Voyage of the Little Mermaid - March 2003 - Disney-MGM Studios

On January 7, 1992 Voyage of the Little Mermaid debuted in the Animation Courtyard of Disney-MGM Studios. Here Come the Muppets played in that theater from May 25, 1990 to September 2, 1991. Muppet fans were not sad about its closing though, because the new Muppet Vision 3D opened in 1991. Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a stage show that includes live actors, puppets, animation, water effects, a water curtain, and laser effects. The whole show is amazing. It is about 15 minutes, telling a shortened version of the 1989 Disney animated film. Unlike other shows at MGM, this one continually loads guests, like It’s Tough to be a Bug or Legend of the Lion King. It does not have set times in the Times Guide. Fastpass began there in 2000. It was meant to be a temporary show, lasting about two years, but it has been swimming along for almost 20 years now. The show did not reopen after the park shut down in 2020, but there are plans to bring it back. It was made with a budget of $5.5 million.

In this 2003 home video you will see…

Exterior. Animation Courtyard Theater. There is a “Standby Entrance” and a “Fastpass Return”. This is before Fastpass+ and Lightning Lane. The theater looks like a soundstage on the outside and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid sign out front looks the same. You can see the studio arch and Sorcerer Mickey hat on one side and the Magic of Disney Animation tour on the other.

Pre-show. In this low ceiling holding area guests can look at some “under the sea” treasures while they wait to enter. I record “Peg Leg worn by L.J. Silver” and “Tinkerbell’s Prison”. There are other signs around the area like “Captain Nemo’s diving suit”. King Triton’s trident is on the wall near the theater entrance and it lights up when the show is about to start. “Heffelginger Brain Coral” is a shoutout to WDW Entertainment manager Jim Heffelfinger.
Safety Spiel. In this show guests are reminded to stay seated at all times because of special effects. There are lasers overhead to give the audience the sense of going under water, so I figure that’s what they are referring to.

“Main Titles”. The “Main Titles” theme plays and stars illuminate along the top of the theater. A huge animation screen shows the sea with Prince Eric’s boat approaching. A water screen pours down in front of the stage and smoke and mist fill the air above so guests can see the laser effect of going under water. We get a little wet. A laser projection of “The Little Mermaid” title flashes on the screen. Mermaids swim by.

“Under the Sea”. This stage version of the movie skips over “Fathoms Below” and “Daughters of Triton” and begins with a blacklight spectacle “Under the Sea” (1990 Best Original Song Academy Award). Over 100 puppets sing and dance in this musical number to a pre-recorded audio track. The puppeteers all wear black. Many of the fish are connected together, controlled by one cast member.

“Part of Your World”. A rock glides out on stage with Ariel sitting on top. The mechanism that moved the monorail onto the stage in Here Come the Muppets is reused to move this giant rock in Voyage. In the early days Ariel sat on a hole in a clam shell with pedals underneath to control the tail, but not anymore. Ariel is scolded by her father for going to the surface and then she sings “Part of Your World”. With a microphone in her wig, Ariel is the only speaking character in this show. All the other parts are pre-recorded. If Ariel is having microphone or voice issues, a back-up track is played and she can lip sync if needed. While she sings, animation from the movie is shown on a screen.

“Poor Unfortunate Souls”. Flotsam and Jetsam (puppets) see that Ariel wants to be human and then a huge 12 foot tall, 10 foot wide Ursula puppet slithers out on stage. Her head and arms move and her tentacles wave back and forth. She sings “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and Ariel signs the scroll to become human.

Finale. A film montage on the screen shows the struggles of Ariel trying to get Princy to fall in love with her, so we skip over “Kiss the Girl” and “Les Poissons”, and flash to Ursula being defeated by Eric’s boat. Lightning flashes in the theater and laser effects create waves overhead. Ariel sings “Part of Your World (Reprise)” with Eric laying on the rock beside her, and her father makes her human again. In this effect, Ariel rises up from her rock and her tail vanishes when the lights go dark for a moment. She has legs and Eric carries her off the rock. A costumed Max the Sheepdog jumps around and a water curtain pours down again to end the show.

CAST:
Sebastian- Jess Harnell (or Samuel E. Wright)
Ursula- Pat Carroll
King Triton- Kenneth Mars (or Corey Burton)
Flounder- Edan Gross
Flotsam & Jetsam- Paddi Edwards
Max- Frank Welker
First Ariel (1992)- Leanza Cornett (Miss America 1993, Entertainment Tonight 1994)
Director- Fran Soeder (Legend of the Lion King, Magic Kingdom)