Disney on Ice: I went to watch the anniversary ice skating show at Sheffield Arena and this is what I thought
and live on Freeview channel 276
It is a testament to the numerous timeless stories and willingness to adapt that Disney remains the storytelling juggernaut it is.
Mickey Mouse has been capturing the hearts of both the young and old across the world for 100 years. Yesterday, he captured the hearts of hundreds of families inside the Utilita Arena in Sheffield to celebrate this special milestone.
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Hide AdMickey, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy joined the show's hosts, Kate and Jeremy, as they went back along memory lane.
The show brought a number of iconic and popular Disney characters to the ice, in an attempt to help Mickey choose his favourite ever memory from the past century - SPOILER ALERT coming at the end for the memory he chose.
The show opened with a musical number which saw the famous mouse come out onto the ice at speed, going from the back, to the very front of the ice, before joining the hosts and his classic group of friends for a dance.
They watched memories back using a "mousepad" (Mickey's tablet rather than the mat next to your computer) - with each click on the prop screen bringing a new wave of characters to the ice - and it started with Toy Story.
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Hide AdWoody and Jessie flew onto the ice, with the red-haired cowgirl stunning the crowd with leaps and spins. Soon, Buzz Lightyear blasted out from behind the curtain and, after the space hero's own series of tricks, the crew led the crowd through the dance to Hoedown Throwdown (from Hannah Montana).
Cinderella, Merida, Mulan and Belle each had the crowd cheering - with Ariel and Rapunzel being hoisted far into the air for, occasionally nervewracking, yet incredible, aerial tricks (no pun intended). Moana and Maui traveled across the ice on their boat and skates, wowing the crowd.
At the midway stage, we had a brief intermission. The Zamboni came out to repair the ice, which highlighted a single missed opportunity for more Disney magic (even during the break) - it needed to be dressed up as a character from Cars... I needed to see Tow Mater out on the ice.
The best was certainly saved for the second half of the show, with two of the most popular Disney stories of recent times dominating the tail end of the show.
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Hide AdThe first was the stunning Frozen performance. It started with Anna skating around to Do You Want to Build a Snowman?, before Olaf the Snowman came in to offer some narration as they quickly worked through this ice skating version of the now famous story.
We met Hans and Kristoff before joining Elsa in the ice castle for an incredible routine to Let It Go. This, for me, was one of the routines of the night.
Then, the familia Madrigal tore up the ice with superb performances to The Family Madrigal, What Else Can I Do?, Surface Pressure with those hilarious donkey backing dancers from the films donning skates to join Luisa on the ice, and, of course, We Don't Talk About Bruno.
Disney on Ice was a tremendous show that even the most grumpy of dads would struggle not to enjoy. Just fantastic.
Oh, and Mickey's favourite Disney memory? Celebrating 100 years with everyone in attendance for the anniversary show.
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