Finding Nemo the musical...confirmed...

[Jovie24]

Finding Nemo to Be Stage Musical
53 mins ago Finding Nemo to Be Stage Musical

Oct 18, 2006 6:45 PM (53 mins ago)

NEW YORK - If you've been looking for Nemo, that rebellious fish from the 2003 animated film "Finding Nemo," you can soon find him on stage, along with his overprotective clown fish of a father Marlin and the movie's other aquatic characters.

Disney is converting the undersea tale of Marlin's adventurous search for Nemo, who is scooped up by a diver, into what company officials are calling a "Broadway-caliber short-form" stage musical.

Preview performances of 'Finding Nemo-The Musical' are set to begin in November and the premiere is set for January 2007 in the 1,500-seat Theater in the Wild at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

The production marks the first time Disney has made a musical of a non-musical animated film, said Anne Hamburger, executive vice present of Disney Creative Entertainment, who was at Manhattan's Palace Theatre Wednesday where two animated puppets - including Nemo - were presented and composers performed two songs from the musical.

Using animated backdrops, special lighting, sound and effects, The Theater in the Wild will be transformed into a magical underwater wonderland populated with puppets and dancers and animated backdrops, Hamburger said.

There will be tap-dancing sharks, bike-riding puppets and a punk performance by the great white shark Bruce, Disney officials said.

The musical will run about 30 minutes compared to the a 1-hour-44-minute movie, which grossed hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office, Hamburger said.

To make the underwater environment come alive on stage, Disney officials enlisted some of mainstream theater's most well-known names.

Peter Brosius, the artistic director at The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Minn., is directing the musical.

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who was co-creator and co-composer of the Tony Award-winning "Avenue Q," composed original songs for the new musical.

Michael Curry, who co-created the character puppets in Broadway's "The Lion King," is creating the puppetry for the new show.

In the musical, the main characters - Nemo, Marlin and Dory - will appear as animated puppets operated by live performers, Curry said.

New techonology and other tricks will give the stage an "underwater" feeling, Curry said.

Hamburger wouldn't say how much Disney is spending to create 'Finding Nemo-The Musical.'

Entry to 'Finding Nemo-The Musical' will be included with regular admission to Disney's Animal Kingdom.

[alterego]

We should be grateful it isn't heading to Broadway.

[mateo]

i heard that.

[Yankeefan007]

Old news.

[FOAnatic]

This was confirmed sooooooooooooooooooo long ago.

Old old news.

[Josephine2]

Yes...they've been having auditions for this since June (or maybe even before). It's been in the works for a while.

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

I auditoned for it like 9 months ago....this is WAY old news

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

I auditoned for it like 9 months ago....this is WAY old news

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

I auditoned for it like 9 months ago....this is WAY old news

[DRSisLove]

I saw the "The musical" part and got a little confused. For a second I thought it was Broadway bound, ha ha

[erikaamato]

I auditoned for it like 9 months ago....this is WAY old news

Yep, me too. Quite dated "news."

[marincrazy11]

haha i auditioned for it in june

[focusingonmoviesmatt]

its going in the theater were tarzan rocks was playing, i heard its previewing to disney vacation members very soon.

[Jovie24]

You guys are right...this is way old news...but I thought it was like the Broadway article...well this newspaper I found online just sent it out today...so must be new to them...LoL...when I read it i was like..oh wait, didn't they already announce this...but it was dated today...guess they needed publicity on it...

[StageManager2]

I wonder if that's how they'll do Flounder, Sebastian et al for THE LITTLE MERMAID.

[Parks]

...are you kidding me? Those pictures make me want to throw up.

[StageManager2]

*hands Parks a barf bucket*

[Sondheim Geek]

*Steals Park's barf bucket*

As old as it is, it's just as disturbing.

[StageManager2]

*pats Sondheim Geek's back as she vomits profusely*

[Sondheim Geek]

REALLY. FREAKING. SCARY. OKAY?

(BTW, thank you StageManager... *barfs again*)

[OxfordsLeadingMan]

Wasn't This Confirmed A Year Ago?

[Sondheim Geek]

Yes It Was Confirmed A Year Ago, But He Needs To Add, And It's Scary.

[goldenstate5]

Wow...previews start in November and I'll be there the day they start! But...huh! Just to give everyone some more news relating: another Finding Nemo attraction opened at Epcot that uses the "Big Blue World" song...so, yes, Robert Lopez has officially become the first Disney Parks songwriter to ever win a Tony award...congraulations to him I guess...

[Lizzya9]

I knew about this a while ago

[Mattbrain]

What's the link for the pictures?