Check It Out

No.173 (10/08/10)

Disney On Ice 2010

By Natsuko Ishii
Guest Writer (Translation: Nao H. Kauffman)

On September 11 and 12, I went down to Sendai for Disney on Ice 2010 at GRANDE 21. The show is performed over 60 countries in the world. It has been 25 years since the tour started in Japan. From this July, the 25th anniversary tour with “Mickey and Minnie's Fantasy Tour” was held in the various cities of Japan.

There was a large ice rink in the center of the dome with many Disney characters on the stage apron and the illuminated gigantic “25” on the ice. At the site, children in their favorite costumes such as a princess dress or Cars' cap could be found.

After the opening introduction, Mickey and Minnie showed up in the car. The dome erupted in joyful cheer from the audience. Then, Donald and Goofy joined them, and they began the journey across the fantasy world. The show consisted of four major Disney stories by shifting from one to the next.

First off, here came Cars and their fellows. Meter and Sally comically drove on the ice. Their expressions brought smiles to the audience. At the end, Lightning McQueen appeared with droning engine sound. Their powerful performance in fl urry of sparks and smokes were exactly like the movie. All of us could not help inclining forward despite ourselves.

Next, it was Little Mermaid's world. The charming heroin, Ariel showed up. With the sound track of “Under the Sea,” Ariel and her friends transformed the ice stage as if we were at the bottom of the sea. A waving blue large fabric and a lot of bubbles made the stage look like the sea bed. Ariel and the prince performed the amazing duo skating by beautiful jumps and lift-ups.

Then, the show shifted to the story of Lion King. Tribe Rock and the cub of Shimba came on the rink. The scene of troops chasing after Shimba was a sight to behold. Shimba experienced the separation from his great father and left the tribe. He grew up through having a friendship with skittish Pumba and Timon. The stage was going on with the sound track “Hakuna Matata” . After the beautiful skating performance with his girlfriend, Nara, a variety of wild animals such as giraffe, cheetah, and ostrich beside Tribe Rock joined the fi nale, which resounded with “Circle of Life.”

After going over three stories, we had a break for 15 minutes. At the concession areas, standard items like popcorns, cotton candies, and juices could be purchased in addition to the 25th anniversary special goods. Last half, the stage took us to the world of Tinkerbell. Hearing a baby's happy voice first, Tinkerbell arrived. A bunch of fairies of water, plants, lights came along and showed amazing skating. Their jobs were preparation for spring. At the scene of circiums ruining their preparation, they dynamically skated at full speed. However, with Tinkerbell's invention and the fellow fairies effort, they completed their jobs for spring and filled the stage with the color of spring. The fairies created the spring stage with beautiful spring flowers and butterfl ies. Then, Tinkerbell gracefully showed up from the above in the air and started fl ying around with glittering fairy powder. At the grand finale, all the characters beside Mickey and Minnie joined the stage. Artful devices and surprising stage performances at the special rink defi nitely entertained children to adults by putting time out of their mind. "Disney On Ice 2011 Celebrations!” may also come to Japan next year. It is guaranteed that you and your family will enjoy their performance.

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