ORLANDO -- When "The Little Mermaid -- A Musical Adventure" opens later this year at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the production will blend live performers, real set pieces, puppets and digital elements to enhance the physical elements.
During a panel about the show held at a media event on June 10, Disney Live Entertainment show director James Silson called it the "perfect blend of reality and fantasy in a way that I think is going to be really surprising for our audience."
For instance, in one scene, Ariel is portrayed by a live performer. She is surrounded by live puppets, who in turn are surrounded by digital puppets. Physical set pieces will blend with the digital environment.
There was another mermaid stage show, "Voyage of the Little Mermaid," which closed when the parks did in 2020 and never reopened. And while the new show does include some of the same songs, Silson said it's a totally different production. It will feature the songs "Daughters of Triton" and "Kiss the Girl," whereas the 2020 show did not.
Sarah Schmidt, creative concept artist and illustrator for Disney Live Entertainment, said the visual elements of the show and supporting digital content were created with Ariel's point of view in mind. For instance, Schmidt said, her grotto is based around how a teenager might decorate their bedroom wall. It's supportive of her "bubbly personality."
The production will also utilize motion-capture technology to help animate characters in a real way, Silson said. To capture their movement, performers wear body suits with sensors that help cameras capture their movement. That, in turn, is used to create animation.
The production will open later this year.