Finding Nemo Musical to Swim to DisneyWorld; Lopez Composes

Featuring original songs by Tony Award-winning Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (the composer of the a capella musical Along the Way), Finding Nemo–The Musical "will immerse Walt Disney World guests in the story of Marlin and Nemo, an overprotective clownfish father and his curious son, through a dazzling production that combines puppets, dancers, acrobats and animated backdrops," state press notes. Peter Brosius, artistic director of The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, is set to direct the musical.

The show represents the first time Disney has taken a non-musical animated feature and transformed it into an original musical production. It will be presented in the newly enclosed Theater in the Wild.

During Finding Nemo – the Musical, Theater in the Wild will be transformed into an undersea environment through lighting, sound, special effects and the theatrical puppetry of Michael Curry, who designed the character puppets seen in the Broadway version of Disney's The Lion King. Principal characters such as Marlin, Nemo and Dory will be represented by live performers operating larger-than-life puppets. Peripheral characters will be realized by a diverse array of puppetry styles, including rod, bunraku and shadow.

"It is our goal to bring the undersea Nemo characters to Disney's Animal Kingdom in a live setting in a way that captures what is truly special about the film," Jay Rasulo , head of Disney World Parks and Resorts stated. "This production will meet that challenge in a dynamic and wholly original way to bring us into the fantastical ocean world."

Released in 2003, Finding Nemo earned a domestic box office gross of $339,714,367. The film--directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and written by Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds, featured a voice cast comprised of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, William Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush and more.

Finding Nemo–The Musical will be performed several times daily. Admission to Theater in the Wild is included with regular Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park admission. Guest information is available by calling 407-824-4321 or by visiting www.disneyworld.com.