Disney has unveiled a brand-new 10-minute behind-the-scenes video for The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure, the upcoming live stage production opening May 27, 2025, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The video is hosted by Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel, and includes a first look at scenes from the actual show, plus interviews with the creative team and a tour of the refreshed theater space.
A Personal Visit from Jodi Benson
In the opening moments, Benson surprises the cast and crew backstage:
“On behalf of you and Ariel and everybody from our original film, thank you for telling our story,” Benson tells the team.
Later, overcome with emotion, she reflects: “Any time that we can tell our story and pay tribute to Howard [Ashman] and to Alan [Menken] and to all of our team… this is a very, very special, very emotional [experience] to be here with all of you.”
First Sneak Peek at the Show
The video includes footage from the show itself, offering a glimpse of Ariel performing Part of Your World, the Kiss the Girl sequence, and large-scale puppets and digital effects. The creative team describes Under the Sea as a “showstopper” filled with bright, immersive scenic transformations and a blend of practical and digital puppetry.
Chris, the puppetry director, introduces Max—Prince Eric’s dog—who appears in the show as a puppet:
“Max is new, and he brings a whole bunch of emotions and barks and things that are gonna bring the guests right there and feel all the feels.”
Technology and Visual Media
Katrina and Tony, part of the visual media team, reveal that the entire digital environment was built in a video game engine to match the stage one-to-one:
“We actually have some digital main characters… you’ll see Triton, you’ll see Ursula, and you’ll see Ariel’s sisters… we used motion capture to bring them to life.”
They also animated hundreds of undersea creatures based on real-life performers:
“We partnered with choreographers and dancers to choreograph our fish… every single fish emits bubbles as it moves.”
Design With Heart
The production’s concept artists, Sarah and Alexander, explain that the visuals reflect Ariel’s personal perspective:
“We looked at the story from Ariel’s point of view… like a teenager building a collage of the world she wants to be part of.”
One special touch: Sarah’s embroidery work was printed and used in the theater’s proscenium, adding handcrafted texture.
“One of the textures is from my parents’ bridesmaids’ dresses. There’s a lot of personal meaning woven into it.”
Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox