Originally Posted By TDLFAN G-Fan and I were fortunate enough to be among the very first audience of guests and VIPs to enjoy a preview performance of "Finding Nemo: The Musical" at DAK's Theater in the Wild this morning at 10am on Nov 5th. The theater has been refurbished to some degree with a new building structure and new seating (it appeared). The layout of the theater itself remains similar to what it was before. Some railings were badly placed and would partially block the view of those seated towards the first few rows of the second upper section of the theater, so keep that in mind if you want a totally unobstructed view of the stage. The stage's walls appears to simulate an underwater enviroment, and on either side of it, plastic bubble coverings light up and also serve as video screens during the show. The entire show lasts 30 mins. I am not going to go into details since descriptions of the show have already been posted here in Doobie's report from the show, so I won't bore you with the details again. However... there may be a few spoilers ahead so cover your eyes and skip this thread if you'd prefer. As we walk into the theater, the "Finding Nemo: the musical" name logo is projected on the huge stage.. and as the show starts, the animation gives way to a very stunning but brief sequence of the sea coming to life.. which gives way to a very movie-like retelling of the Nemo story. As in the movie... the story begins as Marlin and female companion watch over the newly placed eggs as they happily anticipate the hatching... Projections of sharks swimming by elevate the tension level... and the inevitable tragedy that follows is painfully portrayed without being gratuitious, thanks to the skills of the actor playing Marlin on stage. From this point on, the show follows the movie's plot almost to a "T". We delight in some of the most memorable scenes from the movie, featuring some new musical material and lots of colorful eye candy to enhance the sense of wonder and beauty of the sea and it's fauna. And yes... the much heralded "Big Blue World" first heard at EPCOT's new Nemo ride, is performed here during the first few scenes of the show. As the show unfolds... we re-live Marlin's desperation as he searches for Nemo, we delight in Dori's forgetfulness and antics, we laugh along as the many friends and foes they make along the way, move the plot and we discover scenes of underwater wonder, one right after the other. Very well done is the scene in the fish tank at the doctors office... as the stage takes a more intimate feel with the help of stage framing and other effects... Finally, we delight as we ride the currents with Crush and Squirt, and finally become emotional in the re-encounter of Nemo and Marlin at last... Just to leave the theater a bit flushed (no pun intended) after seeing Marlin being able to let go of Nemo with a heartfelt "Goodbye Son" and a mutual bow salute between one another. The show ends. Now my opinion on this musical... I honestly was not all that excited about the prospects of this show to be honest, as I felt the show was not being presented in the proper setting or even the proper park. I would have liked to see this at the MK... Maybe in a new facility where the dreaded Pooh playground now sits. After seeing the show and being thoroughly entertained.. the fact is .. it does NOT matter. Finding Nemo The Musical is an undisputed E-ticket show, and probably the best stage show presented at WDW in a very long long time. The musical hits the bullseye in every technical and artistic way, and this particular cast today was Top Notch great. As I frequently do, I lovered my expectations...but yet, based on the few photos leaked out online, my expectations were to see something that came close to TDS' Little Mermaid show at Mermaid Lagoon.. I would have been happy just to see something in the Nemo Musical that came remotely closed to that other spectacle at TDS. Lo and behold! Nemo Musical delived solidly throughout. I was quite impressed by the sophisticated level of the puppetry in the show... The costuming was equally nice, and even the choreography of the show was flawlessly executed, including the aerial bits...(these aerial ballets of performers are more the focus on TDS' Mermaid show, and while it would have been nice to see more of that integrated into Nemo Musical, the show still was a solid production delivered by great perfomers) One particular dance sequence involving a school of fish was quite imaginative and marvelously staged. As for the cast itself... they were simply AWESOME. True professionals on the stage here IMHO. I felt a bit sorry for these excellent performers who at times have to become a bit of second bananas to the colorful puppets they have to maneuver themselves... but they never missed a beat, combining the puppetry requirements with solid acting and even more enjoyable singing. Jokes were delivered matter-of-factly and we laughed along... My Favorite line in the whole show comes early as Marlin teaches Nemo about the perils of the sea.. "Didn't you see JAWS???" .. So this particular cast today gets a most enthusiastic KUDOS from me in every respect. As for the puppets and props.. the pelican (I believe it's a pelican) who befriends Nemo and other sealife in the fish tank in the doctor's office is stunningly real in movement as he peeks into the stage just like the character does in the movie. Great prop. Equally well done is the Crush puppet and Manta's. However, these props are placed on a bicycle-like vehicle due to their size and while I found that to be a bit distracting...but the puppets themselves were awesome (no Crush impersonation intended). Missing here, and greatly missed... the silly seagulls.. "Mine! Mine!..." were nowhere to be found. From a technical point of view, the show is a visual treat combining the live action on stage with projections that enhanced the overall feel of the action underwater, which kept me quite transfixed on the action as the plot unfolded. If this was a "dress rehearsal" performance... I would not have known, since the entire show appeared to be well rehearsed and painlessly excecuted,as the cast never appeared to have missed a queue, and the technical aspects worked well, along with the proper lighting following the action on stage. KUDOS to the technical staff. Finally the songs... a few of them were very enjoyable.. and some were a bit long, but all in all, I never felt bored or lost interest to the point of looking at my watch to see how much longer to go before the finale, which is something I seem to do often when watching "Aladdin The Musical" at DCA, a show that bores me terribly. Very little I found in the show that could be improved. Unlike with the "Tarzan Rocks" show, all of the music here is pre-recorded, and the only gripe I have with that is the sound system in the theater.. I felt the volume was a bit low and the quality of the sound was not up to what I would expect from a major theater production.. so the acoustic within the theater may have to be examined and fixed, or maybe the sounds system should be replaced with digital and more modern speakers?? Also, as delightful as the show is... a few scenes seemed to go on just a tad bit long..especially since there is so much dialogue in the entire production. I would guess that some non-english speaking guests and very small children may have a hard time keeping up with the many funny jokes and story plot, so maybe, taking a few seconds here and there in some scenes could help the show to not get to a point where the audience may feel it's beginning to drag a bit. Other than that... NO complaints here. My final thoughts are... Nemo the Musical is an excellent production, with many surprises along the way, great acting and singing, pretty decent music and songs, and technical candy galore to keep the masses engaged. Most definitely a great great addition to the entertainment lineup at DAK, and one addition that should set the quality standard in future musical/stage show productions throughout WDW. It's what Disney magic should be all about.. exceeding expectations in every way. E-ticket show. TDLFAN says... RUN to DAK and check it out. 5*****s out of 5. Enthusiastic KUDOS!!! Sorry I was not able to bring you photos of the performance as requests to abstain from such was made by the Entertainment director of producing the show. She said "We want you to see the show with your eyes..." I saw no one with a photo or video camera attached to their face. Just GO see the show at your earliest convenience, as I feel you will NOT be disappointed in the very least.
Originally Posted By basas Thanks! I don't think I've heard one negative review of the Nemo show yet! Great news!
Originally Posted By Boardwalkbum Wow TDLFAN.....I would've thought you saw this show in Japan your review was so enthusiastic! Seriously though, thanks for the heads up...had a feeling this would be a good one.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >> Just GO see the show at your earliest convenience,<< It may be 5-10 years until my next visit to WDW .... So when someone has pics ... please post a link here. thx!
Originally Posted By Dlmusic WOW. . .just WOW. My faith in theme park entertainment has been restored and then some. A script that didn't pander to the audience, staging that delighted both kids and adults, it was amazing to see such a jump in quality versus the recent theme park fare. To me Finding Nemo the Musical is not only one of the best theme parks shows I've ever seen, but it even competes minute for minute with some shows currently on Broadway. The music was top notch, and isn't it wonderful to see a complete Disney musical again? Let's hope the positive reaction will encourage Pixar to try a musical themselves. One word of warning, if you can possibly make it out to the parks during soft openings and through early December you'd better, because once word gets out this might be a hard show to watch. From what I understand there are only planning four shows a day which would mean about 7,000 guests will be able to see it. That's only about a 1/3rd of Animal Kingdom's attendance on a fairly busy day.
Originally Posted By kennect TDL, Back up a moment...You mention recorded singing and then give credit to the actors and singers...Or did I misread what you said? Regardless, it sounds like you enjoyed this show..But then again there should be absolutely no excuse for this show to be anything short of top notch....I hope that this might mean the new beginning of live entertainment at WDW...We can only hope....I personally hope that it means we can see more of this in the future there...Come on, please put Beauty at the Studios out of her misery....
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>TDL, Back up a moment...You mention recorded singing and then give credit to the actors and singers...<< The music was recorded but as far as I could tell... all actors were live vocals in songs and dialogue. Again, there is a need for improvement in regards to the sound system in the theater, as the sound overall was a bit musty and some of my friends who attended the show did complaint about difficulty understanding some of the words and lyrics to songs... Also would like to repeat.. best seating for the show appear to be the very center upper section about 8 rows from the back, but not too far down close to the center walkway that cuts thru the theater... *hint*
Originally Posted By koobar thanks for the review and tip TDLFan, I'll keep it in mind when i see it in 2 weeks. so when's the cast recording coming out?
Originally Posted By SuperDry Sounds like a great show - I look forward to seeing it someday. And definately a great review - it was almost as if I was there.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN BUMPing this topic up just to remind people I can be just as positive about WDW as some pollyannas around here can be.
Originally Posted By kpwdwfan Glad to see that Disney has produced a quality attraction. Can't wait to see it. With the reviews I've read thus far it looks like I just might have to plan a trip to see it first hand. Brings back memories of the days when Disney fanatics would plan a trip to WDW just because a new quality attraction opened. I won't get my hopes up but maybe this is a sign of things to come. I know that I'm being a bit too optimstic but I haven't given up all hope yet!
Originally Posted By MPierce >> BUMPing this topic up just to remind people I can be just as positive about WDW as some pollyannas around here can be.<< I always new deep down inside you were a closet Pollyanna. A excellent review, just like you always give. I just don't know how I missed it until now, thanks.
Originally Posted By beamerdog Thanks for the great review, TDLFAN. I haven't been in a while and was wondering if my memory was correct in that the seats are benches on concrete flooring. (not metal stadium seating)
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>I always new deep down inside you were a closet Pollyanna.<< I am NOT in the closet!!
Originally Posted By BlueOhanaTerror The show apparently is receiving standing o's at almost every performance, from what I'm hearing. Apparently, the top TWDC execs (including Eisner and Lasseter) are very pleased after all being in attendance themselves.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Apparently, the top TWDC execs (including Eisner and Lasseter) are very pleased after all being in attendance themselves.>> You scared me for a second then I realized you just had a typo. After all, Eisner is spending most of his time making Chinese food for Viacom's Sumner Redstone now.
Originally Posted By goldenstate5 I came to WDW last week and in just the right time: WOW!!! This was...spectacular! I mean, I thought that Aladdin was the be-all, end-all to theme park entertainment. (though some kids down in Tokyo might disagree) Yet, I was wrong...this amazed me. It's too bad it's in DAK, meaning it won't get as much attention as it should. I'm almost begging for Disney to replace Aladdin in DCA with this, but alas, old Al is too much of a crowd pleaser. (damn improvising Genie!) Maybe...Disneyland? (looks towards the now pathetic Fantasyland Theatre) Anyways, I was initially drawn to the show for the fact that the music was by Robert Lopez, best known for his award-winning work for "Avenue Q". I knew that surely he would whip up some good music (along with his wife as the lyrcist)...and it looks like "Big Blue World" will be joining X. Atencio and Sherman Bros. classics in the park compliation albums pretty soon. (the very good [and catchy] song is also featured in the new Epcot Nemo attraction) But I didn't expect quite a show! WOW! Not that it had a few faults, such as the aformentioned sound problems, as well as the book being incredibly fast-paced, almost too fast paced. I say screw it and make the show 45 minutes. Who cares? You're in Animal Kingdom, a park with not much to do anyways. There was some off-color parts that I enjoyed ("Tivo?", "We're penguins...we can't fly!"), which made me wonder if Robert Lopez helped write the book, because those seem right in the range of his type of jokes. Another problem was the reversal of the thought process of how stage puppetry is supposed to work. In a show like "Avenue Q", which shows the puppets and the puppeteers at the same time, the actors and actresses NEVER let go of their puppet unless they are immediately claiming another. You'll never see the puppeteers become themselves until curtain call. This is because you have to believe that the actors/actresses ARE the puppets, and the audience absorbs this fact. And...well, Disney creative sees a bit different I guess. They somehow want to communicate that, in some strange way, the relationship between Nemo and Marlin goes beyond the puppets (I'm already confused right here), and just down to the actors...what?!! That makes for incredible confusion...because the whole POINT of stage puppetry is to convince the audience that they are their puppets! The feeling should come out of them and the puppets at the same time, and if the actors can't convey that...well, they're not good stage puppeteers. And WHY is Nemo talking to the actor playing Mr. Ray and NOT the Mr. Ray puppet? Another big stage puppet no-no. The ultimate insult was the whole "Bye, Dad" routine. Thanks for breaking character, now we know that in a weird way there's human emotions (I guess that's their intent) behind the fish...aka actual humans. I'm just confused by the whole philosophy of it all. But, besides my griping about stage puppeteering, it really was an entertaining show, and dang that pelican puppet was impressive. And of course, the songs with incredible, including the almost already classic "Big Blue World". I think all the songs were (including in-betweens): "Big Blue World" "Big Blue World (Reprise)" "Dory's Song" (?) "Fish Are Friends, Not Food" "Where's My Dad?" "We Swim Together" "Just Keep Swimming" "Not My Dad" "Go With The Flow" "That's My Dad" "We Swim Together (Reprise)" "Big Blue World (Finale)" "Go With The Flow (Curtain Call)" Whoa! I can't believe I held that much memory, but I just wanted to see how much I could list. Any corrections (there probably will be with the show being tampered), just say...but, I have to admit: GREAT SHOW!!...
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>I say screw it and make the show 45 minutes. Who cares? You're in Animal Kingdom, I say screw it and make the show 45 minutes. Who cares? You're in Animal Kingdom, a park with not much to do anyways. << I disagree. Too much of a good thing is bad, reason why WDW as a whole is a freaking mess. As for the Nemo show, the lenght of the show is just right. Furthermore... what do you mean, DAk is "a park with not much to do"?? There are LOTS of things to do at DAK, and seems to me you do not want to do them. I in fact can spend a whole day at DAK and not repeat one single ride, and fill my entire day with other experiences.
