All things Disney have dominated the psyche of children around the world ever since Mickey Mouse popped up in black and white. Little girls, especially, still dream of becoming Disney princesses despite finger-waving warnings and criticisms of gender stereotyping and not-so-subtly hidden chauvinistic values. As much as you try to shun your young ones from forming unrealistic ideas of relationships through these old-time cartoons and steer them, if they insist, toward newer Disney works like Toy Story or Frozen, the unexplainable need for fluffy romance seems to persist, even in grown women.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse skate in Disney On Ice! Presents Treasure Trove.
It’s hard to escape Disney anyway. It’s become a part of our cultural landscape through shrewd marketing and enveloping artistry. Disney On Ice is a case in point. Year after year, children in Thailand await its return until they outgrow it, but the younger generations stand next in line to fall in love all over again with their favourite characters as they swirl and spin on the ice.
I didn’t exactly grow up with Disney, nor did my siblings, so it wasn’t in me to go out of my way to travel to Disneyland or queue for Disney On Ice shows. But things have changed in the past two years, as I now have a niece.
It is certainly different to watch Disney On Ice through a child’s eyes, trying to keep adult cynicism at bay. My niece, who — in my judgemental opinion — overconsumes such fairy tales, bugged us for months to take her, against our will. But how a child lights up completely makes up for any nonsense the world has to offer.
So there I sat in Disney On Ice! Presents Treasure Trove. I couldn’t exactly string the storylines together with the whole “treasure” concept, but I guess it had to do with some sort of notion about memories, how we can treasure them through our favourite characters.
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck acted as hosts before the show launched into skits from famous films such as The Lion King, Aladdin, Rapunzel, The Princess And The Frog, Snow White and Peter Pan, among others. Alice In Wonderland kicked off the show with high spectacle — possibly the most entertaining for people over age eight — in terms of over the top costumes and choreography, followed by the chaotic fun of Toy Story and its goofball characters.
No one really went to see the sharp technicality of ice-skating performers in Disney On Ice, but it was admirable for Disney to try to infuse legitimacy of the high-power sport into its skits. Theatrical at most, some of the ice-skaters fell short as they attempted to execute more complicated spins and jumps, while the duet between Simba and Nala was best in terms of athleticism and aesthetic — even if Simba’s costume was a strong reminder of Meat Loaf at his best.
The props were also wonderful, especially the life-size elephant in Aladdin and the larger-than-life alligator in Peter Pan. The glow in the dark sea creatures in The Little Mermaid seemed like nods to Full Moon parties, with tie-dye colour schemes and waving coral reefs. The costumes were also done to perfection, while performers who committed to more serious routines unfortunately dressed in tight get-ups for the purpose of agility, coming off a little too scary for younger children.
The theme of death, not entirely unbeknown to youngsters, was prevalent in Snow White’s glass casket.
The scene is also present in the cartoon, but it’s one thing to watch a drawing laying lifeless — seeing a real person certainly unseated my niece. But in a heartbeat, the charming prince skipped out from backstage and kissed her back to life for no apparent reason.
A hard-line feminist would have probably jumped on the rink and burned her bra right there. Also, Mufasa’s fall to his death was quite disturbing for my niece, who kept asking if it hurt really badly to be trampled in such a fashion. I’ve also been told by doting parents that little girls might have enjoyed the show more than boys, as Treasure Trove packed in more girlish stories than the action-orientated Disney tales boys prefer. Still, it was a night of fantasies come to life, but how pretty they were was a moot point.
Disney On Ice, however, isn’t engineered to please jaded adults like myself.
It aims to placate children, and get them shouting, dancing and begging their folks to buy more toys. It’s good, light-hearted entertainment for the young ones and adults would be well-advised to leave their critical faculties at home — and bring portable chargers for their smartphones.
