Walt Disney World has filed new paperwork for one of the best-known venues at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The construction permit for Theater in the Wild was filed on October 27, 2026. It gives few details, but it confirms that some kind of work is coming to the home of Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
The permit was first shared by WDWNT. It lists the project at 681 Marina Aly and describes the scope of work only as “General Construction.” MLC Theming, Inc. is named as the contractor. The permit is valid for one year and expires on October 27, 2027.
Disney has not said what the work involves. There has been no announcement of a refurbishment, a replacement, or a closure for the current show. The filing also does not say whether the project affects the production itself, the theater building, or the area around it. Performances are still running on schedule for now. The only firm takeaway is that something will change at the location within the next 12 months.
Nemo and friends have played Theater in the Wild for nearly two decades. Finding Nemo – The Musical opened there in 2007, taking over from Tarzan Rocks! It told Pixar’s undersea story using oversized puppets. Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez wrote the original songs, well before the pair became household names with Frozen in 2013.
The musical stopped when Walt Disney World shut down in 2020 and never returned in its original form. It came back in 2022 as Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!, a shorter version that kept the signature puppetry and much of the original score.
The timing matters because this corner of the park is about to get much busier. Santa’s Holiday Grove is the new spot to meet Santa at Animal Kingdom this year, and it sits near Theater in the Wild. It opens in November. In past seasons, Santa greeted guests in DinoLand U.S.A., but that land has closed. His move will bring more guests past the theater just as the construction plans surface.
DinoLand U.S.A. closed for good in February 2026. It is being rebuilt as Tropical Americas, a land with attractions based on Disney’s Encanto (2021) and the Indiana Jones franchise. Work is already underway across the former DinoLand footprint.
Guests visiting soon can still see Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! on its current schedule. The permit does not confirm that the show is ending or that the theater is being replaced. It only shows that general construction has been approved through October 2027.
With the theater, the arrival of Santa’s Holiday Grove, and the ongoing Tropical Americas build, this part of Animal Kingdom is worth keeping an eye on.
What do you think Disney has planned for the Finding Nemo theater? Share your predictions in the comments below.
