Ad disclosure: We were given tickets free of charge for the purpose of this post. This review represents our honest opinion of the show.
Yesterday we headed to the Barclaycard Arena to watch Disney on Ice Presents Frozen. To say the girls were excited when they found out where we were going in a massive understatement – Lydia is in a massive Disney Princess phase right now so she especially thought it was the best way to spend an evening EVER.
The show started out with a “Fit to Dance” free pre-show where some of the cast came out to teach the audience a dance, and Mickey & Minnie popped out onto the ice to join in too. Lydia had a great time dancing along with their Snowman Dance. Fit to Dance is a “cross-curricular resource that gives children a chance to share the magical world of Disney On Ice in the classroom, and at home with the family, by creating their own imaginative stories and then telling them through dance.”
Minnie, Mickey, and a few friends came on the ice to kick off the main show – with some very familiar faces skating out onto the ice, demonstrating all the different kinds of love that Disney stories represent. I thought this was really sweet – love isn’t always just a princess and her prince, but can be between friends, siblings, and so on.
Although Anna and Kristoff fall in love during the story of Frozen, I’ve always thought that the main love story is between the two sisters – and it is their love that saves the day in the end. It was great to see the different types of love you can experience shown a bit before the show.
As for the show itself, it was simply amazing. The skating was incredible – back flipping, amazing lifts, incredible stunts and beautiful dancing over the ice. I have nothing but admiration for the two skaters inside Sven the reindeer, who managed to kneel down in sync so Sven could have a lie down, and then get up again without any mishaps – I bet that took a lot of practice!
The sets were really clever, instantly recognisable from the film and really attractive, and there are some great special effects throughout the show. This is the first show we’ve seen that had screens above the ice and they used these to great effect at times. As for the costumes, they were just gorgeous – incredibly detailed and beautiful, with rich colours and textures.
The last few Disney on Ice shows have featured several different Disney stories, so have only featured the hit songs and most prevalent scenes from those films. Because this whole show was dedicated to Frozen, we got to see bits that haven’t been done on the ice before, and some of the lesser known songs, which was lovely. Between each song the main dialog between them was acted out, and they did a brilliant job of telling the story as well as dancing to the music.
The “Marshmallow” snow monster was fantastic – he inflated to become really huge, and breathed ice as he chased the skaters around the ice. The girls were a little scared but also really enjoyed it at the same time! He was really effective and well done.
I was really excited to see the Trolls featured in this show! They haven’t been in the two previous Disney on Ice shows that featured Frozen, and the song “Fixer Upper” is one of my favourite songs (and scenes) from the film. They did a brilliant job choreographing it, and the costumes were spot on, with trolls standing on each other’s shoulders, skating around the ice. It was really fun to watch.
Of course, Kristoff and Anna got their happy ending (and brand new sleigh!) too. The audience all gave out a big “awwww” at this moment!
All four of us really enjoyed the show, but I think it’s possible that Lydia enjoyed it more than anyone else there! She was up dancing, clapping, and singing along all the way through – and if you watch the video I made you’ll probably hear her commentating all the way through too, every time one of her favourite characters or scenes appeared on the ice.
I really enjoy watching great ice skating, and there is no doubt that Feld Entertainment’s ice skaters are incredibly talented. When they are put together with the great music and some fantastic choreography, it really is a fantastic spectacle – a treat for your eyes and ears! They have done a brilliant job bringing the story and songs of Frozen to the ice, it’s completely captivating, and just magical.
There are still a few last minute tickets available for the Birmingham show, and make sure you check the Disney on Ice page to see where else in the country this fab show is headed! It might not be the cheapest outing in the world, but it is not to be missed!
We saw it last week and it is such an amazing, wonderful show….
I would quite happily go again to watch it….We loved it x
Wow this looks amazing, we are yet to take the children to see Disney on Ice. They have done Disneyland but never seen the show on ice yet, something to add to the ‘to do’ list.