Unveil Disney on Ice

Before touring Beijing, Disney on Ice's production 100 Years of Disney Magical Moments visited Shenzhen and Shanghai. Its premiere, on June 25 in the Shenzhen Gymnasium, attracted tons of media from Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, and Korea, including Beijing This Month.

Our encounter with the Disney magic began immediately upon entering the Shenzhen Gymnasium. The audience was quickly drawn to displays of Disney souvenirs and snacks. It seemed that all of a sudden Mickey Mouse's black ears and Minnie Mouse's signature bows were scattered to every corner of the gymnasium. In this sense, 100 Years of Disney Magical Moments is not just a performance, but also an entertainment event.

In the centre of the gymnasium, a two-storey castle stood on shimmering ice illuminated by colourful neon lamps. With a man's voice calling "ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," everyone's attention was drawn to the court. The curtain rose and out came Mickey and Minnie and the Mouseketeer performance. The gym was immediately flowing with applause, cheers and laughter.

The troupe greeted the audience with an ice dance and introduced the Blue Fairy as the first scene came to close. In an icy cloud, the fairy, dressed in white, skated lightly, like a butterfly over a white flower, creating a sense of a dreamy wonderland. The fairy was no disappointment to the audience: She imbued Pinocchio with life, thus starting the familiar story.

Woody followed Pinocchio and his partner Buzz Lightyear, who danced to the music of "You've Got a Friend in Me" in the third scene. The young audience warmly greeted Buzz Lightyear with their screaming.

The Mouseketeers appeared after this small peak and then the fourth scene started with the "Beauty and the Beast," a musical standard during the past two decades that reached No.1 on the Billboard singles chart. Dancing to the familiar tune, a duo showed their glittering love on the shimmering ice. Their beautiful dance attracted characters from five other famous love stories, thus the fifth scene where Cinderella and the Prince, the Little Mermaid and Eric, Aladdin and Jasmine, Pocahontas and John Smith, and Snow White and her Prince appeared. Disney's other two knockout products, the Mouseketeers and "It's A Small World" also appeared, thus bringing a climax to the first half of the show.

After intermission Goofy led his ice hockey team onto the ice and played a hilariously funny match. What's more, following Goofy was Genie, the lamp spirit in Aladdin. He was very funny, but can you imagine how funny it was when a whole team of Genies appeared? They covered every inch of the rink and affected numerous poses. The gymnasium was drowned in a sea of laughter.

Then the tone changed. In the whistling wind and snow, the Huns were portrayed plotting to take over China. Mulan, our unconquerable heroine, protected her country and her belief in a fierce battle.

But after this reminder of the human world, we returned to the "Bug's Life" and the African forest. Flik, Francis, Manny, Rosie and company were holding a bug's parade, while Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumba enjoyed dancing and friendship.

After all the most important Disney stars had appeared, they returned to the ice to thank the audience for their enthusiasm. The audience seemed very happy with the performance.