(A scene from “Aladdin”)
A
delightful show, filled with all the magic, high-energy action, colour and
razzmatazz one would expect from the world of Disney at its best. (Review by
Keith Millar)
The
spectacular ice-capade Disney On Ice
has huge entertainment value. The breathtaking parade of favourite Disney
characters, both old and new, had the kids in the audience, and their parents
for that matter, gasping with pleasure and wonderment.
It also
has huge production value with everything from sound and lighting to the superb
costumes, choreography and the ingenious sets and props being of world-class
quality.
The Wonderful World of Disney On Ice is in South Africa for the sixth
time, but this is the first time it has visited Durban where all 11
performances at the ICC Arena were completely sold out.
It is a
delightful show, filled with all the magic, high-energy action, colour and
razzmatazz one would expect from the world of Disney at its best.
It does
not skimp on artistic value either, with the cast of international
figure-skaters whizzing around the ice, displaying all the jumps, lifts, spins
and twizzles expected at the highest levels of this sport. It is a fantastic
and breath-taking display.
The
story has Mickey and Minnie Mouse along with Donald Duck and Goofy going on a
treasure hunt to try and find the greatest treasure in the world. My
five-year-old co-reviewer, Landon, commented that Goofy was silly because he
kept falling down.
I found
it a bit difficult to follow the pre-recorded dialogue of these characters as
the sound was very loud and boomy, and their thick American ascents didn’t help,
either.
Their
journey leads them via scenes from classic Disney moves - complete with the
wonderful array of hit songs, iconic characters and memorable action.
Their
first visit is to the domain of The Lion
King, in my opinion one of the best sequences. All the beloved characters
are there including Simba, Mufasa, Rafiki, Timon and Pumba. The final scene
which sees the entire cast flying about the ice dressed in the most imaginative
animal costumes was stunning. My co-reviewer commented that Simba is cool, but
Scar is the baddest baddie of all.
The
journey then goes back in time to Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs, then on to visit Aladdin. The co-reviewer was no too happy about the rather large
and ugly blue Genie. The Aladdin sequence
included a marvellous life size elephant.
Also
visited were scenes from Under the Sea,
Rapunzel, Toy Story (I thought this sequence was a bit short), Finding Dory (spectacular fish
costumes), and finally Frozen.
There
was also a parade of all the Disney Princesses over the years dancing with
their Princes. This was truly a down memory lane moment.
The Frozen sequence was the longest and most
extravagant. It had pyrotechnic effects, an extended snow storm, ingenious
props for the village scenes and a huge drape which floated down from the roof
and magically folded away again. This was truly magic.
What is
more, this sequence help Mickey and company to find the greatest treasure in
the world, which was – LOVE!
This
production is a technical marvel. Everything from the 950 square metres of ice
to the huge back-drop which transforms to anything from castle to an underwater
world, to the props such as a 4,5-metre-high pride rock for The Lion King to the wonderful lighting
effects was gobsmacking and brilliant.
But it
is possibly the costumes which are the star of the show. There are over 300
hundred of them which include 200,000 hand placed Swarovski crystals.
They are ingeniously made and exquisitely beautiful.
The Wonderful World
of Disney On Ice is world-class family entertainment. With all the performances being
sold out, Durban audiences have made it plain that they will support
productions of this quality. Let’s hope we
get more in the future.
Last
word to the five-year-old co-reviewer. “I loved that. We must come back
tomorrow!” – Keith Millar
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