EVENT REVIEW: Disney On Ice

Perth Arena was transformed into a magical fairytale land over the weekend when Disney on Ice Dare to Dream skated into town.

We sent Mum Central’s Perth reporter to the show with her 5yo son, her mother and her sister, and asked her to share her very first Disney on Ice experience with our readers. Here’s what she had to say!

I never pass up an opportunity to reconnect with my inner child and I knew this show was definitely not one to miss! With the enthusiastic feedback from Master 5, Nannie and Auntie, here’s our take on our first ever Disney on Ice experience.

We arrived at Perth Arena amidst a hum of excitement and anticipation – ‘will it be cold?’ and ‘do they wear special skates?’ and ‘what happens if they fall over?’ were just some of the questions that were being fired at me. But having never been to an ice show my only response was ‘we will have to wait and see, that’s the magic of Disney’. Master 5 liked the rhyme so I got away with it. #parentingwin

We waded through a sea of tiaras and tulle, little princesses excitedly skipped next to their parents impatient to get to their seats. And then the magic began as our hosts Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck took to the centre and joined in a jazzy musical tribute to The Princess and the Frog.

The first fairytale of the night was the classic Snow White. Mesmerised by the Queen’s magic mirror which seemed to float across the stage, the audience was transported into the woods before being introduced to the loveable seven dwarfs. Throughout the show most of the audio was taken from the original movie soundtracks. It was a treat for the grown-ups to recognise the Seven Dwarfs famous ‘Heigh-Ho’ recording used from the original 1937 version!

The next tale to be told was Cinderella, complete with horse drawn carriage! This was a stunning rendition and Cinderella sparkled in her gown as she floated across the ice. But it was the two ugly sisters and their antics that had the audience in fits of giggles.

A Rapunzel/Tangled twist was the final tale and talk about saving the best until last! Maximus the horse was hilarious and had the crowd in stitches. It was easy to forget it was actually two people! The showstopper for the night was the aerial performance by Rapunzel and Flynn, suspended by Rapunzel’s hair (long pieces of cloth) spinning around from the roof and no harness in sight! I was on the edge of my seat!

Transported into this magical land on ice the skill of the performers blew my mind. From the twirls and spins to the classic Disney character movements the performers brought each fairytale to life. Costuming and Set Design were both outstanding. The costuming throughout is true to character and full of clever creations. The Princess dresses, needless to say, were some of the sparkliest gowns in town and surely every little girls dream. Set design and props were seamlessly revealed and removed from stage adding to a very polished and professional performance.

The show is cleverly broken into two 45 minute acts, suitable to hold the attention of even the youngest in the audience.

Dare to Dream is a delightful mix of classic and contemporary performing with huge multigenerational appeal. Watching these fairytales performed on ice definitely added another magic dimension.

But by far, the best part of the night for me was looking over at 3 generations of one beautiful family all smiling and enjoying themselves. Priceless.

Needless to say we sang ‘Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo’ all the way home!