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• Hollywood Blvd.
• Sunset Blvd.
• Animation Ctyd.
• New York St.

Trivia:
The tower was built for the sole purpose of symbolizing the park, and does not hold any water in its hollow 500,000 gallon inner cavity.
The Mickey Ears atop the tower are decorated often to celebrate special events. For the holiday season, a Santa hat flops over between the giant ears. When Fantasmic! debuted, the mouska-ears were purple and covered with stars, and to celebrate the release of the live action 101 Dalmatians film, the hat turned white with familiar black spots.

There are special effects galore in this captivating performance, which combines puppetry, live action, lasers, and environmental effects. The pre-show area looks like a fishing hut, while the theatre resembles an undersea grotto. Beginning the show, a film clip from the movie shows men fishing out at sea, when one of their catches slips away. Following the fish, a glorious mermaid city comes into view, while the effects on screen (bubbles, waves, splashes) happen in the theater also. The "Under the Sea" scene is up next, where Sebastian and crew sing and dance around the stage to a lively calypso beat through the magic of blacklights and skillful puppetry. Lasers project through the hazy air and we see the water's surface slipping away as we dive underwater. Ariel appears and expresses her desire to be human through her wistful "Part of Your World" song, then bargains with Ursula the seawitch octopus. In order to become human, she must give her voice to Ursula. Her lyrical singing is heard floating throughout the room, and is captured by Ursula's locket. The little mermaid must capture the heart of her beloved prince Eric without her voice, or be enslaved by the seawitch as part of the deal. A series of intentional events on Ursula's part forces Ariel back to her mermaid state, where Ariel and Eric battle Ursula. They emerge triumphant, and the Ariel is once again turned human, this time seen live on stage, by her loving father, King Triton. She and Eric are married, and she is finally part of Eric's human world.

Trivia:
The Ursula character is portrayed by a large puppet that takes several people to operate, with glowing eyes. The puppet is 12 feet tall, and 10 feet wide.
Ariel was once played by the actress Leanza Cornet, who eventually claimed the coveted title of Miss America.

The Magic of Disney Animation
This self-guided tour allows a rare look in to the process of transforming a character from a rough sketch to a finished product. Out in front of the Florida chapter of Walt Disney Feature Animation is a 3D sculpture that shows Mickey popping out of different frames of film, a perfect metaphor for what animation is all about, making plain pictures on film come to life. Inside, video clips on overhead monitors provide background info for what you see the animators doing below you in the studio on the other side of the glass. Animators work here from park opening until 5:00 PM on Disney's animated films, creating cels to be transferred to film to eventually become a movie. Parts of recent movies (such as Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King) were created in this very building, which is the most productive studio in Disney-MGM Studios.

Trivia:
Originally intended to produce drawings of Mickey and the gang to go in new Mickey Mouse cartoons, this studio's purpose changed to producing drawings for animated Disney films.
1998's Mulan was entirely created at this studio, and is the first and only animated film to claim this feat.

Bear in the Big Blue House Live on Stage
The beloved Disney Channel preschool show comes to life in this new theater presentation. Bear is a lovable, albeit clumsy looking, shaggy pal who invites kids to explore the fun of everyday life. The second presentation in the park based on Jim Henson's Muppet characters, it invites guests to take a seat on the carpeted floor while Bear and pals explore and tell stories. At the end of each day on the show, Bear tells about his day to Luna, the wise moon, who offers Bear sage advice. The stories, while entertaining, try to contain a moral or lesson that kids can learn from it.

Trivia:
A Muppet, while usually thought of as Kermit or Miss Piggy, can be a puppet character in any of Jim Henson's productions. This includes all characters from Big Bird to the Fraggles.
Bear has made several appearances on the Regis and Kathie Lee morning show, produced by Disney-owned Buena Vista television. Is Bear trying to weasel his way into the good graces of Reege, just for a chance at some quick cash? Only time will tell....