The Seas with Nemo & Friends facts for kids

The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Above: The Seas with Nemo & Friends logo Below: Entrance to the pavilion
Epcot Area Future World (2007-2021) World Nature (2021-) Status {{{status}}} Opening date January 4, 2007 Replaced The Living Seas
Ride statistics
Attraction type	Aquarium/Dark ride
Manufacturer	Montgomery Watson
Designer	Walt Disney Imagineering
Theme	Finding Nemo, Underwater exploration base
Site area	185,000 sq ft (17,200 m2)
Capacity	2,200 riders per hour
Vehicle type	Clam mobiles
Vehicles	1
Riders per vehicle	2
Rows	1
Tank size	5,700,000 US gallons (22,000 m3), 793,000 US gallons (3,000 m3) kept in storage
Number of creatures	8,500
Construction time	22 months
Audio-animatronics	Yes
Fastpass+ available
Wheelchair accessible
Must transfer from wheelchair
Assistive listening available
Closed captioning available

The Living Seas
Above: The Living Seas logo, now shown on the SeaBase Directory Sign and the door to The Living Seas Conference Center Below: Entrance to The Living Seas pavilion
Epcot Area Future World Status {{{status}}} Opening date January 15, 1986 Closing date August 21, 2005 Replaced by The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Ride statistics
Attraction type	Aquarium
Designer	WED Enterprises
Theme	Underwater exploration base
Music	George Wilkins and Russell Brower
Sponsor	United Technologies (1986-1998) None (1998-2005)
Wheelchair accessible
Must transfer from wheelchair
Assistive listening available
Closed captioning available

The Seas with Nemo & Friends is a cool aquarium and ride at Epcot in Walt Disney World Resort, Florida. It used to be called The Living Seas. This area is designed to look like an underwater research station called SeaBase Alpha. It has many exhibits where you can learn about the ocean. The pavilion first opened in 1986, but Disney had been planning it since Epcot opened in 1982.

This attraction is located in the Future World part of Epcot, which is now known as World Nature.

History of The Seas Pavilion

The Living Seas: An Ocean Adventure (1986-2005)

The Living Seas first opened its doors on January 15, 1986. When it was built, it had the largest saltwater tank in the world! This huge tank held about 5.7 million US gallons (21.6 million liters) of water. However, the Georgia Aquarium opened in 2005 and became even bigger.

The idea behind The Living Seas was to take visitors deep under the ocean to a place called "Sea Base Alpha." Guests would first watch a short film called The Sea, which taught them about how oceans were formed. After the movie, they would enter a special "Hydrolator" elevator. This elevator made you feel like you were traveling far down to the ocean floor, even though it was just a clever trick with moving walls and sounds!

Next, guests would get into small vehicles called Seacabs. These Seacabs took them on the Caribbean Coral Reef Ride, moving right through the middle of the giant tank. After the ride, visitors could explore the main exhibit area. Here, they found many interactive displays to learn more about sea life. When it was time to leave, guests would take another Hydrolator back to the surface, which also simulated an upward journey.

Changes to The Living Seas (1998-2005)

Over time, some things changed at The Living Seas. The Seacabs ride closed down on October 21, 2001. Guests could still see the Seacabs through the tank windows, but they no longer rode in them. Instead, visitors walked directly to Sea Base Alpha after the Hydrolators. This allowed guests to choose if they wanted to watch the opening film or go straight to the main aquarium.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends: A New Adventure (2006-Present)

In December 2003, Disney started to update The Living Seas. They wanted to base it on the popular Pixar movie Finding Nemo. The outside of the building began to change first. Then, in January 2004, the inside started to transform too.

A new show called Turtle Talk with Crush opened on November 16, 2004. This show was a huge hit! It was so popular that Disney decided to make it even bigger.

On August 21, 2005, The Living Seas closed completely for its big transformation. It reopened in late November 2005 as The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The outside of the building got new decorations and pictures of sea creatures from Finding Nemo. The old exit Hydrolators were removed and replaced with glass doors.

The Sea Base Alpha area was also re-themed to Finding Nemo. Many of the scientific displays were replaced with fun exhibits based on the movie. Turtle Talk with Crush remained a favorite attraction.

Throughout 2006, more construction happened. The old Seacabs ride was rebuilt and updated. The new ride vehicles were shaped like clamshells and called "Clamobiles." The ride path was made longer, and new special effects were added to the tank. This allowed the animated characters from Finding Nemo to appear as if they were swimming right alongside the real fish!

Three Audio-Animatronic seagulls were also added near the entrance. They squawk "Mine! Mine! Mine!" just like the seagulls in the movie.

On October 10, 2006, the construction walls came down. Turtle Talk with Crush moved to a larger theater. The Seas with Nemo & Friends officially reopened on January 24, 2007. This was a big moment because it was one of the first times an Epcot area was based on a Disney animated movie.

Exploring The Seas Pavilion

Attractions and Experiences

• The Seas with Nemo & Friends — This is the main ride! You hop into a "Clamobile" and go on an adventure under the sea. You join Marlin and Dory from Finding Nemo as they search for Nemo, who has gotten lost again. You'll see familiar characters like Mr. Ray and his students, and even some jellyfish. Later, you might spot Bruce the shark and his friends. The ride takes you through the amazing East Australian Current with Nemo, Crush, and Squirt. Finally, you arrive in a huge aquarium where Nemo is reunited with his friends. The coolest part is seeing the animated characters swim with real fish in the tank using special effects!
• Sea Base — This is the main viewing area for the giant aquarium. It's like a huge window into the ocean! You can see all sorts of amazing sea creatures here.

* There's a smaller aquarium with rescued West Indian manatees. * Other small tanks show off different species like moray eels, seahorses, and other creatures that need their own space. * The main, giant tank is home to a pod of three Common bottlenose dolphins. * You can also spot many other species, including Sand tiger sharks, Naso tang, Threadfin butterflyfish, Cowtail stingray, Orange-lined triggerfish, Sandbar sharks, Bowmouth guitarfish, Bonnethead sharks, Atlantic tarpon, Shovelnose guitarfish, a Green sea turtle, a Blacknose shark, and a Zebra shark.

• Turtle Talk with Crush — This is a super fun, interactive show! You get to talk with Crush, the cool sea turtle from Finding Nemo. He answers questions from the audience, and it feels like he's really talking to you! Characters from Finding Dory also appear in the show now.
• Epcot DiveQuest — If you're a certified SCUBA diver, you can actually dive into the huge aquarium! It's a 40-minute underwater tour where you get to swim with all the amazing fish. The whole experience lasts about three hours and includes a backstage tour of how the aquarium works.
• Epcot Seas Aqua Tour — This experience lets guests swim in the aquarium using a special snorkel system. It's a unique way to get up close with the sea life!
• Dolphins in Depth — This experience focuses on the dolphins in the aquarium. You get to learn all about them and even interact with them in waist-deep water.

Places to Eat and Shop

• Coral Reef Restaurant — This is a special restaurant where one entire wall is a giant glass window looking right into the aquarium! You can watch fish, sharks, and turtles swim by while you eat.
• Gift Shop — After your underwater adventure, you can visit the gift shop to find souvenirs and toys.

Images for kids