'Programme! Programme!"
A familiar sound was heard from a booth in front of Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani last Thursday, selling full-colour pictorial booklets of the famous "Disney On Ice" show. And yes, that sound from the same old greeting man was a sign of the return of the ice-skating show that has been beloved here by children and adults for two decades.
Fully titled "Disney On Ice Presents Mickey's Super Celebration", this year's show also marked the 90th anniversary of the all-time favourite, Mickey Mouse.
And not to anyone's surprise, most of the young crowd was clad in Disney costumes, with Elsa and Anna from Frozen as the hottest pick.
The show started off with two young hosts walking around along the aisles asking the eager audience to interact, which led to the show on the rink. Before the appearance of the beloved Mickey Mouse and his friends, a big screen at the back of the stage presented some movie clips to pay tribute to Walt Disney's legacy. An hour-and-a-half later -- cut off by a 15-minute intermission -- iconic Disney characters Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald brought the excited audience into the evening's non-stop spectacle.
Toy Story's Woody the Sheriff, Jessie, Buzz Lightyear and the chubby animals opened the act. The icy stage was later propped up with colourful liveliness under the sea to welcome Nemo and the forgetful Dory.
The following moment saw beautiful princes and princesses from Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Aladdin, Tangled and Brave moving back and forth. The acrobatic aerial acts by Ariel and Rapunzel called for some ooohs and ahhhs in excitement from the crowd.
The lovable mouse was back again, now in his red cloak accompanied by an army of brooms to bring us the fun of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the most famous piece from Disney's Fantasia animated series.
The mood swiftly changed when Vuelie was played and the two sisters of Arendelle beautifully carried us all the way to their snowy town and the dramatic plot of Frozen. Other original songs, such as Let It Go and For The First Time In Forever, didn't fail to enchant.
Moana and Maui of the Pacific Ocean from Moana later sang us the Academy Award-winning original song How Far I'll Go and sailed the show to the perfect ending.
The performers' harmonious portrayals of Disney's favourite characters belied the fact that their ice-skating abilities were superb and their practice definitely paid off. There were no misses and falls, and it's a sure thing that both young and old fans are looking forward to next year's spectacular.
