DisneyPerformances

Disney on Ice: Worlds of Enchantment

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I feel like a broken record at this point, but we’ve been to enough Disney on Ice shows that I could probably serve as a creative consultant. There are a surprising number of different shows traveling around the United States. Each manages to be unique from the others, and while some break the mold (Mickey’s Search Party), others stick very close to what people expect.

Which brings us to Worlds of Enchantment.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Disney On Ice shows, check out our reviews of Mickey’s Search PartyDare to DreamFollow Your HeartWorlds of Fantasy100 Years of Magic, and Treasure Trove. Yeah, we’ve been to a few.

And since we’ve been to so many, it’s clear that Worlds of Enchantment is little more than a retooled Worlds of Fantasy, which doesn’t seem to be touring anymore. That many not mean much to most people, and it’s just as well. All you really need to know is that Worlds of Enchantment is basically a “greatest hits” version of Disney on Ice.

It does its best to appeal to the entire family by splitting the show up into four segments—apparently two for girls and two for boys. Those segments are Toy Story 3, The Little Mermaid, Cars, and Frozen.

Almost the entire first act is a reenactment of Toy Story 3. We’re all huge fans of the Toy Story movies, so it was fantastic to see all the characters out there on ice. The costumes were all amazing (except for Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, who have seen better days), and it was a joy to see some of the more elaborate costumes, including Rex, Hamm, Bullseye, and Lotso.

However, this segment is the entire movie, and it definitely begins to drag after a while. Barbie and Ken get a surprising amount of time to themselves on the ice, and there are a few extended dance routines that could’ve been shortened.

(In the now-defunct Worlds of Fantasy, this segment was the entire second half of the show.)

Even though the Toy Story sequence went on a long time, they still squeezed in a second segment before intermission: We travel under the sea to visit Ariel.

All the songs you expect to hear are here. “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl,” and “Part of Your World.” There’s even an impressive-looking Ursula. The skating in this segment was impressive, but the costumes were a bit hit or miss. As I said, Ursula was great. Flounder and Sebastian? Not so much.

It also felt like a bit of a disconnect with the extended Toy Story sequence. If this is your first Disney on Ice, you might be confused as to why we got the entire Toy Story 3 but only the songs for The Little Mermaid. I wish I had an answer.

After intermission is the world of Cars. Mater, McQueen, Sally, Flo, and Ramone drive around the ice, spin around, and act out a few cute scenes. The segment doesn’t follow the plot of any of the Cars films, and I have to admit it’s an odd choice for an ice skating show. The cars are certainly impressive and cool to see, but there’s no skating happening here. These are full-size cars literally driving on the ice.

Rounding out the show is what’s become a staple of all Disney on Ice shows: Frozen. Almost the entire movie is included. Yawn.

At this point, can we please move beyond Frozen and admit we might’ve passed its expiration date? I understand it’s a popular film, but come on. It’s literally been a significant part of every Disney on Ice we’ve ever seen. We’re over it. Let’s see some love given to other properties.

Would I recommend Worlds of Enchantment? If you’ve never been to Disney on Ice before and have kids who enjoy this type of thing, then absolutely. Though not entirely original, it’s a solid show that’s well produced with some great theatrics and special effects.

Disney on Ice Presents Worlds of Enchantment is at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, MD, from February 6-10 and at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, from February 14-16.

Tickets start at $20 and are available from Ticketmaster online or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Use promo code BLOG to save $5 on tickets now!

(Disclosure: I am a Feld Family Ambassador. As part of this program, I received complimentary tickets to Disney on Ice. All opinions remain my own.)

Jamie Greene
Jamie is a publishing/book nerd who makes a living by wrangling words together into some sense of coherence. Away from The Roarbots, Jamie is a road trip aficionado and an obsessed traveler who has made his way through 33 countries (and counting). Elsewhere on the interwebs, he's a contributor to SYFY Wire and StarWars.com and hosted The Great Big Beautiful Podcast for more than five years. Watch The Roarbots on Youtube

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