The Theater in the Wild at Disney's Animal Kingdom, originally considered part of Dinoland USA, really resides apart from any of the distinctly themed lands of the park. This allows the theater to play host to any sort of production. Over the course of the park's first twelve years, there have been three.
The show that opened the theater in April 1998 was Journey into Jungle Book, a retelling of the story of Mowgli from the 1967 Disney animated feature. The show combined elaborate set design with avant garde costumes which revealed the faces of the performers portraying the roles of characters like Baloo and King Louie.
Journey into Jungle Book closed after its first year to make way for a new production inspired by Disney's 1999 release, Tarzan. Taking a completely different approach to the source material, Tarzan Rocks was a rock 'n' roll concert with special appearances by some of the characters from the film.
Three lead singers and a live band carried the Tarzan Rocks show, with Tarzan and Jane swinging in for an aerial ballet and Terk taking the stage for a number of her own, the audience-interactive "Trashin' the Camp."
Tarzan Rocks was incredibly popular, playing for six years at the original Theater in the Wild, an open air tent structure. When the show closed in early 2006, the theater was overhauled, enclosing the entire space. This would not only provide welcome air conditioning, but also allow for better control of lighting and sound for future productions.
Finding Nemo: The Musical, inspired by the smash hit Disney-Pixar film, opened at the new Theater in the Wild in January 2007 and continues to play there today. This newest show is a theatrical tour de force, combining original music, fabulous costumes, puppetry and special effects to tell the story of the clownfish father and son.
