Last night I had the pleasure of taking my son and his friend to the Feld Entertainment presentation of “Disney On Ice – 100 Years of Magic” at the Denver Coliseum. This is the fourth such ice escapade that we’ve had the privilege of seeing and every one is fun. Being the 100th anniversary of Disney, this particular show features a variety of performances, representing Disney’s genius throughout the last century, from the classic Disney animation features through to the computer age generation of the Disney / Pixar films.
Clearly there’s too much in Disney’s history to present in a two hour show so there was a smattering of selections from various productions. Some of the highlights of the night’s performance included “Friend like me” from Aladdin (with a troupe of genies skating in formation), a pantheon a skating duos representing the Disney princesses (one of my favorites), a dramatic retelling of Mulan and Edna Mode from The Incredibles describing the fashions worn by the characters (definitely one of the most comic moments). During ice skating shows I always look for someone to take a tumble and Violet did, but the recovery was worth the show in itself.
Ice skating lends itself to soft, billowy dresses and drapes and there were plenty of these set to appropriate, rippling music – a relaxing experience punctuated by the drama of a colorful and professional light show. And while the more sophisticated adults can appreciate the beauty of the skating performances set to light music, the kids still have plenty of chances to exercise their lungs. The calls for “Yee Haw!” from Toy Story’s Jessie immediately comes to mind. My only complain was Buzz Lightyear singing “You’ve got a friend in me” – I don’t think it was Tim Allen – at least I hope not because whomever was singing was out of tune.
But for myself, and for my son’s friend, they definitely left the best for last with the the penultimate act. A skating duo of Simba and Nala from “The Lion King” and, while all of the costumes were fantastic, the costuming for this particular number – “Can you feel the love tonight” – was beyond excellent and, unless you were looking you wouldn’t have even noticed the skaters lazing on the corners of the rink just prior to the performance, like lions on the serengeti.
So, definitely worth seeing. Happy birthday, Disney. Your 100 Years of Magic is truly Magical.
