The cartoon versions of Shamu the Killer Whale and his crew used to have a big show at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. "Undersea Fantasy" was performed in the Fantasy Theatre, utilizing animation, puppetry and live actors.
The musical show featured three of Shamu's established friends: Arthur C. Turtle, O.P. Otter and Sir Winston Walrus. They were costumed actors with moving mouths. I'm not sure how they pulled this off, but it was nicely done. The set was a giant coral reef (the reef itself had blinking eyes) filled with animated sea life, including eels and polyps. I'm not sure if these were puppets, animatronics, or a mix of both. There was a huge video screen behind the actors that displayed movie and animated sequences.
This was geared toward young children, and I do remember some older audience members getting up and leaving during the show. Unlike most of Sea World's shows, this one was indoors and had air conditioning. Being in Orlando, it seems like this had the potential to be one of the most popular attractions at Sea World. I'm not sure when this closed.
The "Undersea Fantasy" photos and this park map, featuring the animated Shamu and his friends, are from my visit to Sea World in 1987. My, how the park has changed!
Wow....from your two pics, it looks like it was a neat little show. Is the theater still there and if so what's in it now?
ReplyDeleteHey TokyoMagic! I went to check out Sea World Orlando's interactive map, and it looks like the show was replaced by "Pets Ahoy!" or its location was used for the new Manta coaster. The park looks VERY different from the 1987 map!
ReplyDeleteOK so my name is Ken McCabe and I wrote and directed the UnderSea Fantasy! Its amazing what you can find out here in cyberland!! I'm glad it had a few fans!
ReplyDeleteHey Ken McCabe! Wow, thank you so much for writing! I have to tell you that after all these years, the songs are still stuck in my head. Clearly this show and its characters has a pretty big fan base. If you'd like to share more about your work and the show, please feel free to type away here!
ReplyDeleteWell it was my first big theme park production with a budget over $2 million. Back then, that was a ton of money. I conceived it, wrote the songs and did three of the character voices. I was 26 at the time. That was, ugh... 36 years ago now. I have done a lot since then and am currently working for a Dolly Parton company creating large-arena dinner-shows. you can check out Pirates Voyage in Myrtle Beach SC. at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iM_hFdYfwY
DeleteWhoa! That is really cool! In July of 2015 I finally got back to Sea World Orlando, and I really, really missed the show not being there. The park has changed so much. The Sea World characters don't really have the same presence that they used to have.
DeleteI was a huge fan of the Undersea Fantasy as a kid. I used to insist on seeing it first when I visited Sea World. Any idea where I could find the coral reef song? Was telling my nephew about it and was unable to find it on line.
ReplyDeleteHey Joey P! I haven't seen the Undersea Fantasy show anywhere online. You would think someone would have filmed it and posted it by now. I bet it will show up on YouTube one day.
ReplyDeleteI shot all the graphics for Undersea Fantasy in super slide format back in 1982. I brought them down to Orlando in the summer of 1983 and worked with the programmer to bring them to life on the big screen. If I remember correctly, it was a 27 projector show, with 5 screen wide format, with 4 overlapping screens, if that makes any sense! At any rate, I loved the final product when it was all put together. I don’t know how long it was an active show at Sea World, but I was very pround to have been a contributor to the production!
ReplyDeleteThat is cool, Eric! I still remember quite a bit about the show, including the film parts (like the cartoon Shamu). And yes, the songs are still stuck in my head.
ReplyDeleteCould one of you tell me if the song “Aquarius” was played during this show? My kids were young and my memory is fading. My daughter recently had a dream about the show and I can only recall parts. I have searched the web to no avail. Could you please help me? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Aquarius was in the show. I'm pretty sure it was all original songs.
DeleteI was a cast member in the summer of 1986, I played Lindy and O.P. Otter. No, no Aquarius, all original songs. I absolutely adored being a part of this show! I still think about it after all these years, it was one of my favorite professional gigs.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to read about this piece of Themepark history...(late to the party).
ReplyDeleteMy name is Mark, this was my very first job following college...for Advanced Animations. I sculpted most of these characters - including the coral reef and helped art direct the installation and scenic work. Great memory, wish I could say I documented it better...have pictures somewhere, I remember the eel sculpts were about 350lbs of water-based clay. It was a fun show, glad there are people out there who appreciated it and thanks for holding the torch Dan!
Hey Mark! Wow, thanks for your comment. I had no idea who created the animation for the show. Coral is more than what you see. It's a plant community.
Deletehttps://youtu.be/9vutOCWcFMk 1:28:33 Found this footage online, didn’t film it myself but it’s great footage. Do you have any more photos of the show?
ReplyDeleteCool! Sadly, that's all the photos I have.
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