"The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure" at WDW!

[merprincess]

Huge news today! Voyage of The Little Mermaid is now being upgraded to a full length musical production titled "The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure" that will debut in fall 2024 at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios. It'll be at the Animation Courtyard, in the same location as Voyage, but the entire area will be renovated and revamped to accommodate the new production. The show will be based on the 1989 animated film, though I wonder (and hope!) the roles like Ariel will be cast more inclusively so a wider variety of capable and talented performers can take the stage as our favorite mermaid!

Here's an initial photo of concept art, depicting "Kiss The Girl" (which wasn't even in Voyage!)




Link here for more info: disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2023/12/new-the-little-mermaid-show-coming-to-disneys-hollywood-studios/

I had a good feeling this was in the works! It's nice we have so many versions of Ariel's story being told lately - the live action film, the Disney Wish cruise line musical, obviously the stage musical adapted from the Broadway show, and now this brand new production!

What do you all think? End of an era for the sweet little show that was Voyage, I know it needed a ton of work since not much had changed since the 90s (and the theater had an outbreak of black mold over quarantine...a glowup was much-needed), but I'm excited to see an entire show at the parks that fully tells Ariel's story and involves more characters. And I hope they continue to have puppetry!

(and I'd be remiss not to include that this is yet another production of TLM I'll be auditioning for with the hopes of making my Ariel dreams come true. one step closer!)

[yougottaloveariel]

You beat me to it! Did you ever write your review for 2023 film?

[merprincess]

Dec 19, 2023 19:23:54 GMT -5 yougottaloveariel said:

You beat me to it! Did you ever write your review for 2023 film?

I didn't end up writing a written review but I shared my thoughts via a podcast appearance a few months ago, you can listen here! soundcloud.com/thawedcast/the-little-mermaid-2023 - my voice was recovering from illness so I struggled a little bit with a lot of the talking haha but I tried to express all the things I wanted to share about the film and engage in conversation with friends. I posted about it on the following thread: littleariel.proboards.com/post/60551/thread

[veu]

Thanks for info about this new show!
I'm very curious about this new version!

In the photo Ariel resemble more Halle Bailey's Ariel but the clothes are reminiscent of the animated version.

I think the show will see various Ariels alternating, one that recalls the Ariel from the 1989 Classic and one that will recall the new Ariel from the 2023 movie.

Here there is the large photo:

[veu]

Source: wdwnt.com/2024/02/new-art-puppeteer-auditions-little-mermaid-show/

New Concept Art Shared, Puppeteer Auditions Posted for ‘The Little Mermaid’ Show Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Brit Tuttle

February 6, 2024

Following the recently posted auditions for the roles of Ariel and Prince Eric, Disney has also posted auditions for puppeteers to join the company of “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as shared new concept art for the show.

New ‘The Little Mermaid’ Concept Art Revealed


Concept art for puppets of Sebastian, Flounder, and Max in the new "The Little Mermaid" stage show.

The auditions were advertised with new concept art on the Official Disney Auditions Instagram account, with the art featuring puppet designs for Sebastian, Flounder, and Max, Prince Eric’s dog.

The trio is surrounded by scrapbook-style decorations representing both the land and sea, with seaweed, shells, and starfish in various colors. Each character seems to have some defining trait to heighten their appearance, be it Sebastian’s glittery red shell, Flounder’s star-shaped freckles, or the rope strands in Max’s fur.

Puppeteer Auditions Posted
On the Disney Auditions website, the actual audition is not only for “The Little Mermaid” show, but also for “Festival of the Lion King.” It is possible that these performers could be cross-trained between shows, or that the puppets themselves could be similar in construction and operation.


Online submissions will be accepted through Sunday, February 25, 2024.

Here are the details directly from the website:

Disney Live Entertainment is seeking energetic performers with puppetry experience, for puppeteer roles within the Character Department at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, FL.

Please note that all performers, including puppeteers, also perform as fully-costumed Disney Characters in our Parks and Resorts.

SEEKING THE FOLLOWING ROLE:

Puppeteers: 5’2” – 6’3”, with puppeteering experience to help bring to life The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and Festival of the Lion King.

Puppeteers will use their skills to interact with guests and tell classic Disney tales using a variety of puppeteering techniques and styles, from hand-and-rod, to mechanical, to full-body parade puppets.

NOTE: Puppeteers will also be required to bring to life our walk-around Disney costumed Characters in Parks and Resorts. Because of this, a basic movement routine in included in the Online Submission, as well as improv exercises.

SUBMISSION AND ONLINE AUDITION CHECK-IN INSTRUCTIONS:

This is a 2 step process. Candidates must submit AND check-in to the audition to be considered.

STEP 1 – SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Please click “My Profile” to create or update your performer profile.
Please click on the “movement” link to view and learn your audition choreography and animation. Record yourself performing the movement.
Please click on the “puppetry” link to view and learn the puppeteering task. Record yourself performing the task.
Under the LINKS section, add your links to your video to a sharing site like YouTube or Vimeo – if using YouTube, please mark the video as “unlisted”.
Please upload the below 3 current photos of yourself. Please pull long hair back so it is off the face, and only wear light makeup if desired. Form-fitting attire is preferred.
Direct shot from the waist up, looking into the camera
Full-body shot, looking straight forward into the camera
Profile shot, from the waist up

STEP 2 – CHECK-IN INSTRUCTIONS

Visit Disney Auditions Check-In
Select the audition: “Walt Disney World ONLINE SUBMISSIONS: Puppeteers.”
Take your selfie to complete the submission process
You’re all set. There is no need to submit more than once
Submissions will be accepted through February 25, 2024. Candidates will be contacted by Talent Casting should they be selected to move on to the next round. Selected candidates MUST be available in the Orlando, FL area for a callback.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE CALLBACK:

If selected to move to the next round, the audition will begin with a very basic movement combination, and an improv animation exercise, with performers using their whole body to act out a storyline. Following this, performers will learn a basic puppeteer exercise. Using ping-pong ball eyes attached to their hands, performers will create a basic puppet and lip-sync along to popular music. Performers will be graded on syncopation, ability to match syllables to lyrics, and overall creativity.

Selected performers will then be asked to puppeteer hand-and-rod style puppets.

REQUIREMENTS:

Must be at least 18 years of age, and authorized to work in the United States.
This audition opportunity is OPEN to current Character Performers.

Concept art for "The Little Mermaid - A Musical Adventure."
The new show, replacing the former “Voyage of The Little Mermaid,” is inspired by the 1989 animated film, which follows Ariel on her journey to become part of the human world. The show will include musical numbers from the film, including “Part of Your World,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and “Kiss the Girl.”

“The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” will premiere this fall.