Voyage of The Little Mermaid

Voyage of The Little Mermaid, in Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park, is a scheduled 15-minute show appropriate for the entire family that recreates the popular Disney animated film The Little Mermaid using colorful puppets, live performers, special effects and movie clips.

Begin in the reef-walled theater and feel the cooling effects of water mists. Follow Ariel as she travels back and forth from the ocean floor full of fish and mercreatures up to the world where she dreams to be, among the humans.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid includes many memorable songs, like Ariel's wistful "Part of Your World" and the Academy Award-winning song, "Under the Sea," sung by the calypso-ing crab Sebastian. A mildly menacing moment occurs when the enormous evil sea witch, Ursula, belts out "Poor Unfortunate Soul." True to the movie, this musical stage production ends on wave of happiness.

The nautical theme begins as you pass through a waiting room filled with undersea paraphernalia, an old diver's suit, fishing nets, even a fake shark! As you enter the theater, your senses are tricked into believing that you've been transported to a beautiful underwater world. A curtain of water showers from the stage and you're lightly sprayed with a sea mist and gentle breeze in the murky darkness. The crusty crustacean Sebastian, along with 100 ocean friend puppets illuminated by black light, start the show with the Academy Award-winning, "Under the Sea." You soon meet Ariel, her human love Eric, and the evil sea witch, Ursula. To move the action along, scenes from the movie are interspersed between the live performances. As in the original Little Mermaid, Ariel is eventually transformed into a human and sheds her glittery green flippers, only to find she has lost her gorgeous voice. The story concludes with the thwarting of Ursula's wicked plan in a musical finale that's sure to please.

Touring Tips

• Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a FASTPASS attraction. FASTPASS works a little differently at this attraction than at others, however. Upon receiving your FASTPASS ticket, you'll notice that your return "window" is only 10 minutes, rather than the one-hour windows of other attractions.
• This show is 17 minutes long. While crowds may gather in between start times, the theater holds quite a few people. Don't be discouraged by large groups waiting outside; check the posted wait times. But for the best chance of seeing the show with the shortest possible wait, try to see it first thing in the morning.
• For the best view, try to sit in the middle of the theater.
• The theater is quite dark, which may frighten some small children. Some children may find the scenes with Ursula, the Sea Witch, a bit scary or intense.

Facts

• It replaced the previous attraction Here Comes The Muppets in January 1992.
• Voyage of The Little Mermaid follows an abridged version of the 1989 film The Little Mermaid.
• The elevated stage makes it tough for small children to see all the details in The Voyage of The Little Mermaid. Their best vantage point is from the lap of a grown-up. The middle or rear of the theater offers the best vantage point for viewing the entire stage and all the special effects.
• During the first part of this show, you will be sprayed with a light mist, to create the illusion of being under the sea. This effect is particularly noticeable if you're seated in the front of the theater.
• The figure of Ursula, the Sea Witch, is actually a puppet that is 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
• During the song "Under the Sea", over 100 back-light puppets perform.
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid features the original music from the film, created by Oscar- and Grammy Award-winning composers Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
• The Academy award winning song, "Under the Sea", "Part of Your World" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls" are performed during the presentation. The latter is sung by an enormous 12' high and 10' wide Ursula puppet.

Hidden Mickey

• The lasers at the start of the show form a Mickey head.