Disney on Ice presents Let’s Celebrate! is a celebration of holidays around the world, and includes more than 50 different characters from 16 classic and contemporary Disney animated films. Some of the segments included were: Very Merry UnBirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter, Valentine’s Day Ball with the Disney Princesses, Jack Skellington’s frightfully festive Halloween party with the Disney Villains, Mickey's Chinese New Year with Mulan, Minnie at Sakura, Mickey & Minnie's Mardi Gras, Hawaiian luau with Lilo and Stitch, and Christmas with the Toy Story gang. Through each celebration there was something funny, exciting or enchanting. During the Very Merry UnBirthday Party, Mickey, who is the only guest with a hat, decides to take the Mad Hatter’s hat. The two characters, along with the others, have a fun time chasing each other to get the hat, as it exchanges hands many times. During the Valentine’s Day Ball, all of the princesses and their princes appeared, each getting a few minutes to dance together with their theme music. Not only did the girls in the audience enjoy seeing all of the princesses, but the boys (and girls) enjoyed the skating – there were exciting lifts, jumps and swings! Probably my children’s favorite was when they made a ring of fire during the Hawaiian luau with Lilo and Stitch. The show ended with the celebration of Christmas, which is always fun. With that, some of the Toy Story gang came to celebrate and there appearance was met by much excitement from the audience.
There were a few times that they asked for audience participation, which is always fun for children. One time was during the Halloween party with the Disney villains when the witch (Queen from Snow White) was trying to give Mickey a poisoned apple. He asked the audience whether he should eat it several times as the pressure to do so continued by the villains, and the children (and adults) in the audience, taking their jobs very seriously, continued to steer him the right way. Another fun audience interaction was when fairy godmother was helping Minnie Mouse become a princess, and needed the audience to help her remember the three magic words. This interaction was a great way to keep the audience engaged in the show, and added a fun element to the show.
Some segments were a little slow on excitement. It was those more focused on ice dancing rather than the narrative, and also didn't really include a lot of Disney characters. Though nicely done, and pertinent to the celebration, we noticed this is when children got a little antsy.
As always, we enjoyed the show, which lasted about 1 hour and 45 minutes, including a 15 minute intermission. The fire ring on the ice during the luau, the Halloween party with the excitement of the apple (saving Mickey by telling him to eat it) and the Toy Story characters during Christmas were the big highlights for my boys.
Access to the arena and parking were hassle-free as always. The arena parking garage is close and accepts cash and credit cards, but does charge a hefty $15.
See a video preview of the show on the Disney on Ice Let's Celebrate! website.
Remaining show dates and times:
Thursday, Feb. 4th at 7pm
Friday, Feb. 5th at 7pm
Saturday, Feb. 6th at 11am, 3pm and 7pm
Sunday, Feb. 7th at 11am, 3pm and 7pm
Tickets start at $20, and can be purchased from Ticketmaster.
Show location and parking: Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd, 43215. Directions and parking info. There are several parking lots/garages in the arena district.
For more information on the show, please see the Disney on Ice Let's Celebrate! website, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
Disclaimer: I received tickets from Feld Entertainment as part of their Insider Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
UnBirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter:
Jack Skellington's frightfully festive Halloween party with the Disney Villains (and the poisoned apple!)
Minnie celebrating the Chinese New Year with Mulan
Lilo and Stitch at the Hawaiian luau
The finale
