Disney: Updated 'Finding Nemo' musical coming to Animal Kingdom

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Photo from Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - An updated Finding Nemo musical is coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2022, the theme park company announced Tuesday.

Walt Disney World said that a reimagined show featuring characters from the animated film Finding Nemo will debut in 2022 at Animal Kingdom.

Finding Nemo — The Musical has delighted park guests since 2007. The reimagined show is based on the same characters from the film.

Photo from Disney

"Although our Disney Live Entertainment team is still in the early stages of development for the show, the musical retelling of this underwater tale of family, friendship and kindness will feature new story material, as well as fan favorite songs such as ‘In the Big Blue World’ and ‘Go with the Flow,’" Walt Disney World said.

Walt Disney World kicks off its 50th-anniversary celebration, dubbed "The World’s Most Magical Celebration," on October 1st, the same day the theme park company opened its first Florida park in 1971. It will go for 18 months as new experiences debut across the resort.

Several other new shows will debut during The World’s Most Magical Celebration.

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At Cinderella’s Castle in Magic Kingdom, the ‘Disney Enchantment’ firework show will begin on October 1st, lighting up the night sky and kicking off the 50th-anniversary fun. Disney said that the show will feature fireworks, Disney music, enhanced lighting, immersive projection effects that extend for the first time down Main Street, U.S.A., and an original song, entitled ‘You Are the Magic,’ by seven-time Grammy-winner Philip Lawrence.

"Since opening day in 1971, dazzling fireworks shows have provided that perfect exclamation point at the end of a fantastic day at Magic Kingdom Park," said Mark Renfrow, Show Director, Disney Live Entertainment. "From ‘Fantasy in the Sky’ and ‘Wishes’ to holiday spectaculars and ‘Happily Ever After,’ each new show has raised the bar, and the best is yet to come! I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’re creating with ‘Disney Enchantment.’"

Featured in the show will reportedly be iconic Disney characters, moments, and music from both Disney and Pixar films. For instance, spectators will join Tiana, Rapunzel, and ‘Onward’ brothers Ian and Barley as they set out on a journey with adventurers like Moana, Raya, and Judy Hopps.

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"Joe Gardner from Disney and Pixar’s ‘Soul’ takes us into ‘the zone,’ where we discover a whimsical world inspired by the style of legendary Disney artist Mary Blair and filled with beloved characters from classic stories like Beauty and the Beast and Alice in Wonderland to contemporary tales including Luca and Wreck-It Ralph," Disney explained. "Everything builds to a climactic moment, as Tinker Bell takes flight, spreading shimmering gold pixie dust and empowering us all to believe in ourselves and the magic all around us."

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Then, at Epcot, another stunning show will debut on October 1st: ‘HarmonioUS.’ Described by theme park company as the "largest nighttime spectacular ever created for a Disney park," the show will celebrate Disney music and feature familiar Disney tunes reinterpreted by artists from around the world. Massive set pieces, custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics, and lasers will bring the spectacular to life.

"This new show will bring the globe together at World Showcase Lagoon in a celebration of Disney music that inspires people worldwide," Disney added. They said that the show will "invite you to travel the globe through new interpretations of classic Disney songs as you’ve never heard them before, reimagined in more than a dozen languages by a diverse group of 240 artists."

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For those looking for some daytime excitement, Disney said that the ‘Disney KiteTails’ show will debut at the Discovery River Amphitheater at Animal Kingdom on October 1st as well. Several times a day, performers will fly windcatchers and kites in a gala performance set to original, worldbeat arrangements of favorite Disney songs. The show features a collection of colorful oversized props and kites. Some moments will even take place over water, as kites up to 30-feet-long of Disney's animal friends fly.

"Disney KiteTails" coming to Animal Kingdom (Disney)

Other kites to expect are characters from The Little Mermaid, A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, and The Jungle Book.

"From one performance to another, you may see Baloo the bear dancing in the sky or Zazu the red-billed hornbill chasing after Simba. These remarkable kites, some as large as 30 feet in length, are inflated by moving through the air, allowing characters like King Louie or Timon and Pumbaa to soar like never before," Disney explained.

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Over at Disney Springs, a new Cirque du Soleil show will debut at the iconic white tent theater on November 18th, 2021. Titled "Drawn to Life," Disney said that the show is a live acrobatic journey that tells the story of Julie — a girl who discovers that her Disney animator father left behind an unfinished animation. She dives into the world of animation, guided by a pencil, and embarks on a quest that features ten acrobatic acts, pieces of iconic Disney films, and all-new Disney creations.

Photo from Walt Disney World

The show is said to be family-friendly and takes inspiration from Disney’s 100-year heritage of animation. It brings innovative design, acrobatic performances, choreography, musical scores, and animation together for a magical experience. It was created through collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Walt Disney Imagineering. It features 64 cast members performing Tuesday through Saturday.

In addition, the show was written and directed by Michel Laprise, will have Fabrice Becker as the Director of Creation, and features art led by Eric Goldberg — the man best known for characters like Genie in the animated classic, Aladdin.

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"I think guests will be amazed to see how the magic of Cirque du Soleil and the art of Walt Disney Animation Studios have come together to bring life to classic and current characters like Baloo, Baymax, and Cinderella in ways that no one has ever imagined," Goldberg explained.