The ice rink is a flurry of colour as everyone's favourite princesses, animated toys and anthropomorphic animals take turns skating out, drawing cheers from the young crowd looking on in wonder. Disney On Ice has been entertaining crowds in Thailand for two decades now, and at the end of this month, the beloved ice skating show returns with a big celebration that is more interactive than ever.
Above Shelley Bindon, the show's performance director.
The 2019 show, "Disney On Ice Presents Mickey's Super Celebration", is brought to Thailand by BEC Tero and Feld Entertainment to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the iconic Mickey Mouse. It also pays tribute to Walt Disney's legacy, with a modern take on Steamboat Willie to start the show. Soon thereafter, we will be joined by other favourites, such as Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy, plus the characters from Toy Story, Finding Dory and of course the princesses, flying along the ice rink and even high up into the air during the aerial silk performance. There is also a brief appearance by the Inside Out gang.
Shelley Bindon, performance director of the show, said this year's cast and crew have been putting in a lot of effort and training extensively to bring "Mickey's Super Celebration" to life. She was previously a skater with Disney On Ice before being promoted to her current position. In the decade or so she's been with the company, she has played such characters as Cinderella and Snow White, and is now working her magic behind the scenes to make the best possible show for the fans.
"It's always fun to be out there and see kids dressing up as their favourite characters," said Bindon at the recent Disney On Ice performance in Hong Kong.
While they follow pretty much the same format, Bindon said that each show in each country is never quite the same, due to the different dimensions of the venues and the language the show is performed in. This especially affects the aerial silk performance. Once the performers arrive in a new city, they have to rehearse to get used to the venue in order to make the show as safe as possible for performers and as entertaining as possible for audiences.
Taylor Firth, who plays Princess Anna from Frozen, has been skating for over 20 years. She was trained in competitive skating before joining the ice show.
"We do different kinds of practice. We work on our acting skills and things that make the audience really go 'Wow!' like different spins and jumps," she said. "Sometimes, there are long days of rehearsals, but it's worth it."
"Mickey's Super Celebration" gives a fair share of the spotlight to each story, though the light shines brightest on modern classics like Frozen and Moana. For Frozen, the sequence is slightly different from previous years, with the addition of the song When We're Together from Olaf's Frozen Adventure alongside Let It Go and the other hits from the original film.
"[Playing] Elsa is pretty amazing when everyone sings Let It Go with you," said Maria Starr who plays the character. This will be her first time in Thailand and she said she's very excited to meet her new audience.
Frozen is promptly followed by the new chief in town. Moana sails in on her boat, getting everyone singing along to the hit How Far I'll Go. This is Moana's first appearance in Asia. So far, audiences have embraced her as her epic journey with Maui is brought to life. The leftover snow on the rink was almost like sea foam on the makeshift ocean.
Another highlight of "Mickey's Super Celebration" is the addition of two hosts who are among the audience throughout the show, interacting with both the crowd and the characters on ice. During the show, the hosts go around with a tablet and get kids to take control and start certain segments. There are also onscreen projections that bring an extra element aside from the usual skating, props and costumes.
During our Hong Kong visit, we were taken on an exclusive private tour behind the scenes to see each prop and costume up close, and even learn how the skaters warm up before each show. Disney On Ice comes with around 260 costumes with over 100,000 rhinestones -- all applied by hand.
As Disney On Ice is a family affair, providing special memories for generations of Thais over the past 20 years, it also forges lifelong bonds among the performers. Firth revealed that she's marrying her skating partner Jono Partridge, who plays Prince Hans (and previously played Kristoff, Anna's love interest in the story. Now that's some Disney's magic). Starr, who plays her sister on the rink, is one of her bridesmaids.
"I portray Taylor's sister. She is my sister of Arendelle. Nine years ago when we joined Disney On Ice, we were each other's very first roommates," said Starr. "It's very special to stay together as sisters and good friends."
"Disney On Ice Presents Mickey's Super Celebration" will be held at Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani on March 28-31. Tickets cost 700, 1,400, 1,700 and 1,900 baht. A rink-side box is 2,700 baht. English sessions are available. Get your tickets at thaiticketmajor.com. For more information, visit facebook.com/bectero.
