A ‘Frozen’ Fiesta at Disney on Ice

Got a child who loves Elsa, Anna, Ariel or Olaf? The skating magic of Disney on Ice – just running through Sunday! – is sure to delight, mama.

Have your kids seen The Little Mermaid, Tangled, Beauty and Beast, or Frozen? (Of course they have. They’ve seen Frozen at least twenty or thirty thousand times.) Disney on Ice is back in Singapore and better than ever with Magical Ice Festival.

Two mini Elsas accompanied me to the opening night performance on Friday. For them, the Disney Magic began the moment they saw the ice rink. They asked me “How did they do that, Mommy?” However, while there is an ice rink, the Indoor Stadium was quite warm. There is no need for a coat, sweater, or other heavy clothes.

The show’s run time is two hours with a 20-minute interval. There are moments of darkness, and several loud and/or bright special effects, which may be stressful for some children. The only character who is truly scary is The Beast, and the fight scene between him and Gaston is also a bit frightening. Parents should prepare their children if easily frightened.

“I loved when Mickey and Minnie came out onto the ice,” said Rhiannon, age 4. Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy host the show, and introduce each of the segments. The 2014 production, Princesses and Heroes, covered a large number of stories in one or two songs while Magical Ice Festival focuses on four fairytales in detail.

The first of the four stories brought to life was The Little Mermaid. While this story was performed in Princesses and Heroes, the costumes and choreography have been revamped. Ariel’s six sisters and Sebastian are performing when they realise Ariel is missing. We see Eric’s boat break apart and Ariel rescues him.

Despite Sebastian’s pleas that she stay Under the Sea, Ariel isn’t having it. The Under the Sea number is beautifully done with cast members dressed as everything from seahorses to starfishes, and includes jellyfish puppets to further the underwater vibe. “It was so funny that Flounder had legs,” commented Elanor, age seven. Ariel makes her deal with Ursula, and is changed from a mermaid to a human happens right on the ice in the blink of an eye. As in the story, Eric doesn’t recognise her and Sebastian brings them together.

Next up is Rapunzel. The villains welcome several children from the rink-side seats onto a moving set piece shaped like a wheelbarrow (with seatbelts) and skate with them around the rink as they sing I Have a Dream. Rapunzel asks Mother Gothel if she can leave the tower and is, of course, rebuffed because Mother Knows Best. Flynn Rider is frustrated that they can never get his nose right on the Wanted poster while being pursued by Maximus the horse. He takes refuge in the tower, and is promptly subdued by Rapunzel and her trusty frying pan, which made the audience laugh.

Rapunzel lets Flynn go when he agrees to take her to see the lanterns. During I See the Light, cast members bring glowing lanterns onto the ice and they float to the ceiling.

After the intermission, Gaston preens before the crowd while the other performers extol his many virtues. Belle, like us, is hardly impressed and wishes for a bigger life. She goes to the castle and meets Lumière, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Chip. Belle takes comfort in her new friends, as the cast assembles to do a stellar version of Be Our Guest, including a kick line – on ice! The rose’s petals fall, and all seems lost when Gaston wounds the Beast during their fight. The piece ends with another Disney Magic quick change from Beast to Prince.

Finally, what everyone was waiting for—Frozen! Anna, Ela, Kristoff, Sven, Hans, and Olaf are all present. The Frozen segment is the most complete of all four stories. Every important moment from the movie is there, from Anna being thrilled that the gates will be opened for The First Time in Forever. Hans fools Anna into an overly hasty engagement. Elsa loses control of her powers during her confrontation with Anna. Anna goes up the North Mountain with Kristoff, and they meet Olaf, the snowman who wants to experience what happens In Summer.

One of the biggest highlights of the show is when Elsa performs the entire Let it Go sequence complete with a costume change onstage from the coronation gown to the blue one that many young viewers, including my two, were wearing. Olaf saves Anna from the room where Hans has imprisoned her, and she commits an act of true love to save Elsa.

The vendors only take cash and are selling a large assortment of memorabilia, none of it cheap. I spent $72 for two ice drinks in a souvenir cup and two cotton candy bags with souvenir hats.

Indoor Stadium is a small venue, so most seats are good seats. Plenty of seats are still available, so bring your prince or princess now through Sunday, 20 March.

Disney on Ice runs from Thursday, 17 March through Sunday, 20 March with performances at 7pm along with 11am and 3pm on weekends. Tickets cost from $25 – $120. Click here to purchase tickets, mama!

www.disneyonice-asia.com