This weekend, we started our Easter holidays with a bang, and took Erin and her best friend off to see Disney on Ice World of Enchantment at the Genting Arena in Birmingham. We decided to arrange the visit as a total surprise, not even telling her who was coming let alone where we were going until we picked up her friend in the car and headed off on our adventure. When the girls changed into their Disney outfits in the carpark and we revealed where we were going, their little faces were just over the moon. Having visited last year for the Passport to Adventure tour, I was pretty confident the girls were going to have an amazing day, and as expected, it didn’t disappoint.
If you’re heading along to the Disney on Ice tour this Autumn – here’s a little about what to expect!
The World of Enchantment show lasts around two hours with a short interval and comfort break in the middle. It was divided into four different stories or scenes from Disney Classics including Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, Cars and Frozen, with Minnie, Mickey and friends being the tour guides or hosts to introduce each section of the show. Prior to the main attraction there is a brief warm up pre-show Fit to Dance act – Erin really enjoyed getting up out of her seat and nearly all the children across the venue (and some adults too!) were all copying the dance moves and burning off some excess energy! The intros of Mickey and friends were a little shorter this year, which for me was a real positive, as we got straight into the action and thrown into each world on the tour.
No matter where you sit you are pretty much guaranteed a good view of the rink, however rinkside seats are available at a premium for those who want to get a little closer to the action. We were sat in one of the sides near the stage, and overall our view was great, there were however some parts of the show where I felt that seats at the end of the rink would’ve had a better vantage point (see later).
The first act in the World of Enchantment was the Toy Story and was probably the longest act of the show (or at least it felt that way). It begins with Andy sorting through his toys in his bedroom, ready for the day he leaves for college. As a parent, I found the opening scene a little bit of a slow starter as Andy skates alone around the rink, but the action soon commenced, with the arrival of all of Erin’s favourite Toy Story characters including Rex, Slinky, Ham, Jessie, Woody and Buzz Lightyear to name but a few.
The outfits are very very clever, so much so that at times it is easy to forget that there is actually a human being dressed up inside them! The scenery changed as the act unfolded, with the Barbie and Ken fashion show being probably my highlight of the show, with lots of recognisable music to dance along to and some real laugh out loud moments. It was also pretty funny when Erin exclaimed at the top of her voice “Daddy would like her!!!” when the big busted, pert bottomed Barbie arrived on to the rink. A few of the Dads sat nearby laughed and gave me a bit of knowing smile!!! 🙂
We watched as the toys were trapped in their cells at Sunnyside, before their watching their attempts to escape, whilst Woody hitched on a kite to return to help his friends.
I loved the action and range of outfits in this act, but the part where the children came into Sunnyside could have been better if they had angled the displays round so they faced every side of the arena. As it was, if you were at the end of the rink the view would have been perfect, with the large towering children running in to scare the toys. Where we were sat at the sides however, the majority of our view was of the skaters in black pushing them along, and as such, did ruin the illusion somewhat. I appreciate there is no way of giving everyone the perfect view, but angling them around so that everyone got a face on angle at times may have worked slightly better.
Next up was our journey under the sea – a classic Little Mermaid story that I knew from last year Erin would enjoy. For those that have been before, the scene is similar but not identical to last years tour, with great visuals and outfits including Flounder flipping his fins, Sebastian and the evil which Urszula, tricking Ariel into signing away her voice on a scroll which falls down from the ceiling! Little touches like the floating bubbles and the scenery of the ocean, really created a spectacle that Erin couldn’t keep her eyes off. I did miss the oversized inflatable Urszula from the year before, but perhaps she had been a bit scary for the little ones!!!
After a short interval (just long enough for a wee visit and a portion of chips as an early lunchtime snack) the second half began, and after a brief introduction from Minnie and pals, we were introduced to some of the most recognisable characters from Cars, including of course, the star of the show Lightning McQueen.
Watching the cars ‘drive’ around on the ice was pretty cool, as these appeared like full size vehicles with their wheels spinning, and the occasional spark of light shooting out from under their tyres.
The one thing I should say here is that if your child is a huge Cars fan, it is important to be aware that this act is significantly shorter than the others, I guess essentially as there is only so much of Cars they can re-inact on an ice rink. For us personally this wasn’t an issue at all, as Cars was probably Erin’s least favourite of the four. I think had she been a die hard Cars fan I may have been left feeling a little hard done by that the scene wasn’t a little longer.
The final act in World of Enchantment was Erin’s favourite, Even after 4 years of watching it, Frozen still never gets old! We were able to watch Elsa’s Coronation, before meeting a bouncy and happy Olaf and the moment true love thawed a broken heart. Erin enjoyed singing along (LOUDLY!) to her favourite Frozen anthems and at times it really felt like we had entered a winter wonderland, with snow falling from the sky, and pyrotechnics creating bangs and sparks whenever Elsa’s magic set to work. I particularly enjoyed the Olaf Summer Dance, and Erin loved singing along to all the classics including Let it Go, and Love is an Open Door. Again for those who went last year, this scene is similar but not identical to the previous years Frozen material.
Overall, we had a fantastic time at Disney on Ice World of Enchantment. The Toy Story act in particular was a real hit, and something a little bit different to the shows we have been to before. The outfits, as always are extremely clever and the quality of skating is very high, with lots of ooo’s and ahh’s from the girls as they watched spins and lifts with admiration (so much so that I had to stop Erin trying to reinact them on the walk back to the car!). As the show came to an end, Erin and her friend began quite a heated debate about whether the skaters were indeed the REAL Anna and Elsa, and I am not quite sure who won that argument, but it was lovely to hear their enthusiasm either way! 🙂
The change of venue this year from the NIA to the Genting was a positive for me, with it being far easier to get to via motorway networks – As with last year, the merchandise costs are high, so my advice would be to factor in an extra £10/£15 to the cost of your visit – either that or be strong willed in saying no! 🙂
The Disney on Ice World of Enchantment Tour is now continuing its tour around the UK. For full tour dates and venues visit the Disney on Ice website.
*Disclosure – We were gifted tickets to Disney on Ice World of Enchantment in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*
