The Movieland Report

The world of theater and movies seems to be colliding more and more often these days. Originally, Hollywood followed Broadway’s lead and adapted plays like My Fair Lady and South Pacific into films, but those times have passed.

One of the major forces in bringing movies to life has been Disney Theatrical. The division of Disney formed in 1994 when they first proved it was possible to bring a cartoon to the stage with Beauty and the Beast.

Since then the division has dazzled audiences and critics with its ability to bring the boundless imagination that an animated film supports to the very real constraints of a stage. Disney Theatrical has been able to create safaris on stage for musical versions of the Lion King.

With a built in audience that loved the movie and was curious how costume and set designers would tackle the challenge of creating believable animals large and small and large settings, Disney proved that its imagination knew no bounds. Tickets for the Lion King have sold world wide since the production debuted in 1997.

The company was able to succeed again with movies like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Tarzan, but did not run into the same sort of challenge until the Little Mermaid. The buzz alone was sure to sell Little Mermaid tickets, but the childhood memories created a number of challenges.

The movie stuck in many people’s minds for its memorable ocean friends as well as the love story on land. Disney Theatrical was able to create a set that created the feeling of the flows of currents and the swimming of Ariel’s fish friends. The show has opened on Broadway to rave reviews by audiences while the movie continues to sell whenever it is released.

Plans in the future are already in the works to bring Mary Poppins over from England and start work on a Shrek production.