Nemo & Friends

The Living Seas, as it used to be known, was one of my favorite pavilions back in my first visit to Epcot in the 80’s. By our 2003 trip, it was showing its age, so I was very excited to hear about the recent makeover. Since this is one of the newer attractions in Epcot, featuring such popular characters, I’m rather surprised that there would only be a 30-minute wait in the standby queue.

There’s not. As we approach the pavilion, the sign shows 45 minutes. But that’s okay, we can handle the extra wait. Besides, the line of people extends only a short distance outdoors. I’m curious if it really is 45 minutes. We join the queue and enjoy the addition of Finding Nemo’s seagulls (“Mine!” “Mine!” “Mine!”) to the rocks with the crashing waves.

Before we know it, we are inside the pavilion. And frankly, I stop taking notes. Not because it is darker, which it is, or because the line moves quickly, which it does. I stop writing because I am awed by how great this queue is!

I was raised on local amusement parks, with only rare visit to a Six Flags. Living in the middle of the country in a middle class family, a trip to either coast to visit a Disney park was not in the works, but I managed to get to Disneyland on a choir tour the summer after I graduated high school. And one of the things I remember being so impressed by at Disneyland was how great they made standing in line. It was part of the experience! In Space Mountain, you felt as if you were in the future, headed for a space port. At Pirates of the Caribbean, the theming made you think you were in an old Caribbean fort. While waiting to board it’s a small world, you already were getting sick of the song! There was always something to see or hear that added to the story and made the time pass quickly.

The Seas with Nemo has that same immersive environment, and it is done as well or better than any I’ve seen before. In the first room, we are at the beach. There is sand and grass along the walls, and our pathway looks sandy itself. Sounds of waves and seagulls are heard. A lifeguard stand (stenciled “5A,” a subtle nod to the former “Seabase Alpha”) and various signs complete the theming.

As we pass into the second room, we feel as if we have walked under a pier, and find ourselves underwater. The surface ripples above us. Schools of fish swim nearby – okay, they’re projected on the wall, but still. Hey, are those the moonfish from the film? I watch for a while, and sure enough, they eventually form a picture, just briefly, before going back to swimming randomly. Wonderful!

Brandon, who just turned 13 and is really trying to be aloof and cool like a teen should be (just check out how rarely he really smiles in our pictures), is all grins. “I’m a teenager, and I like this!” he exclaims.

By the time we reach the moving sidewalk and step into a “clammobile,” we’ve fully accepted that we are deep in the ocean. (How are we still breathing? Must be that Disney magic!)

How long did we wait? 30 minutes? 45? 15? I have no idea. The time just flew by.

I remember the original journey to Seabase Alpha in moving vehicles. The clammobiles may use the same ride structure, but they’ll quickly make you forget the former ride (which I don’t remember much anyway except for the end part, in the clear tube through the water). We ride past scenes from the movie brought to life by colorful sets, creative lighting, audio-animatronic figures, rear projection, and other Imagineering genius.

The story, what there is of it, is familiar but lightly presented – Marlin’s trying to locate Nemo. Nemo’s not in a fish tank in Sydney, though. He’s always nearby, darting around, apparently just playing hide-and-seek. We go from the reef, to the sharks at the submarine, into the dark with the angler fish, through a jellyfish forest, and into the EAC, dude!

We emerge into the tubes I remember from before, with (real) fish swimming around, but Nemo, Marlin, Dory, Mr. Ray and the rest are there, too! The effect is amazing. The movie fish are celebrating being reunited and are singing about their “Big Blue World,” which I understand is a song from the new Finding Nemo musical at Animal Kingdom (which we also want to see!).

A nice final touch is Peach, the starfish, clinging to the wall and begging us to take her away. “It’s a nice song, really. It’s just that they won’t stop singing it!”

We are grinning from ear to ear as we exit our clammobiles. The ride was short but amazing, with a cute story, lovable characters, and great special effects. This is the first of the “made-over” attractions we get to see, and if The Seas with Nemo & Friends is typical of them, then I’m looking forward to the others even more.