It seems very strange to refer to a venue the size of Wembley Arena as “intimate” but with some clever use of curtaining and an ice rink that could accurately be described as “vast”, the overall effect for Disney’s latest ice extravaganza is surprisingly intimate.
Add the anticipation of a huge dose of Disney magic to that intimacy and you have all the ingredients you need to rack the excitement level, among both the children and adults, to maximum, so much so that, as Mickey and Minnie drive their car onto the ice, the arena erupts with cheers and applause.
As is becoming traditional with the most recent incarnations of Disney on Ice, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy are simply there as hosts which creates something of a dilemma for the audience, as the children are massively excited to see them, but are also disappointed that they don’t appear on the ice for longer.
In Worlds of Fantasy Mickey and Minnie become stranded when their car breaks down. Of course, in the world of Disney, when you need a tow-truck there is only one candidate and, through a cloud of mist, Mater from Cars appears right on cue. He is soon joined by Sally, Ramone, Flo and, finally, Lightning McQueen and, in a perfect display of driving (while talking) on ice, the full-size cars perform an almost balletic routine surrounded by smoke, pyrotechnics and flame throwers and, somehow, avoid a spectacular collision.
As the cars disappear, and Mickey and Minnie provide the continuity link, the backdrop, scenery and lighting quickly change to take us to the undersea world of The Little Mermaid. The whole story is condensed into about 15 minutes, but all the main elements remain including the beautiful tune “Part of Your World” and the rousing “Under the Sea”, which gets the whole audience clapping and singing along.
Our hosts return to take us into the final segment of act one, a truly beautiful tale of Tinkerbell and the Forest Fairies. No expense is spared on the scenery, lighting, costumes, aerial machinery and special effects which create the perfect fantasy forest setting and keep the entire audience totally mesmerised.
Act two is given over in it’s entirety to the fourth, and final, Disney blockbuster to be featured, the superb Toy Story. Seeing the children’s faces light up as the toys with which they are so familiar, appear one after the other – complete with a full chorus of toy soldiers is just magical. Rex the Dinosaur, Hamm the Piggy Bank, Slinky the Dog, Mr and Mrs Potatohead, Jessie and her horse, Bullseye, Woody and Buzz Lightyear are all there together with Barbie, Ken and the strawberry scented bear Lotso. Even the Aliens make a token appearance!
At 45 minutes long, the segment is possibly a little long but, with so much going on, most children stayed engaged right through to the finale when Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald all return to join the Toy Story cast for a spectacularly joyful end to a truly magical and thoroughly entertaining show.
***** Five Stars
