Disney Live Entertainment is heading under the sea for a newly reimagined entertainment offering, The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure as an all-new theatrical production coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios this fall.

The new version of the show promises all-new physical sets, a cast of puppets, live performers, and stunning visuals including some high-tech new upgrades. To pull off an artful blend of practical and projected scenic design, of real and digital puppetry, the team is pairing some tried and true methods (the blacklight puppets are back!) with state-of-the-art technology.

Disney touts that large new physical set pieces created to blend seamlessly with a digital environment that comes to life with digital puppets that transform into real ones right before your eyes. There will also be animated characters performing in the same space as real actors creating for a blend of various

Using motion capture technology, Disney creative teams are using the movements of a live performer in a suit covered in sensors that capture data to help create a digital animation of a character. This marriage of concepts and creative comes together with animators bringing the characters to life on stage including King Triton, Ursula, and even Ariel’s sisters, who kick the production off with an all-new “Daughters of Triton” number.

The look of the stage is also a fun homage to the show’s titular heroine. The collage style stage is an homage to the various facets of Ariel’s life (with a big influence from her grotto. Elements from this are woven throughout the production from scenic, to the puppets, even the custom digital content being created for the show.

See it for Yourself

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure debuts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Fall 2024. An exact opening date has not yet been announced.