Feld Entertainment's newest Disney on Ice production is a re-telling of the movie, Frozen, the world's highest-grossing animated movie. Fans of the movie will be delighted to see Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, Olaf the wisecracking snowman, Sven the loyal reindeer, the very athletic Kristoff and even Marshmallow, Elsa’s massive ice monster, come to life on the ice.
The show kicked off with our hosts Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and a few familiar faces including the Disney Princesses Snow White, Ariel and Rapunzel, along with Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Nemo, Dory, Marlin, Timon, Pumba and others. Unlike most other Disney on Ice shows, this one is almost entirely a Frozen production, except for this opening welcome and the finale.
Disney on Ice “Frozen” is the skating equivalent of a touring Broadway musical. Joining Elsa and Anna in their adventure was a cast of 37 performers ranging from ages 18 to 46 and representing 11 countries. There were 108 colorful costumes in the show and it requires nine tractor-trailers to move everything from city to city.
“Frozen” featured clever props, lighting, pyrotechnics and strands of illuminated “ice” that descended from the rigging. The creative use of ropes of lights created a running fountain on the ice and icicles in the air. I loved watching the sheer delight on the faces of the little ones in the audience when “snow” from 20 snow machines fell from above.
Disney doesn’t release the names of the skaters, fearing it will somehow lessen the magic. But the cast included over thirty five accomplished figure skaters from around the world, including some former international and national figure skating competitors. They thrilled the audience with difficult figure skating moves including double jumps, dance lifts, adagio pair skating, back flips, flying camels. spirals and complicated figure skating spins. It was like watching a musical and the Olympics all rolled into one!
The principal actors portraying Princesses Elsa and Anna were especially wonderful. Both women captured the spirit of their characters while performing some pretty amazing skating elements. Becky Bereswill, who was the 2008 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Champion, played Elsa, who was graceful and regal. Taylor Firth, the star of the 2010 remake of the movie Ice Castles, was Anna. She was just as bubbly and energetic as her on-screen counterpart. Kristoff ( I couldn't find out who the actor was) thrilled the audience with his athletic skating that even includes some very impressive back flips.
Johnney's favorite was, of course, Olaf, the hilarious snowman who yearns for warm weather. I still don't know how they took him apart and put him back together while he was skating. For Olaf’s big number, “In Summer”, skaters were costumed as flowers, butterflies, bees, and seagulls as they skated in sky-high kick lines, reminiscent of the "Rockets", across the ice.
Two of my favorite moments came when the Princess Anna and Kristoff were chased by a pack of ravenous wolves. The ice skaters playing the wolves manage to seem fierce and threatening with their glowing eyes, even as they gracefully skated across the ice and watching Marshmallow, Elsa’s ice monster, as he grew to massive proportions right before my eyes.
I have been to plenty of rock concerts and there was no doubt, when Anna and Else hit the ice, they were rock stars. Little girls, dressed in their princess finery, were "screaming their brains out"! Katie and Jetta practically jumped out of their seats when they heard the opening notes to "Let It Go". One of the major highlights of the show was Elsa singing this song. There were no props or sets on the ice, so our eyes were only on the beautiful blond queen who was breath-taking in her Ice Queen Dress, made of hand painted silk chiffon by Parsons-Meares, a world class costume shop in NYC. Pyrotechnics exploded as Elsa belted it out and every little girl in the audience sang along and totally "lost it"!The best part of the show for me was watching all the small kids around me as they recited the entire show and sang out their hearts to “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” “For the First Time in Forever,” “Fixer-Upper”, "Love is an Open Door" and, of course, the movie’s big hit, “Let It Go.”
Director Patty Vincent says, “Our goal is to showcase these heartwarming characters in a way that allows the audience to cheer and sing along throughout this emotional journey." They absolutely met that goal because this show will melt your heart and leave every single “Frozen” fan 100% satisfied.
In true Disney style, every detail of the production was perfect. From the choreography, lighting, music, gorgeous costumes and high quality ice skating, this was a magical experience for the whole family. We LOVED it!!
Click Here to purchase tickets and to see a full schedule of remaining performances! Prices range from $45 to $195. Ages 2 and older must have a ticket.
Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to this venue in return for posting this review, however the opinions are my own.
Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to this venue in return for posting this review, however the opinions are my own.
