Express & Star

Disney On Ice skates into Birmingham with new show - review

The build up and anticipation was certainly worth it – and even the children seemed to enjoy it too.

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Disney On Ice

After scores of families had spent months planning their perfect trip into Birmingham for a late evening of fun with their favourite characters, finally Disney on Ice was here.

Celebrating 100 Years of Magic, Arena Birmingham was transformed into a winter wonderland, with flashing lights as far as the eye could see. And that was just in the audience.

Giddy children eagerly awaited the opening ice routine alongside their equally-enthusiastic parents.

That's the beauty of Disney I suppose. While Frozen and Tangled are certainly modern-day classics, my wife and younger sister were brought up on the likes of Aladdin and Beauty and the Best.

It doesn't seem like they were made that many years ago – but there were, and of course even the grandparents could relate to the likes of Cinderella, Snow White and Pinnochio.

Either way, once Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy had all laid the foundations, we were off.

Opening with one of the all-time classics, we were treated to 'the little wooden boy' Pinnochio somehow transferring his dancing skills on the stage to the ice, with a very able-bodied Geppetto also impressing with his moves.

As my wife Kelly pointed out, it's easy to forget that although you're watching 'Disney characters' floating about in front of your eyes, all the performers are actually superb ice skaters and dancers, who just glide across the arena while keeping in character. It's impressive stuff.

Nemo was one of my favourites because the skaters somehow managed to mimic the movements of a fish, all while keeping the spirit of Dory and the rest of the cast alive.

However, it was the huge version of Crush the sea turtle that really stole show. I believe it was powered by wheels but I'm still not sure.

Belle soon followed and again the story played out on ice stayed true to the proper script as the angered beast fell in love and then had to deal with that dastardly Gaston.

My daughter Annabelle, five, and nine-year-old niece, Amber, really enjoyed the section where about eight or nine famous prince and princesses took the ice in a sort of mass dance-off between the couples, which all ended in a superb routine combining all of the famous characters.

Disney On Ice

We were talking Cinderella and Prince Charming, Rapunzel and Prince Naveen, Belle and the Best, Jasmine and Aladdin, Snow White and The Prince, Anna and Kristoff, Tiana and Prince Naveen – I've probably missed some but you get the drift.

Then it was time for the real show stopper – Frozen. They pretty much performed the entire film, with plenty of stage effects and scene changes helping to create an almost cinematic effect.

And when Olaf the snowman appeared, the children really got up and on to their feet. Of course, Elsa's rendition of Let it Go went down particularly well with the children. Pretty much all the adults knew all the words too.

The interval seemed to come at the right time as the children were being to shuffle and squirm on a more regular basis but when the show returned the performers were straight into another routine – this time focussing on the genie from Aladdin. Lots of fun for all.

The dancing for the Mulan sequence, a film I must admit has passed me by, was one of the best. A huge Chinese dragon to end proceedings is always going to go down well the audience.

Annabelle loves, and I mean loves, Toy Story so the cameo starring Woody, Buzz and Jess brilliant. Even Kelly loved the dance to, 'You've Got a Friend in Me'. We all know how that one goes.

To see us off, the The Lion King's opening track was blasted out the speakers as Rafiki appeared on the ice, walking stick in hand. There was also a brilliant piece by Timon and Pumbaa, full of laughs and jokes – and a 'Hakuna Matata' sing-song.

How Pumbaa managed to operate on all fours was beyond most of us. It looked like someone skating whilst holding on to poles to form the front legs, all while wrapped in a huge warthog costume. Either way it was impressive stuff.

Finally, the entire cast did a lap of the arena waving to the fans and the children, who had all done so well to stay up so late.

I've probably missed some bits but it really was a brilliant night, highly recommended for families of pretty much any age. It's got something for everyone.

Runs until Sunday.