Where to see Dory, Nemo and friends at Walt Disney World

If you saw “Finding Dory” on opening weekend, you or your little ones likely have fallen in love with the characters, old and new. I know my kids and I did! The good news is that you don’t have to say goodbye to the characters at the theater. You can interact with Nemo, Dory and Crush and others and experience the Big Blue World at Walt Disney World. Here’s where to go and what to do:

Epcot

This park has an entire pavilion dedicated to the ocean and its inhabitants. It’s located in the front section, Future World, and called The Seas with Nemo & Friends. Here, guests can ride on an attraction of the same name that is suitable for all ages. It’s a gentle journey in a “clamobile” that tells the story of “Finding Nemo,” complete with Dory, Bruce the shark, ultraviolet “jellies” and a swim through the EAC (East Australian Current) with sea turtle Crush and his little dude Squirt. The ride finishes with a song composed just for the attraction; I warn you that you will not be able to stop humming it afterward. But that’s not a bad thing!

The Seas pavilion also is home to Turtle Time with Crush. Guests are seated in a small theater, where Crush can communicate directly with little dudes and dudettes using his high-tech “hydrophone.” Starting in May, characters from “Finding Dory” plus Squirt joined Marlin and Nemo: Destiny the whale shark, Bailey the beluga whale and Hank the septopus. Each 15-minute show is improvised and unique.

In addition to these two attractions, guests can observe marine life in massive tanks on two different levels of the pavilion and hear various cast member presentations, including one about dolphin training and another about manatees. There’s a cool photo opportunity, too, if you’re brave enough to join the set! Near the exit is a gift shop that specializes in Nemo and Dory merchandise, of course.

Animal Kingdom

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, visitors can experience a Broadway-style musical that tells the story of “Finding Nemo” — and it’s included in park admission. The 40-minute show uses beautiful puppetry, original songs and creative sets to bring the story to life. There are 14 original songs composed by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. “Finding Nemo: The Musical” ends with the same song as The Seas with Nemo & Friends: “In the Big, Blue World.” This is the first time that Disney has taken a non-musical animated feature and transformed it into an original musical production, and you won’t want to miss it!

Art of Animation

Walt Disney World’s newest hotel, Art of Animation, opened in 2012, and the first suites and its main pool are themed with “Finding Nemo.” Stepping into the courtyard between the two Nemo-themed buildings that flank the main pool is to, quite literally, walk into the little fish’s world. Imagineers and sculptors have built this recreation area so that guests are experiencing it from Nemo’s point of view — and size. Characters are built on a scale to support that premise with Crush being almost 30 feet tall and Mr. Ray having a wingspan of 26 feet.

The centerpiece of the recreation area is The Big Blue Pool, which at 12,000 feet is the biggest on Disney World property, excluding those at the water parks. Little ones also can play under the dripping-water tentacles of four pinkish-purple jellyfish structures. Go underwater and you’ll hear a sound system that continually plays music and talking characters.

Adjacent to The Big Blue Pool is a splash pad known as the Schoolyard Sprayground, which has pop-up water jets on a soft, spongy landing around Marlin and Nemo in their 16-foot-tall sea anemone. There also are four separate characters that squirt water: Tad, Chicken Fish, Sheldon and Pearl. And behind that is Squirt’s Righteous Reef, a dry play area with three slides and perfect photo opportunities.

Although the pool and recreation equipment are reserved for hotel guests, anyone is welcome to visit the hotel to have a meal in the Landscape of Flavors restaurant or to take a photo with the amazing backdrops. While you’re there, you also can see scenes from The Lion King, Cars and The Little Mermaid brought to life in their respective wings.

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