Before Diane Paulus reached Broadway directing rowdy hippies in “Hair” and tormented lovers in “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” she cut her teeth in big-budget theater by making sure that Minnie Mouse and Snow White didn’t trip over each other during “The Golden Mickeys,” a 50-minute musical awards-show takeoff she staged for Disney Cruise Line in 2003. Ms. Paulus found herself wrangling with Disney lawyers over the neckline for Cruella de Vil (designs for famous characters can be sacrosanct) and spending lavishly on the show (a forerunner to the so-called event theater that interests her).

“I was used to working in downtown theater with $5,000, and suddenly I was working with several million dollars,” recalled Ms. Paulus, who spoke with pride about the cruise show. “It was a big chance to try to push boundaries within a very corporate, commercial producing environment.”

This month Disney launched its fourth cruise ship, the Fantasy, and in doing so created a new theatrical playground for artists like Ms. Paulus to produce work in line with that entertainment empire’s brand. Disney’s deep pockets, in an era when Broadway producers struggle to raise money, has turned cruise theater into a plum opportunity for those who aren’t soured by strictures like blending venerable Disney characters and songs into new shows.

For Disney, meanwhile, the collaboration with theater artists on the high seas reflects a history of building early relationships with talent like Ms. Paulus, who said she would happily work with the company again, and Spencer Liff, a dancer in Broadway shows and on the NBC series “Smash” who is now choreographing musicals for Disney ships.