imported>LakeMI26 at 13:34, 5 October 2025

2025-10-05T13:34:37Z

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{{short description|Live puppet and musical stage show at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox attraction
| name = ''Finding Nemo The Big Blue... and Beyond!''
| logo =
| logo_width = 
| image = Finding Nemo The Musical at Animal Kingdom.JPG
| imagedimensions = 
| caption = The Theater in the Wild, home to ''Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!''
| altname = ''Finding Nemo – The Musical'' {{small|(2006–2020)}}
| location = Disney's Animal Kingdom
| section = [[DinoLand U.S.A.]]
| status = Open
| cost =
| soft_opened = November 5, 2006 {{small|(The Musical)}} June 11, 2022 {{small|(The Big Blue and Beyond)}}
| opened = January 24, 2007 {{small|(The Musical)}} June 13, 2022 {{small|(The Big Blue and Beyond)}}
| closed = March 15, 2020 {{small|(The Musical)}}
| previousattraction = ''[[Tarzan Rocks!]]''<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rasmussen|first1=Nate|title=Vintage Walt Disney World Resort: Building a Theater in the Wild|url=http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/04/vintage-walt-disney-world-resort-building-a-theater-in-the-wild/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406160331/http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/04/vintage-walt-disney-world-resort-building-a-theater-in-the-wild/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 6, 2013|website=Disney Parks Blog|accessdate=14 December 2015|language=en-US}}</ref>
| replacement =
| coordinates = {{coord|28.3571592|-81.587295}}
| type = [[Musical theatre|Musical]] show
| manufacturer = 
| designer = 
| model = Theater
| theme = ''[[Finding Nemo]]''
| music = [[Kristen Anderson-Lopez]] [[Robert Lopez]]<ref name=allears/>

| audience_capacity = 1,500<ref name=allears>{{cite web|title=Finding Nemo - the Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom|url=http://allears.net/tp/ak/nemo.htm|website=allears.net|accessdate=8 January 2016}}</ref>
| duration = 40 minutes {{small|(original)}}<ref name="Finding Nemo - The Musical">{{cite web|title=Finding Nemo - The Musical|url=https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/animal-kingdom/finding-nemo-the-musical/|website=Walt Disney World|publisher=Disney Parks|accessdate=14 December 2015}}</ref> 
25 minutes {{small|(revamped)}}
| virtual_queue_name = [[Virtual queue systems at Disney Parks#Disney Genie|Lightning Lane]]
| virtual_queue_image= Lightning Lane Icon Logo.webp
| virtual_queue_status= available
| custom_label_1 = Director
| custom_value_1 = Peter Brosius<ref name=allears/>
| custom_label_2 = Production Designer
| custom_value_2 = [[Michael Curry (puppet designer)|Michael Curry]]<ref name=allears/>
| accessible = yes
| assistive_listening = yes
| cc = yes
}}

'''''Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!''''' is a [[live action|live]] [[Puppetry|puppet]] and [[Musical theatre|musical stage show]] based on [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]]/[[Pixar]]'s 2003 film ''[[Finding Nemo]]'', located at the Theater in the Wild in [[Disney's Animal Kingdom#DinoLand U.S.A.|DinoLand U.S.A]] at [[Disney's Animal Kingdom]] in [[Walt Disney World]] in [[Orlando, Florida|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 (2013 film)|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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gross|url=https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/09/new-updated-finding-Nemo-musical-coming-to-disneys-animal-kingdom-theme-park-in-2022/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914152302/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/09/new-updated-finding-nemo-musical-coming-to-disneys-animal-kingdom-theme-park-in-2022/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 14, 2021|title=New Updated Finding Nemo Musical Coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park in 2022|date=September 14, 2021}}</ref>

==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 (1967 film)|The Jungle Book]]'' and ''[[Tarzan (1999 film)|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]]''.<ref name="magic">{{cite web|title=Finding Nemo - The Musical Overview|url=http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/finding-nemo-the-musical.htm|website=www.wdwmagic.com|accessdate=24 January 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>Hernandez, Ernio. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20081229093347/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/98975.html Avenue Q Composer Lopez Co-Pens Musical Finding Nemo for Disney],"''Playbill.com'' (April 10, 2006).</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gross|first=Terry|title=Transcript of "Songwriters Behind 'Frozen' Let Go Of The Princess Mythology"|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=301420227|work=Fresh Air|publisher=NPR|accessdate=April 11, 2014|date=April 10, 2014}}</ref>

Tony Award-winning director Peter Brosius signed on to direct the show, with [[Michael Curry (puppet designer)|Michael Curry]], who designed puppets for Disney's successful stage version of ''[[The Lion King (musical)|The Lion King]]'', serving as leading puppet and production designer.<ref name="wired1">{{cite magazine|last=Brown |first=Sophie |url=http://archive.wired.com/geekmom/2012/06/pixar-week-finding-nemo-the-musical-is-a-hidden-gem/ |title=Pixar Week: Finding Nemo: The Musical is a Hidden Gem | GeekMom |magazine=Wired |date=June 19, 2012 |accessdate=January 9, 2014}}</ref>

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".<ref name="orlando">{{cite news|last=Maupin |first=Elizabeth |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-nemo2606nov26,0,5434834.story?page=1 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311163639/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-nemo2606nov26%2C0%2C5434834.story?page=1 |archivedate=March 11, 2008 |title=Swimming with big fish |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=November 26, 2006 |accessdate=March 22, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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".<ref name="orlando"/>

The show started holding previews on November 5, 2006, officially opening on January 24, 2007.<ref name="allears"/> That same month, a New York studio recording of the show was released on [[iTunes Store|iTunes]], with Lopez and Anderson-Lopez providing the voices for Marlin and Dory, respectively.<ref name="wired1"/> ''Avenue Q'' star [[Stephanie D'Abruzzo]] also appeared on the recording, as Sheldon/Deb.<ref name="wired1"/> ''Finding Nemo'' was the first non-musical animated film to which Disney added songs to produce a stage musical.<ref name="wired1"/> In 2009, ''Finding Nemo – The Musical'' was honored with a [[Thea (award)#15th Annual Thea Award Recipients|Thea Award]] for Best Live Show from the [[Themed Entertainment Association]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://livedesignonline.com/theatre/14th-annual-thea-awards-honor-outstanding-achievement |title=14th Annual Thea Awards Honor Outstanding Achievement | Theatre content from Live Design Magazine |publisher=Livedesignonline.com |date=January 31, 2008 |accessdate=January 9, 2014}}</ref>

When Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020 following the [[COVID-19]] [[COVID-19 pandemic|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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carter |first1=Ashley |title=Disney World, Actors' Union Rift Keeps Shows in the Dark |url=https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/attractions/2020/07/29/actors-equity-association-disney-world-dispute |accessdate=3 August 2020 |work=Spectrum News |publisher=Bay News 9 |date=29 July 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

On September 14, 2021, it was announced that a "reimagined" version of the show would open in 2022.<ref name="Coffey 2021">{{cite web | last=Coffey | first=Kelly | title=NEW Reimagined 'Finding Nemo' Musical Coming to Animal Kingdom | website=Inside the Magic | date=2021-09-14 | url=https://insidethemagic.net/2021/09/new-reimagined-finding-nemo-musical-kc1/ | access-date=2021-09-14}}</ref> 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!''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogmickey.com/2021/11/finding-nemo-the-big-blueand-beyond-debuting-2022-replacing-finding-nemo-the-musical/|title="Finding Nemo: The Big Blue House…and Beyond!" Debuting 2022, Replacing Finding Nemo the Musical|date=November 19, 2021|website=www.blogmickey.com|accessdate=November 19, 2021}}</ref>

==Plot==
{{main|Finding Nemo#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]]'').

== Musical numbers ==
Musicals numbers for Finding Nemo Jr.

* "Prologue" - Marlin, Coral & Sea Chorus
* "Big Blue World (Part 1)" - Marlin & Nemo
* "Big Blue World (Part 2)" - Nemo, Marlin, Professor Ray, Pearl, Sheldon, Tad & Sea Chorus
* "The Drop-Off" - Professor Ray & Reef Kids
* "Abduction/Big Blue World (Reprise)" - Nemo, Marlin, Sheldon, Pearl & Tad
* "Dory's Ditty" - Dory & Marlin
* "Fish Are Friends Not Food" - Bruce, Chum, Anchor, Marlin, Dory & Sharks
* "Where's My Dad?" - Nemo
* "We Swim Together" - Gill, Gurgle, Peach, Bubbles, Bloat & Nemo
* "Just Keep Swimming (Part 1)" - Dory, Marlin & Sea Chorus
* "Just Keep Swimming (Part 2)" - Marlin, Dory, Moonfish & Jellyfish
* "Not My Dad" - Nemo
* "Go With The Flow" - Crush, Marlin, Dory, Breeze, Kai, Squirt & Sea Turtles
* "One Dedicated Father" - Sea Turtles
* "That's My Dad" - Nemo
* "We Swim Together (Reprise)" - Nemo, Gill, Gurgle, Peach, Bubbles & Bloat
* "Just Keep Swimming Together" - Nemo, Marlin, Dory & Moonfish
* "Finale (Part 1)" - Nemo & Marlin
* "Finale (Part 2)" - Nemo, Marlin, Dory, Professor Ray & Sea Chorus

==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.
{{Infobox album
| name = Finding Nemo – The Musical
| type = soundtrack
| artist =
| cover = Finding Nemo The Musical Album Cover.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{start date|2007|01|23}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = [[Show tune]]s
| length = 31:48
| label = [[Walt Disney Records]]
| producer =
}}

{{track listing
| total_length = 31:48
| extra_column = Characters

| title1 = Prologue
| length1 = 1:30
| extra1 = Marlin and Coral

| title2 = In the Big Blue World
| length2 = 4:26
| extra2 = Marlin, Nemo, Mr. Ray, Tad, Pearl, Sheldon, Reef Dads and ''Finding Nemo'' Ensemble

| title3 = The Drop-off
| length3 = 1:01
| extra3 = Marlin, Nemo, Tad, Pearl and Sheldon

| title4 = Dory's Ditty
| length4 = 0:56
| extra4 = Marlin and Dory

| title5 = Sharks
| length5 = 0:45
| extra5 = Marlin, Dory, Bruce, Anchor and Chum

| title6 = Fish Are Friends, Not Food
| length6 = 2:49
| extra6 = Marlin, Dory, Bruce, Anchor and Chum

| title7 = Where's My Dad?
| length7 = 0:45
| extra7 = Dentist and Nemo

| title8 = The Tank Gang
| length8 = 1:07
| extra8 = Nemo, Deb, Bloat, Bubbles, Peach, Gill, Nigel and Dentist

| title9 = We Swim Together
| length9 = 1:58
| extra9 = Nemo, Deb, Bloat, Bubbles, Peach, Gill and Nigel

| title10 = Dory and Marlin
| length10 = 0:26
| extra10 = Marlin and Dory

| title11 = Just Keep Swimming
| length11 = 5:16
| extra11 = Dory, Marlin and Moonfish

| title12 = Not My Dad
| note12 = Reprise
| length12 = 0:52
| extra12 = Nemo and Gill

| title13 = Go With the Flow
| length13 = 3:38
| extra13 = Marlin, Dory, Crush, Squirt and ''Finding Nemo'' Ensemble

| title14 = Gossip
| length14 = 0:54
| extra14 = Octopus Mom, Octopus Baby, Lobsters, Swordfish, Penguins and Nigel

| title15 = That's My Dad
| note15 = Reprise
| length15 = 0:39
| extra15 = Nemo and Nigel

| title16 = Darla!
| length16 = 0:38
| extra16 = Nemo, Deb, Bloat, Bubbles, Peach, Gill, Nigel, Dentist, Darla and Marlin

| title17 = Sewage Treatment Plant
| length17 = 0:42
| extra17 = Marlin, Dory and Nemo

| title18 = We Swim Together
| note18 = Reprise
| length18 = 1:11
| extra18 = Marlin, Nemo, Dory and the ''Finding Nemo'' Ensemble

| title19 = Finale - In the Big Blue World
| note19 = Reprise
| length19 = 2:15
| extra19 = Marlin, Nemo, Dory, Mr. Ray and ''Finding Nemo'' Ensemble
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Finding Nemo – The Musical}}
* [https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/animal-kingdom/finding-nemo-big-blue-and-beyond/ Official site]
{{Disney's Animal Kingdom}}
{{Finding Nemo}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finding Nemo - The Musical}}
[[Category:Amusement park attractions introduced in 2007]]
[[Category:Amusement park attractions that closed in 2020]]
[[Category:Amusement park attractions introduced in 2022]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Parks and Resorts entertainment]]
[[Category:Disney's Animal Kingdom]]
[[Category:DinoLand U.S.A.]]
[[Category:Tropical America]]
[[Category:Finding Nemo]]
[[Category:Musicals based on animated films]]
[[Category:2006 musicals]]

Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond! - Revision history

imported>LakeMI26 at 13:34, 5 October 2025