Disney’s Hollywood Studios has two new shows; The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and Disney’s Villains: Unfairly Ever After. I attended both on opening day. Here is my review of The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.
Usually I’ll try to keep spoilers to a minimum in a review, but everyone knows the story of The Little Mermaid. If you don’t, the new show will make no sense to you. It’s a retelling of the 90 minute animated movie in 20 minutes. Much of the story is missing, but it should still delight fans of the Disney classic.
Calling The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure new isn’t quite accurate. Voyage of the Little Mermaid ran in the same theater for over 25 years. That show closed when Walt Disney World shut down in 2020, and it never reopened. Rumors say that the show’s water elements cause significant damage to the theater, which is why the theater was vacant for so long. Whether or not that’s true, I don’t know.
I’ll be honest, I barely remember Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I think that gave me an advantage going into the new show. I didn’t spend my time comparing it to its predecessor.
There’s a lot going on in The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure. It’s a mixture of actors, digital projections, and puppets. All of your favorite characters are present in one way or another. They’ll perform several songs from The Little Mermaid, but I won’t tell you which ones. See, I can keep the spoilers to a minimum.
The performances are fantastic. Ariel especially will have you wondering how they do it. There are moments when you can easily imagine that you’re watching something under the sea, but now without the water elements.
The outdoor part of the queue for The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is mostly in the shade. The Cast Members were doing their best to get as many guests in the shade as possible. When the show before yours starts, part of the line will move inside and in the air conditioning. It was welcome.
Right now the times for The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure aren’t posted. Disney just gives opening and closing times. I wonder if that’s because there are still some kinks to work out as far as a set schedule is concerned. There is a posted Wait Time, but I don’t think it’s all that accurate. If you need to know approximately when the next show or two will start, ask a Cast Member at the entrance.
The cast and crew of The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure do a phenomenal job. It’s nice to have a couple of new choices at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you’re a fan of the animated movie, this is must-do. For all else, it’s a fun break on a hot day.