Finding Nemo The Musical
Opened: January 2007
Location: DinoLand USA
Extra Magic Hours: No, not usually. Rarely, there is a show during evening Extra Magic Hours.
FASTPASS: No
Reserved Seating: If you have an advanced reservation (i.e. reserving online or by phone prior to your arrival at the Park) at Tusker House for seating between 1:00pm and 1:40pm, you will receive one ticket per person for the reserved seating section of the 3:15pm performance of the Finding Nemo Musical . If your reservation is between 1:50pm and 2:45pm and there is a show at 4:45pm then you will receive reserved seats for that show. You are asked to be present at the show 30 minutes prior to show time and you will be led in before the other guests to a reserved area close to the stage on the right side.
Type: Musical theater show
Similar To: Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Requirements: None
Scary Factor: Zero
When To Go: There are usually five shows scheduled throughout the day. The two least crowded shows are at the end of the day, usually at 3:15pm and 4:45pm. The first show of the day, usually at 11:45am, is also a good choice. The second and third shows of the day are the most crowded. If you are planning to skip the 3:45pm Parade, the 3:15pm show makes a lot of sense, but it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get out of the theater in time to see the Parade. If you are planning to see the Parade, I recommend going to the last show of the day. A lot of people leave after the 3:45pm Parade and crowds thin substantially. It’s also easier to get to DinoLand at the end of the day, after completing your itinerary in Africa and Asia. During the busiest seasons, you may want to take advantage of Tusker House reserved seating. Tusker House is an underrated buffet with a large selection and excellent food.
Expect to Wait: The theater holds 1,500 people which is usually adequate, but you’ll want to be lined up for the Musical about 30 minutes before it’s scheduled to start to ensure a quality seat. You may be able to walk right in during the slowest seasons or need to get there 45 minutes early during the busiest seasons. It depends mostly on the time of year and how many visitors are in the Park.
Length: 35-40 minutes
What to Expect: Finding Nemo – The Musical is an elaborate stage show that features the characters from the Finding Nemo movie. The show is housed in an air-conditioned theater with fairly comfortable bench seats with backs. Tony Award winner Robert Lopez and his wife penned 16 original songs for the show and Michael Curry, who helped design the wildly successful Lion King Broadway show, served as lead designer. The show is similar to the Lion King in that the actors and puppeteers wear costumes and are just as much a part of the show as the puppets themselves. While technically “puppets,” many are as large as domestic automobiles, so don’t be put off by this being “just a puppet show” because it’s much, much more than that.
Rating: 7/10
Commentary: Finding Nemo, while an excellent show, is just the second or third best show at the Animal Kingdom. Festival of the Lion King is definitely superior and many people enjoy Flights of Wonder more as well. Finding Nemo is still a fun show, especially for younger kids or those who enjoy musicals and stage shows. Surprisingly, the biggest complaint about Nemo is that the puppeteers and actors are visible throughout the performance, but that’s intentional and an integral part of the storytelling. The middle of the show isn’t particularly exciting or interesting either. I would recommend Finding Nemo if you have time, but if it’s a choice between Nemo and the Lion King, I would definitely go with the Lion King. If you have kids, they’ll probably want to see Nemo over Flights of Wonder, which is fine. Without kids, Flights of Wonder is the better show for most people. Finding Nemo The Musical does have the most comfortable seating of the theater shows at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and it is air-conditioned, so you may want to take that into consideration if you’re looking for a cool, comfortable break from walking the Park.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
We are not willing to give up either Lion King or Nemo. We love both shows. Flights of Wonder is nice but not something we feel the need to see every year. Usually we have two days at AK so we see Nemo one day and LK on another day. This year we only have one day so we will be squeezing both shows in on that one day. My kids are 15 and 18, they much prefer Nemo over Flights of Wonder.
I really enjoyed this show the one time we have seen it. (few years back) Hope to do it again this year, but sometimes it is hard to squeeze it all in when AK is only open 9-5.