the word “puppets,” is a bit misleading. These puppets are enormous, larger-than-life creations often requiring more than one and sometimes several people to maneuver them on stage. The performers wear costumes that allow them to become one with their puppet characters, bringing them to life before the audience’s eyes. As a New Yorker who has seen my fair share of Broadway musicals, I was absolutely blown away by the quality of the actors’ performances.
On the day we visited, we headed over to the Theater in the Wild after our 1:30 lunch at Tusker House in Africa. We arrived around 2:45 for a 3:00 show which I feared was cutting it pretty close, especially with a bathroom visit, but as we were at Animal Kingdom on the very day that Hurricane Isaac moved through Florida at the end of August last summer, we were dealing with pretty sparse crowds! Normally, however, it is a good idea to arrive about 25-30 minutes prior to the next show, especially midday shows during peak seasons.
Theater in the Wild is a very large, air-conditioned theater located across the bridge from Expedition Everest as you head toward Dinoland U.S.A. If the crowd waiting outside the theater seems enormous, don’t despair, the theater seats a very large number of guests on long, wooden benches arranged stadium-style. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house and in a park where there is little relief from the Florida heat, this show is a wonderfully cool way to spend part of your afternoon.
The entire performance is about 35-minutes long and the five of us we were utterly captivated the entire time. And while all of the musical numbers were beautifully executed and very entertaining, it was that gnarly sea-turtle dude Crush who totally stole the show in “Go With the Flow.”
With fantastic singing and dancing, exciting special effects and gorgeous scenery, Finding Nemo-the Musical is a not-to-be-missed event during your next Disney World vacation.
Which Animal Kingdom entertainment do you consider must-see? Share your experiences with us below!
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