There is something to be said about Disney magic! I felt like a rock star mama tucking my boys in last night. Visions of Disney characters were skating in their heads after going to see Disney On Ice presents 100 Years of Magic.
Our special night started with a quick stop at Target where I picked up the cutest Disney Crunch Paks (Totally not sponsored, I just thought they were awesome since we were going to the show!) and some dollar bin spinning fans that glowed with LED lights. We listened to Disney tunes on the way and had fun guessing which characters we would see.
The show started with Aladdin serenaded by a line of skating Genies after a little intro from Mickey. “A Friend Like Me” is always fun, and it was a good way to get the crowd going. We were very excited when next we saw Nemo, Dory, and Marlin from Finding Nemo. The special effect bubbles were really cool, and Bruce the shark made an appearance with Chum and Anchor complete with the whole smelling blood bit from the movie.
Next up were Belle and Beast with all their castle friends and a quick version of how they fell in love singing “Something There.” I am always looking for the costume changes and technical stuff when I see a show, so it was fun watching the swap of Beast into Price Adam as well as Belle’s quick change into her famed yellow gown. They were joined by many of the other Disney couples: Cinderella/Phillip, Ariel/Eric, Snow White/Charming, Pocahontas/ John Smith, and Jasmine/Aladdin.
My guys were on their feet when we saw the signature army men from Toy Story skate-marching around the rink with Woody. They opened a package with Buzz inside, and then were joined by Jessie for “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”
I was giving myself a pat on the back during the next number because we were listening to “It’s a Small World” in the car earlier. Sure enough, out comes a line of skaters from around the world singing and parading around complete with the iconic clock tick-tocking in the set behind them. The costumes were all shades of blue and white, and it was fun seeing all the countries and what they wore. It’s not everyday that you get to talk about kilts and lederhosen, but we did just that during intermission.
The second half started with Mickey and the rest of the clubhouse gang marching out in band uniforms singing. Jiminy Cricket came out and introduced the Pinocchio tale with “When You Wish Upon a Star.” I was impressed that so many characters were featured in this abridged version: Gepetto and the Blue Fairy, Honest John and Gideon the cat (totally love “Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee An Actor’s Life for Me”), and especially with the way they staged Monstro the Whale.
Mulan was the next story with the a lively “Honor to Us All” and the lovely “Reflection” tune, followed by the training and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” We enjoyed the special effects once again with fireworks, avalanche, and dancing dragon.
The Incredibles followed, modeling their costumes and emceed by the hilarious Edna Mole. My boys loved the humor and tricks the actors did to show off their incredible skills. Very clever, but the costumes and wigs were a little strange as an adult watching. The princesses and other characters seemed to translate a little better than the Pixar people, but Mr. Incredible skating to “I’m Too Sexy” was pretty entertaining, so I’ll let it slide.
Then came the most recognizable opening to any Disney movie (at least for my kids). “Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba!” Screams and gasps were heard all around and my boys were going NUTS! The opening chant to “Circle of Life” started and Rafiki skated out. Now I have seen the stage version of The Lion King twice and I did have high hopes for the possibility of a menagerie skating behind him, but no such luck. It was still a good number with Timon and Pumba, followed by “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” with Nala and Simba.
The closing act started with Rafiki leading all the other characters out to the rink. This is what I loved about this performance of Disney On Ice: it was like a curtain call and the kids were gobbling it up! The actors do such a fabulous job of waving to the children and looking up into the seats so that the audience really feels included. Parts of it may be campy, but I love sharing that with my kids and saying, “Oh look, there’s Minnie!” It gets me giddy, too. Pure Disney Magic.
See the link at the bottom if the page for more information on the show, including future dates and times.
Disclaimer: In exchange for my time and efforts in attending this show and reporting my opinion, as well as informing you of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment provided me with complimentary tickets to Disney On Ice presents 100 Years of Magic. All opinions are my own!
Disney On Ice presents 100 Years of Magic ticket info and show times.
Mickey & Minnie photo used in collage above courtesy of Feld Entertainment.
