Disney’s Hollywood Studios debuted two brand-new live shows earlier this year, and the Unofficial Guides team has saved your seats for The Little Mermaid—A Musical Adventure and Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After.
In Summer 2025, Walt Disney World welcomed two new live shows to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While these productions are not as essential as Rise of the Resistance or Tower of Terror on our recommended touring plans, they certainly help round out a full day inside a park with a limited number of all-ages rides and (more importantly) offer a welcome air-conditioned respite from the crowds.
Here’s our take and touring tips for The Little Mermaid—A Musical Adventure and Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, along with 4K videos of the full performances, so you can judge from the comfort of your home whether they are worth taking time out of your DHS day.
The Little Mermaid—A Musical Adventure
The same theater that used to house Voyage of the Little Mermaid, a long-running attraction that never reopened following the pandemic, is once again home to a live show starring Ariel and her aquatic friends. The new version tells the same story using a mix of live actors and puppets, but some new music (including the opening song “Daughters of Triton“) and special effects have been added to the mix.
Standout moments in the new show include the way Ariel appears to swim across the stage, as well as a massive menacing puppet of Ursula. Vivid projection effects enliven the production numbers with kinetic visuals, but they sometimes overwhelm the practical puppets, and the original show’s memorable laser-simulated water effect didn’t return.
The Little Mermaid is popular, and even though there’s a performance every 40 minutes or so, there are often more folks in line than can be accommodated in the theater. Try to get in line about 20 minutes before your desired showtime, and if the queue extends outside of the covered awning, come back for a later viewing.
One final note: The show’s theater is currently concealed behind construction walls as the Animation Courtyard is reimagined. You can reach the show by going to the left and around the wall; beware of large crowds squeezing through the narrow walkway whenever a performance exits.
Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After
Sunset Showcase, the theater tucked behind Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster that previously hosted Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, was given an interior overhaul and is now home to a new musical revue where Disney Villains compete to be crowned the most misunderstood monster.
Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, and Maleficent are the featured fiends who appear in the flesh, sporting snazzy new costume designs, while the Magic Mirror and a host of other antagonists appear on large video screens that slide across and frame the high-tech vaudeville-style stage.
Unfairly Ever After’s cabaret-meets-game-show format will feel familiar if you remember the Villains Tonight show aboard Disney Cruise Line, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The live performers have powerful voices, which they show off in solo songs that include some subtly snarky lyrics. But the audience vote at the end is obviously artificial (the winner rotates randomly), and it would be nice if the villains got to interact more with one other.
The theater’s new seats are far more comfy than the old benches, and even though it has a lower capacity than the Little Mermaid’s venue, you can usually get in by arriving 10-15 minutes prior to showtime. An exception is when one of the neighboring thrill rides shuts down, which can send a wave of guests towards the show.
Which of these new live shows at Disney’s Hollywood Studios do you think is worth watching? Let us know in the comments below!
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