Event review: Disney on Ice “Worlds of Fantasy” at the Oklahoma State Fair
“Disney on Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy” provides a crowd-pleasing combination of action and whimsy, from the romance of “The Little Mermaid” and the grandeur of “The Lion King” to the high-octane humor of “Cars” and the springtime celebration of “Tinker Bell” and other Pixie Hollow fairies.
An annual fair favorite, the ice show drew about 6,000 people to Ron Norick State Fair Arena Thursday night, the opening evening of the Great State of a Fair 2009. This year’s performance attracted a good mix of boys, many wearing “Cars” T-shirts and souvenir hats, and girls, including scores dressed as princesses and sprites.
In Disney on Ice tradition, “Worlds of Fantasy” opens with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, who this time are planning a road trip through various realms of imagination. But their sporty red car overheats, sending the big-eared couple and pals Donald Duck and Goofy in search of water.
This intro offers the perfect setup for the arrival of characters from the 2006 Disney/Pixar film “Cars,” who make their Disney on Ice debut with “Worlds of Fantasy.”
Thunderous applause greeted Lightning McQueen the racer, Mater the tow truck, Sally the Porsche, Flo the show car and Ramone the lowrider. After using their horns to revive Mickey and Minnie’s roadster, the realistic automobiles cruised to Rascal Flatts’ rendition of “Life Is a Highway” as the audience clapped and grooved along. Mater then showed off his backward-driving skills while Lightning McQueen skidded around the rink in a final race to John Mayer’s cover of “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.”
By far the shortest segment of the show, the “Cars” part zipped by all too quickly. The huge vehicles tool across the ice with impressive nimbleness, and their eyes blink expressively. Mater and McQueen’s large mouths move in sync with their dialogue, adding to the realism.
A splash of water from Goofy plunges the story into the underwater world of “The Little Mermaid.” The abbreviated retelling of the 1989 animated favorite skips swiftly from one musical number to the next while still keeping the story surprisingly coherent.
With an impressionistic visual style, colorful, flowing costumes and graceful skating, the segment effectively transports the audience into the ocean world of Princess Ariel, Flounder the fish and Sebastian the crab. The whimsical orange sea horses, sinuous iridescent sea dragon and other exotic creatures, plus a shower of bubbles, bring charming beauty “Under the Sea.” The performers playing Ariel and Prince Eric glide through a lovely couples skate during “Kiss the Girl.”
The show shifts rather abruptly into the truncated version of “The Lion King,” with Rafiki the baboon suddenly crying out from one corner of the rink while Mufasa and Sarabi hoist their cub Simba from another.
Visually, the ice show splits the stylistic difference between the animated 1994 movie and the Tony Award-winning stage musical. The characters resemble the cartoon, while the use of grand headpieces, puppets and kites to depict the giraffes, birds and zebras recalls the Broadway musical. The deadly wildebeest stampede is particularly striking, with choreographed chaos covering the whole ice rink.
Again, the story jumps quickly from one big musical set piece to the next, but the plot doesn’t hold up as well as “The Little Mermaid.” Scar never actually gets defeated, the fussy hornbill Zazu is left out entirely, and the crowd doesn’t ever get to hear Mufasa speak in that wonderful James Earl Jones bass.
Still, the segment features some of the show’s strongest skating: The performer playing the villainous Scar emanates aggression in his signature number “Be Prepared.” The younger versions of Simba and Nala gambol energetically through “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” The performers playing the lion couple as adults execute incredible lifts, spins and jumps during “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”
But the most astounding aspect is the performance of Pumbaa during “Hakuna Matata.” Unlike the other animals, the wart hog skates around on all fours, scampering around the ice, falling down and scrambling back up with amazing realism. It’s quite a feat of costume engineering.
The “Circle of Life” brings the first half of the show to a close, and after another Mickey-and-Minnie introduction, the second act is devoted entirely to the on-ice debut of the 2008 computer-animated film “Tinker Bell.”
Though the least well-known of the stories, the popularity of Tink and her fairy friends was enough to keep at least the girls in the audience enthralled.
The towering tree in Pixie Hollow creates the illusion that the human performers are tiny sprites, and the fanciful costumes and lively, light-footed skating add a fairylike quality to the segment. The story follows the newborn Tinker Bell as she meets the different kinds of fairies, learns about her gift as a tinker (a pixie who fixes objects) and helps bring spring to the world, though not without difficulties.
While half of “Worlds of Fantasy” dwells in girl-centric territory, the ice show offers something for most everyone, from boys who love the rev of a fast car to adults who enjoy the elegant athleticism of skilled skaters.
Going on
“Disney on Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy”
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday; 11:30 a.m., 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday; 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday; and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Where: Jim Norick State Fair Arena.
Ticket prices: $14, $18, $22, $28 and $35.
Information: 948-6700 or www.oklahomastatefair.com.
-BAM
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