Good morning everyone! TODAY’S THE DAY! The sun is shining, the tank is clean, and we are getting a new Finding Nemo show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. That’s right, today, June 13, 2022, Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond! opens in Dinoland U.S.A. at the Theater in the Wild.
This past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to preview the show before it opens to the public. I am here to tell you everything you need to know about this fantastic new show. I’ll be honest, as a lover of the original Finding Nemo: The Musical, I was a little skeptical that this show would be up to those standards. But, spoiler alert, it did not disappoint!
While waiting outside in the queue for the show to begin, everything feels very familiar. But, once you walk inside the theater, you are no longer just “under the sea”; you are now at the Marine Life Institute featured in the Pixar movie Finding Dory. As you wait for the show to begin, Sigourney Weaver, or maybe someone who just sounds like her haha, tells fish facts to the audience. This definitely helps keeps little ones entertained.
As the show begins, you can see the “Open Ocean Exhibit” in the Marine Life Institute on the new LED screen that Disney installed behind the stage. This new screen is one of the best parts of the new show and makes the whole thing feel more immersive. So many scenes from the former show have had a significant upgrade with this screen; just wait until you see the new “butt” that Nemo decides to touch!
Now, instead of jumping right into the story of Finding Nemo, we are greeted by Nemo’s friends: Bloat, Peach, and Deb, who serve as the narrators for the show. They tell us that they are going to take us back and tell us the story of Nemo, and with that, we dive right in to a very familiar musical.
The show, songs, and costumes are all the same ones we know and love, but there have been some changes. The most significant difference is that this show has been reduced to 25 minutes! So, while you get to hear all of your favorite songs, “In The Big Blue World,” “Fish Are Friends Not Food,” “We Swim Together,” “Just Keep Swimming,” “Go With The Flow,” and of course, “That’s My Dad,” these songs and scenes have all been condensed. Overall, I think this helps keep the attention of little ones much better than it used to!
One thing I think every time I watch this show is how incredibly talented the actors in this show are. Not only are they singing and dancing, but they are also puppeteering giant characters and bringing them to life in the most magical way. While watching this new musical, I was blown away by the talent on stage (and I think you will be, too!).
The show ends with Nemo heading off and his dad finally accepting that his son is growing up. With a final curtain call and bubbles falling from the ceiling, we knew the show was over and it was time to leave. But, rather than music to usher you out of the theater, a new voiceover gives you tangible action items you can do to care for the ocean and the world around you. As a former Disney’s Animal Program Cast Member at the Seas with Nemo and Friends, this was one of my favorite parts of the entire experience.
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond! will be showing daily at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Be sure to check your Times Guide or My Disney Experience App for daily showtimes. I hope you enjoy this show as much as I did.
Thank you so much for inviting us Disney! Sending love and magic.