Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic - 2018 product reviews

When you have kids, you can't help but see advertisements for Disney on Ice, and this year was no different, especially as they celebrated a big milestone. To my kids' great delight I was lucky enough to win some tickets, thanks to the "Say what..." ezine. Having been a couple of years ago, I knew that there would be drinks, food and merchandise but with three kids, I wasn't keen to fork out on very expensive items, so I packed some drinks and snacks of our own to take with us, which is a bonus of the venue, you're not restricted to what's on sale only.

We ended up seated nice and high, but this didn't affect the view badly, though you can definitely tell why the lower, closer seats are in high demand, Miss Nine wished we'd been right at the front as those kids were lucky enough to get a little closer to the various characters. The music and dialogue was very loud, most of the time this was tolerable and meant that we could hear everything, though my seven-year-old did find that there were moments where it was far too loud for her and required some noise cancelling earmuffs to be worn until the sound lessened, usually during a fight scene.

There was an excellent range of Disney characters and films represented. We stared with Judy and Nick from Zootopia as they tried to figure out who mucked up the sound and light system, and of course, we have the usual Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto running the show, this time as Donald and Pluto try to get some inspiration for their new movie. Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Frozen naturally take centre stage, but we have Finding Dory, Mulan, The Lion King and Toy Story added to the mix as well as getting to see almost all of the other Disney princesses. My son disappointedly pointed out that Merida, Pocahontas and Moana were missing.

My son was very happy to have his favourite, Mulan, be included in this year's show and I too was glad to see characters who weren't princesses and princes. The dragon, Mushu, and the performance of "I'll Make A Man Out of You" were my favourite moments in the entire show, though some of the moves were equally stunning. All three of my kids were really hooked and my nine-year-old marvelled at the moves the performers made, the awe aided by her having watched and loved the ice-skating events for the last Winter Olympics. My youngest, as always, loved Frozen and watching it play out, reminding me of key scenes in the film, my son was disappointed though that there was no Marshmallow included.

This was a hit for the family, even if you're not as big on Disney as your kids are, the artistry involved for ice-skating and the costumes should surely grab your interest.

Session: Sunday 5th August 5.30pm

I was beyond excited when the opportunity came up to review Disney on Ice and have been anxiously counting down how many sleeps left until this event since I first received the tickets. I feel like I have been waiting since the day my daughter was born for her to be old enough to attend Disney on Ice so knowing that this year was the celebration of 100 years of magic just made the moment even more perfect. Being close to a two-hour show, I made the choice to not take my (on the go) almost three-year-old son and instead took my daughter (nearly 5), her cousin (4.5), her aunty and myself as the ultimate girls night out. Well, I tell you; it was the best version of a girls night out that I've ever had! Disney without any doubts yet again pulled out all the stops and the evening was every bit as magical as imagined.

Lining up outside was almost a show in itself; so many beautifully dressed children and adults like; it was clear to see just how many people adore the world of Disney. Once in the doors and up the stairs the Disney merchandise and lines cueing up to purchase this continued to prove this fact. I must say that I am very thankful to have been pre-warned about how expensive the prices were for items or I would have been truly shocked. Instead of paying $15 for popcorn we opted to take our own home made snacks, a cheap light up wand and a bottle of water. I did, however, purchase a programme for $20, bag for $2 and a Disney cup and straw (at the time filled with shaved ice but can be used again) for $18. My little miss picked her all-time favourite of Frozen and the cup has been used non-stop since purchasing it twenty-four hours ago. The programme has beautiful pictures that unfold the story we were so lucky enough to see. Watching her face light up as she used this book to share with her Dad all about the show brought back her happiness on the night all over again.

Throughout this extraordinary show, fourteen of Disney's well-loved movies/stories were shared and I have to stay that the execution of these was utter perfection. From amazing lighting that was in tune to every move, every change in beat and change in tone. Costumes that were full of detail and colour, costumes that I can't even imagine how long they took to make or even how many times those people changed! Sound effects including voices 'just like the movies' and extra special effects including fireworks and snow! This along with the amazing details used in creating each set didn't go unnoticed by my miss nearly 5 and some of her comments included. "Wow, who made the castle Mum?" Slight pause... "It must have been a REALLY good builder!" She also very hesitantly kept asking me "Mum, that is real people inside dressed up aye?" and then "how are their voices the same as the movie"?! We really were treated to the entire Disney feel.

From Toy Story, Aladdin, Beauty an the Beast to Frozen, Finding Dory, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King (and so much more) there was nothing left unexplored and I felt like a great job was done to capture it all. Not only were the story lines great classics but the dancing/skating was utterly amazing! Coming from a competitive dancing background the moves that unfolded (and on ice no less) just blew me away with the risk-taking, coordination and balance something that had clearly been practised over and over again by some very talented people with a lot of passion. Hands down, 150% the best show out and one that I will without a doubt be going to again! Thank you so much FELD entertainment and KIWIreviews for making this possible - you're amazing!!

Session: Auckland - Friday Aug 3rd

This year Disney on Ice celebrated 100 years of Disney Magic, delighting the young and the old, after all, you are never too old for Disney. With an unforgettable 1 hour 50 minute show, it truly was a magical experience that unfolded throughout the evening, featuring 14 well known Disney stories along with classic songs, it was great to show to see. Lining up at the gates, the queues were buzzing with excitement waiting for the doors to open which led into a room full of Disney merchandise, there was everything imaginable from soft toys and clothing, light up swords and globes, mouse ears and Disney themed food such as candyfloss and popcorn, the merchandise, as to be expected, wasn't cheap, however I did purchase one of the programmes for $22 which came with a special edition red rose from Beauty and the Beast, the programme was well worth the price with such amazing graphics throughout to recreate lifetime memories.

The show started right on time with the entire audience captivated and involved right from the start, after lot's of laughing as the show was being introduced and several people skated around the ice rink throwing the most amazing frisbees which returned to you, out came Nick and Judy from Zootopia ready to solve the case and get the show back on track, I loved the way in which the audience all joined in straight away by pulling out their phones and shining them bright as requested. From here on in there was no doubt in my mind it was to be a fun-filled evening.

Pinnochio, a childhood favourite of mine was soon to come on stage, causing lot's of giggles and laughter in the crowd as his nose grew and grew, here we witnessed an amazing storyline with some important messages, to always be brave, loyal and honest if you want to make your dreams come true, Pinnochio wasn't on for long before Finding Dory hit the ice, with an under the sea spectacular. I must say that this was one of my favourite parts of the show with the giant turtle appearing on stage, surrounded by baby turtles who were just the cutest with their great big eyes. The display put on by this act, in particular, was breathtaking the way the fish and sea creatures moved was amazing and I loved how they incorporated the use of big ribbons for effects. Dory, Nemo and Marlin were the main characters here as they set off together on a quest to find Dory's lost parents and also discover themselves, in this ocean adventure where Dory's famous lines kept coming up "just keep swimming, just keep swimming" of course it all ended well and Dory was reunited with his family.

Beauty and the Beast were next to hit the stage and Miss 5's favourite act of the night. Once again the costumes were incredible with Belle going from dressing in rags to a stunning and beautiful princess, in this particular story there really was a lot going on, and it was most likely one of the scariest and darkest parts put on, there were thunder and lightning which the 2 5year olds I was with didn't like, and at the same time the stage became foggy and cloudy, this did set the scene perfectly for the fighting scene that was about to take place between the prince and the Beast. Throughout the darkness, also came the more romantic side with the Beauty and the Beast theme song playing in the background as Belle and her new Prince danced gracefully across the stage with lots of beautiful twirls and spins.

Soon all of the Disney Princes and Princesses imaginable hit the stage such as Aladdin and Jasmine, Snow White, The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, they all danced in pairs in a beautiful synchronised act across the stage unlocking the true secrets of what it means to be a princess, kindness, courage and of course bravery.

It was Coronation day in Arendelle before long with the hit movie Frozen taking over the stage in what was the longest act of the night. The scene was breathtaking with so many details from fruit carts and castles and the most beautiful snowflakes which were projected on the floor and the walls, there was also snow falling which was pretty cool and made the scene so real. There was, however, a lot of talking during this part of the show as the main parts of the movie were retold, with fan favourites Anna, Elsa and Olaf taking the lead, Sven, however, didn't feature this time around which was a little disappointing.

A bunch of favourites from my own childhood were next up which included Aladdin, Toy Story and The Lion King, each of these acts were rather short but were fun to watch and share with my daughter who had a whole heap of questions around who the characters were, lot's of singing and dancing happening to each movies theme songs. Mulan was next on stage with some amazing props and graphics, in particular, a huge dragon, that moved amazingly around the ice, there were lots of special effects used here also such as fire and bright lights to really set the scene.

To finish for the evening all of the characters were back on the ice to do one last dance, it was a truly spectacular sightseeing everybody come to life, with such an array of beautiful colours, designs, and lights. If you are lucky enough to see Disney on Ice for yourself I can't recommend it enough an amazing experience for everybody and a night you're sure to remember.