'The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure' Delayed Until Summer 2025 at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Oct 14, 2024 in "The Little Mermaid - A Musical Adventure"

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Posted: Monday October 14, 2024 3:#5pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Fans eagerly awaiting the debut of Disney's The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure at Disney's Hollywood Studios may need to wait a little longer than anticipated.

According to sources familiar with the production timeline, the reimagined theatrical show, which was initially slated to open in fall 2024, is now expected to be delayed until summer 2025. Work begins soon on the exterior, which will include a new marquee.

The Little Mermaid - A Musical Adventure concept art

The delay reportedly stems from unforeseen challenges during the construction and development of the new show. Disney originally announced that The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure would take over the refreshed Animation Courtyard theater with a bold new design that aimed to immerse audiences in Ariel's world like never before. The production promises stunning visuals, advanced effects, and a fresh take on musical numbers like Part of Your World and Poor Unfortunate Souls.

The Little Mermaid - A Musical Adventure concept art

The original Voyage of the Little Mermaid show, which premiered in 1992, closed its doors in 2020 amid the pandemic and has yet to return. With this new iteration, Disney hopes to capture the magic of the classic while introducing new elements to modernize the story for today's audience.

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Animaniac93-9827 days ago

And how much of these cheaper to produce products end up at character warehouse, CM stores and clearance sales because nobody wants them?

JD8028 days ago

Sure.

LSLS28 days ago

You mean, if they had an opportunity to make more profit. I don't think they stopped distinct products because it sold less, I think it's because it's much cheaper to produce the same stuff for everywhere.

Bocabear28 days ago

But do they? They definitely figured out how to move lots of cheap unremarkable product, but I think they could move better quality things, and attraction specific merchandise better if the went back to a destination shopping model...instead of homogenous. Our spending in the shops has been pretty non-existent in the last 7 0r 8 years mostly because the offerings are not great, the shopping experience is not fun like it used to be... I don't think we are the only people that have experienced this and have curbed their spending....

JD8028 days ago

I also dislike the homogenous shops all over property. But Disney knows merch so if there is an opportunity to sell more they will.

Bocabear28 days ago

It is sad when you consider that shopping was one of the things people enjoyed in the Disney parks... Discovery special things in each shop that were unique to the area/attraction... In this current money-grab world it is crazy that destination shopping has fallen by the wayside and replaced with lesser quality homogenous shops that all carry the same crap. They should really re-think that... This is one of the things that Potter does very well...

aladdin200728 days ago

adding in Writers Stop, the indiana jones store and outside merch camp, and even the movie store that was at the end of the tram tour in its final years. Even al's toy barn. I think thats what it was called.

BrianLo28 days ago

Oh trust me, it can still fall further.

Animaniac93-9828 days ago

Used to spend lots of time looking through Sid's, the animation gallery, the Villains store and now they're all gone. Every year I spend less and less on official Disney merch, but I guess someone else is picking up the slack.

MrPromey28 days ago

But now the rides that exit into those shops have to turn a profit to justify their existence, too. I'm waiting for the day they go full Roller Coaster Tycoon on the restrooms. Maybe it'll start with premium restrooms - cleaned more frequently and with bidets. Once they get people paying for those, they can slowly expand while reducing regular restrooms and allocating less staffing to maintaining the "free" ones. Wonder what the minimum legal requirements are for free publicly available restrooms in a facility with a capacity the size of MK offering food and beverages in central Florida. 🤔 In any event, nothing says "This is outrageous but take my card!" like lunch at Pesos Bills and a 40 minute standby wait for a toilet. 🤣

UNCgolf28 days ago

Yeah, Disney used to have shops that they didn't expect to turn a profit -- they existed for theme reasons. They had a holistic view. Now every individual location is treated separately, as though they're in a strip mall.

MrPromey28 days ago

Yup. I'm sure they've figured out it's more profitable to provide less compelling shopping options, even for the people willing to spend more for that, than to provide better options people would spend more for but spending more to do it. Sure they'd still make money and they'd have happy guests but if someone figured out they could make more money by doing less and have less happy guests, which way is this short-sighted group going to go? You want unique? Go to Disney springs and pay their tenants for that. The guest experience really seems to no longer be a serious consideration for managements choices. Lets not kid ourselves, this was always a for-profit-venture but current management has somehow found a way to completely divorce guest satisfaction from their business decisions on so many levels, it's crazy... actually, it's machiavellian.

UNCgolf29 days ago

I'm almost positive they could get people to spend more -- but not necessarily enough to justify the extra costs in production, stocking, etc. Which is probably what you were implying anyways.

doctornick29 days ago

There's also a CM cafeteria attached there so I would think using both Disney Jr and that food service to be combined into a new guest used Harryhausens makes a lot of sense.