The experience: Surfing in tandem with turtles

The trick: A big screen and narrow perspective

Instead, you're too busy immersed in the action. You feel this way because of the viewing angle. Rather than leave the ride carts far away from these monitors, Imagineers threw out the rule book and went a different way. The Clamobile travels exceptionally close to the display. With such a tight perspective, you're drawn into the action in an unprecedented manner.

Disney has timed the onscreen animations to coincide with the movement of your vehicle. Crush and Squirt teach Nemo what they previously taught his father. The three of them "grab shell" as they surf the current, and their speed matches that of your Clamobile. You believe that you're following them through the water because of your front-row seat for the action.

The experience: A starfish quips while real fish frolic

The trick: Adding a bit of Nemo flair to the aquarium

This Imagineering trick goes hand-in-hand with the Nemo ship effect. Disney wanted to honor the history of The Living Seas, even though the company had commercialized the pavilion’s anchor attraction. For this reason, the last section of the Omnimover travels past an open part of the aquarium tank.

During The Seas with Nemo & Friends, guests still get to view sharks, dolphins, and other inhabitants of the massive aquarium. However, Pixar characters appear, too. Some of the windows digitally project fish from Nemo’s school in front of the real marine life.

The end of the ride becomes an oddly serene experience, as In the Big Blue World from Finding Nemo: The Musical provides the calming soundtrack. Imagineers want children to understand that Nemo has safely returned home after another adventure, and everyone’s so happy that they sing along!

As a magical touch at the end, a talking starfish says good-bye in his own inimitable way. Frozen in place, this starfish’s only functional body part is his mouth. He quips to guests about the absurdity of living at The Seas with Nemo & Friends. He complains about the repetition of the song, asks for help, and loudly tries to go to his happy place. It’s an insidious bit that causes guests to smile as they exit the ride.

The concept of infotainment has evolved over the years. In the earliest days of Epcot, some of the attractions were a bit preachy for this reason. Since then, Imagineers have gotten better at combining seemingly disparate concepts like an aquarium and a Pixar movie. The Seas with Nemo & Friends aptly demonstrates this progression and is one of the most underrated rides in the world.