Let’s dive into the Big Blue World, to learn some fascinating details about the Broadway styled musical which was located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Before it was “Finding Nemo” the Theater in the Wild was home to Journey into Jungle Book followed by Tarzan Rocks!
The musical’s soft opening began November 5, 2006 and its grand opening was January 24, 2007.
All 14 songs are original music composed by husband-and-wife duo, Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez, the lyricists for Frozen, Coco, and more!
The show was directed by award-winning Broadway director, Peter Brosius. and the puppet designer for The Lion King on Broadway. Michael Curry.
Some of the puppets are the size of a standard car and requite multiple puppeteers.
During the live performance, the actors sang, acted, and controlled the puppets; however, on the official musical soundtrack, the parts of Marling and Dory are sang by Robert and Kristen Lopez!
The song, “Big Blue World” is also heard at the end of the attraction, The Seas with Nemo & Friends in Epcot.
Closed since the Covid pandemic hit in March 2020, the beloved musical is getting a revamp. “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” is scheduled to open sometime this year with a new storyline. The show will center on the friends at The Marine Life Institute with a focus on Dory’s timeframe in Finding Dory. I cannot wait to see it! Stay tuned for more opening information = )
