Walt Disney World introduced the Summer season 2025 opening date of the Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey stage present at Hollywood Studios. This shares the debut date and new particulars, plus predictions about smooth openings & previews, Lightning Lanes vs. standby traces, crowds, and extra!
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey” is a reimagined theatrical manufacturing set to exchange Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The latter was a casualty of the COVID closure, and over 5 years later, goes to get replaced by this up to date present. It ought to be comparable in spirit and substance, with variations in fashion and (some) songs.
The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey is impressed by the Walt Disney Animation Studios basic film, and can debut within the newly-refreshed theater in Animation Courtyard. The present was initially slated to debut final fall, however now could be on monitor to debut alongside Villains Unfairly Ever After in Summer season 2025.
When the brand new Little Mermaid Musical Journey opens, the stage present will characteristic beautiful new set items, cutting-edge results, and a daring new design that captures Ariel’s creativeness and feelings via her distinctive view of the world round her. Watch as Ariel follows her goals to be a part of the human world. This little mermaid’s journey is brimming with acquainted moments—like encounters with King Triton and Ursula—and stirring scenes.
Unsurprisingly, it’s additionally brimming with music–therefore the title. All through Ariel’s journey, get swept away by transferring musical numbers like “A part of Your World,” “Underneath the Sea,” “Poor Unlucky Souls,” “Kiss the Woman” and extra!
Followers received’t have to attend an excessive amount of longer for there to lastly be a Little Mermaid present in Disney’s Hollywood Studios as soon as once more. Walt Disney World introduced that The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey will formally open on Might 27, 2025.
As Walt Disney World signifies within the announcement, Might 27, 2025 is the date that each The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey and Villains Unfairly Ever After will debut in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That is possible strategic, coming proper after Memorial Day weekend, which is often the unofficial kickoff to the summer time season’s advertising marketing campaign.
Though not explicitly said by Disney on this announcement, one factor to notice is that “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey” is debuting across the similar time that MuppetVision 3D and Muppet Courtyard closes on the opposite facet of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
It’s possible that the 2 new stage exhibits will decide up the slack and capability of shedding MuppetVision, particularly at a time when Walt Disney World attendance has been softening. In any case, you’ll have solely just a little over one week to take pleasure in each “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey” and MuppetVision 3D. So plan your summer time holidays accordingly if your loved ones is stuffed with muppets and mermaid followers!
Now, let’s flip to questions concerning the Little Mermaid Musical Journey’s Lightning Lane standing, potential smooth openings, AP/DVC previews, and extra…
Smooth Openings
The primary two sections listed below are primarily equivalent to what we’ve written for Villains Unfairly Ever After. For those who’ve already learn that, you may as effectively skip forward to the Lightning Lane part. The underside line is that the 2 new stage exhibits are equally possible or unlikely to supply smooth openings and/or affiliation previews.
If one does and the opposite doesn’t, it’s a matter of full coincidence, luck, or as a result of one is additional forward in rehearsals than the opposite. None of these are issues we are able to predict (and we don’t have any inside data on both).
To reiterate, Walt Disney World had moved away from smooth openings in the previous few years, earlier than bringing them again with TRON Lightcycle Run two years in the past. That was the final massive brand-new attraction to debut, earlier than Tiana’s Bayou Journey final summer time, which didn’t have smooth openings.
Our guess is that the Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey might simply go both method with smooth openings. In digging again via the DTB Archives, I can’t discover a single occasion of a stage present having a smooth opening earlier than its basic public debut. It’s nonetheless nonetheless attainable on condition that the opening date is being set a pair months upfront and in mild of the timing round Epic Universe.
The present may be able to run forward of schedule, by which case Walt Disney World might pull again the curtain earlier to assist soak up summer time crowds. There’s little to no precedent for that taking place with a stage present like this. However then again, there’s additionally no precedent for opening new stage exhibits as “counterprogramming” to a brand new theme park at Common Orlando.
AP & DVC Previews
Walt Disney World’s latest strategy has been to forgo smooth openings in favor of extra managed previews for choose affiliation teams, together with Disney Trip Membership Members, Annual Passholders, Golden Oak Residents, Membership 33 Members.
Affiliation previews are extra possible than smooth openings for Little Mermaid Musical Journey, however they’re removed from assured. We’d say it’s about 50/50 at this level. Truthfully, it wouldn’t shock me if there’s a preview “bundle” of types, the place Annual Passholders and Disney Trip Membership Members register for previews of each stage exhibits, they usually happen on the identical dates.
If these exhibits do provide previews, anticipate them to work virtually precisely just like the previews for the final a number of years, proper right down to all eligible APs not receiving the e-mail earlier than slots began filling up. (I wouldn’t anticipate Disney to go the ‘no registration’ route of Moana’s Journey of Water, as that’s a walkthrough and this can be a far more limited-capacity venue with showtimes.)
In any case, receiving the e-mail for preview registration doesn’t matter! The hyperlink inside is what’s necessary, and anybody who’s eligible can use that. Each of us can be monitoring our emails like hawks within the coming weeks and provides you with a heads up ASAP if/when preview registration goes dwell. You may subscribe to our free electronic mail e-newsletter for fast alerts.
Lightning Lane Standing
Our first distinction between Villains Unfairly Ever After and the Little Mermaid Musical Journey! As with that new DHS stage present, our prediction right here largely comes right down to precedent. Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy was not a FastPass or Lightning Lane attraction, so the infrastructure was not there for it. Walt Disney World must exit of their method so as to add a separate queue.
In contrast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid was a FastPass+ attraction. (It by no means provided a Lightning Lane as a result of, once more, this theater has been darkish for the final 5+ years, so it’s missed the complete Lightning Lane period so far.) This implies all the infrastructure is all the time in place. Walt Disney World must exit of their technique to take away the separate queue, or just fake it doesn’t exist.
It’s attainable that Walt Disney World will take away the Lightning Lane from this queue. In any case, Voyage of the Little Mermaid virtually by no means wanted FastPass outdoors of some peak weeks per yr. Even then, “want” could be a stretch. Like so many stage exhibits, this was mainly a “bonus” FastPass geared toward creating capability and the phantasm of worth with out really providing one thing of worth.
Anticipate the identical to be true right here. Having a Lightning Lane on the Little Mermaid Musical Journey will assist Walt Disney World promote Multi-Go and Premier Go, and in addition “enable” Walt Disney World to lift the value of LLMP at DHS. It could additionally add capability to the paid Lightning Lane providers, enabling Disney to lift the brink for a sell-out.
Not like the character meet & greets which have had Lightning Lanes eliminated, it’s additionally not the case that the Little Mermaid Musical Journey has such low capability or throughput {that a} Lightning Lane causes operational or logistical points. In different phrases, it’s neither a optimistic nor unfavorable for visitors. However it’s a mild optimistic for Walt Disney World and the trail of least resistance is retaining the queue for the Lightning Lane, so it’ll in all probability have one. Nonetheless removed from a positive factor, however simply above 50/50 odds.
Finally, I’m wanting ahead to the Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey. I’m additionally a bit bitter that it’s taken over 5 years to get a reimagined substitute on this house, which is over two years longer than all different venues. I’m positive it’ll be a enjoyable stage present that we’ll actually take pleasure in. I’m already wanting ahead to taking Megatron to it!
I’m only a bit annoyed by Walt Disney World’s lackadaisical strategy over the past a number of years. It looks like the one issues executed with a way of urgency are upcharges, cutbacks, and Disney Trip Membership building. For all the things else, there’s the implicit expectation that we, as followers, ought to merely be appreciative about no matter Walt Disney World–an costly trip vacation spot–chooses to provide us.
It’s no secret to anybody in park administration that wait instances are excessive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That folks go away the park early out of frustration. That extra stability is required within the attraction and leisure lineup. And but, they selected to allocate assets to growing stage exhibits for Jollywood Nights (amongst different issues) versus expediting The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey.
A few years from now, we’ll in all probability have forgotten all about how lengthy it took to convey again a Little Mermaid manufacturing–I’m already “over” how lengthy it took to construct TRON Lightcycle Run. However for now, I’ll be having fun with the Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey present whereas additionally questioning: what took so lengthy?!
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Your Ideas
What do you consider The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey? Excited to have a brand new stage present, or bitter that this house has been darkish for over 5 years? Excited to expertise this throughout your summer-time journey to Walt Disney World? Suppose it’ll have a Lightning Lane or be standby-only? What about smooth openings vs. pre-registered previews? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
