Five Things to Know About The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is an updated retelling of the 1989 Disney classic animated feature. We think it’s the best version Disney has put on in the park! The story is told with live actors, animation, puppets, and all sorts of special effects. And of course, your favorite songs are included! To learn more, read on. Or to swim over to the nuts and bolts, here’s a shortcut.

1. Your queue to go Under the Sea is a bit of a shipwreck.

The queue area for The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is, honestly, nothing spectacular. The outside portion of the queue consists of switchbacks under the cover of a roof with fans to circulate the air. Posters featuring scenes and characters from the animated feature are hung on the walls. It’s not winning any theming awards, but you’ll know what you’re in line for.

Once you’re indoors, the lobby is fairly dark and plain – and somewhat stuffy in our experience. There are no interactive features to keep little ones occupied. But it’s air-conditioned, and you’re that much closer to a seat.

2. You get to be part of her world.

Once you’re seated, the Seahorse Herald runs through a spiel about no flash photography, etc., before introducing the daughters of Triton. Then, for the next 20 minutes, you’ll be dazzled by the two live actors portraying Ariel and Eric as they interact with puppets and animated screen projections.

Without spoiling the story, the effects are really quite magical – watch especially as Ariel uses her tail to swim across the stage! And Ursula presents a huge, frightening presence, complete with waving tentacles. As the tale is told, you’ll hear the songs “Daughters of Triton,” “Part of Your World,” “Under the Sea,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and “Kiss the Girl.” (“Daughters of Triton” and “Kiss the Girl” did not appear in the previous version of the show, but we’re glad they’re included in this one.)

If you’re wearing a MagicBand+, look for it to interact with songs and lightning strikes. (If you’ve got littles who are sensitive to thunderstorms, they may find the storm scene frightening.) And of course, there’s a conveniently located gift shop filled with Ariel merchandise attached to the theater when you exit.

3. The fishistory of the show.

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure was a long time coming. The first Little Mermaid show in the Animation Courtyard Theater, replacing Here Come the Muppets, was Voyage of the Little Mermaid. That version ran from January 7, 1992, until March 15, 2020, when the pandemic caused many closures. When most of the park reopened, the Voyage of the Little Mermaid stage remained dark.

The new Little Mermaid show was announced back on December 19, 2023, with a projected opening in fall 2024. From the beginning of its development, Disney made clear that this production would be a brand new interpretation of the story, not just a remake of the previous attraction. The narrative would be reimagined, along with the effects and the stage itself.

In June 2024, Disney shared that the show would use all-new puppets and gave the public a sneak peek of two new puppets for in the show. Prince Eric’s dog, Max, was shown along with a sea turtle. But as fall 2024 drew to a close, on October 14, Disney announced that the show would be delayed until May 2025.

Finally, on May 27, 2025, five years after Voyage of the Little Mermaid closed its doors, the new show premiered. Turns out, it was worth the wait!

4. A deep dive into some secrets of the seas.

⭐ By using a scrim in front of the stage, then the actors midground, and a projection screen behind the actors, the Imagineers create a sense of depth and dimension for the action. They are also paying tribute to a technique developed by Walt Disney himself! Walt developed the Multiplane Camera, which used multiple layers to create the illusion of depth in his earlier animated features.

⭐ There are over 300 fish in the “Under the Sea” number. Each individual fish’s actions were based on choreography performed by real dancers so the animators could ensure realistic movement.

⭐ Imagineers also utilized digital image motion capture to animate Triton and Ursula (and others). Again, they wanted to ensure the most true-to-life movements for these characters.

⭐ If you love looking for Hidden Mickeys, you’ll have a field day in this theatre. With all the bubbles in the presentation, how could there not be? We’ll give you one hint to get you started: look to the right of the Little Mermaid as she sits on her platform…

5. The Nuts and Bolts.

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is in the Animation Courtyard Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Part of the queue is indoors, but a fair portion is outdoors in a covered area with fans, and if lines are long, they extend beyond the covering and are out in the open, with a few umbrellas for shelter from the sun. If you’re in the outdoor portion of the queue, it’s possible to get wet in inclement weather, but the show itself goes on rain or shine.

Inside the theatre are rows of padded seats with armrests. The last two rows are used for those in wheelchairs/ECVs and their parties. And there’s also wheelchair seating in the front of the theatre. There are no height requirements or health advisories for The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.

The show is performed every 40 minutes; check My Disney Experience for times. There are no performances during Early Theme Park Entry or Extended Evening Theme Park Hours. As of this writing, The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is not available as a Lightning Lane attraction, although a sign on the outside of the theatre reads, “Lightning Lane coming soon.” The show has proven to be so very popular that waits of 60 minutes or more are possible. So, to minimize your wait time, the best bet is to see it in the late afternoon, when guests are leaving the park or starting to head to dinner.

The Bottom Line.

We loved the previous show and missed it when it was shuttered. Now, we’re glad to have the Little Mermaid back and better than ever! We love the songs, the story, and the Imagineers have done their due diligence to create next-level effects without going over the top with too much technology. The result is true Disney storytelling magic. This is a world you’ll want to be part of on your next visit!

Have you seen this latest Little Mermaid production? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!