One of the ways I can convince my husband to go to Walt Disney World again is because of Finding Nemo: The Musical. With music from Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez from before they did Frozen, this 40-minute musical sensation takes audiences back to the world of Nemo, Marlin, and Dory. Delighting audiences at The Theatre in the Wild in the DinoLand U.S.A. area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Park, Finding Nemo: The Musical features songs that feel like they belong in the original film.
The soundtrack is, thankfully, available on iTunes and Spotify, so I can go back to the reef anytime and remember the beautiful, but simple set designs and the creative puppetry—incorporating some of what Disney learned when adapting The Lion King for Broadway. Creating aquatic animals in a way that makes you forget about the human performers takes such creativity that the show is truly impressive. The cast has been wonderful all seven or so times I’ve seen the show. This is one of the shows that offers American Sign Language interpretation for those who are interested in that service.
You’ll want to line up early if you decide not to choose this as one of your FastPass+ selections for the day. The theatre seats about 1,500 people, but does fill up. With the opening of Pandora: The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, this may be one time you choose to do the standby queue—especially if you only have one day in the park. Nonetheless, don’t miss it, it’s a truly magical performance. I give it two fins up!
