Celebrations – Disney On Ice
Is there anyone on the planet not familiar with Disney? If you are (and really, who isn’t!) then you already know what to expect and that is exactly what you get.
School holidays serve up a surfeit of kiddie style entertainment these days but Disney on Ice is essentially old-fashioned entertainment gussied up with all the bells and whistles modern technology can provide. The result is a couple of hours entertainment that is as much a rite of childhood as hanging upside down off the monkey bars at school.
Regardless of how you feel about the ubiquitous ‘Disney Princesses’ phenomenon, there is something for everyone here. The old guard; Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy hold their own with newer favorites from ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’, ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Lilo & Stitch’. Don’t expect your ankle biters to be totally awed and riveted by the tricks, flips and twirls of the ice dancers – as awesome as they are – but they will be suitably entertained by everything on offer from the colorful, dynamic skaters, huge digital screen, bright lights, loud music, twirly things on sticks and checking out each other’s costumes, merchandise and yummies.
The short format pieces strung loosely together on the theme of exploring different ‘celebrations’ is ideal for those notoriously short attention spans. There is so much going on at times it is almost impossible to know where one should be looking and occasionally that monstrous screen almost over-shadows the action on the ice. But there is no shortfall in technical innovation and the production values are, of course, faultless – I am a sucker for a good snow effect & who knew you could set the ice on fire?
As a taster there was a pre-show of local kids from Ice World at Acacia Ridge who were clearly having the time of their lives pulling out their best tricks and racking up an experience they’ll remember many years hence.
Do be warned though, your ticket price is not the end of it – by the time you’ve covered parking, programs, consumables and, believe me, no-one gets out alive without purchasing something from the Merchandise stand – you may need a second mortgage! However, refreshingly, they do permit the use of cameras in the auditorium during the show taking the mercenary edge off the experience (perhaps because they know they’re going to get you at the Merchandise stand).
Disney have been doing this schtick for decades and their brand is as strong as ever. I can’t tell you which part Miss 2.5yo liked better – the show or the light up Tinkerbell wings she brought home but I haven’t seen her that excited since Christmas!
I dare anybody not to come out of the experience even just a little bit Disney-fied. If he were alive today, Uncle Walt would be grinning like Alice’s Cheshire Cat.
TOUR DATES:
Thu 28 Jun – Sun 1 Jul – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Wed 4 – Mon 9 Jul – Hisense Arena, Melbourne
Wed 11 – Mon 16 Jul – Allphones Arena, Sydney
Thu 19 – Sun 22 Jul – Adelaide Entertainment Centre
