My husband was fortunate enough to get us suite tickets to see Disney on Ice at the Jacksonville Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum. We took our three boys, ages six, four, and sixteen months. Our older boys, the four-year-old in particular, were very excited and talked about it for weeks in advance. The view from the suite was fantastic and there was plenty of room for our toddler to roam around. We arrived just as the show began.
The show opens as the Parr Family, otherwise known as the Incredibles, is packing up the car for a family vacation to Disneyland. When they arrive, they are greeted by Mickey and Minnie and the gang. Then they proceed to go through Frontierland, Tomorrow land, and other classic Disney destinations.
I very much enjoyed seeing the rides come to life on the ice and hearing the Disney music. It was almost like actually being in Disneyland. My children, however, seemed unimpressed by the skaters gliding around to happy sing-along songs. Thankfully, the plot thickened just before intermission when the Parr family realizes that Syndrome, in this case his Animatronic self turned evil, is trying to reprogram all of the rides and take over Disneyland. This was just the thing my boys needed to get their attention.
The Parr family realizes that they must save Disneyland and rescue Mickey and Minnie who have been captured and imprisoned by Syndrome. Sadly, they have left their superhero costumes at home. Luckily, the world’s greatest costume designer is there to help them become their superhero alter egos.
Once they are clad in their costumes, the family does a couple of solos on the ice with Mrs Incredible doing a lovely ice dance followed by a hilarious rendition of “I’m Too Sexy” by Mr Incredible. The audience roared with laughter as he jumped up on a platform and danced around.
Finally, the superheroes set out to save the theme park from the evil clutches of Syndrome. The battles rage across familiar theme park attractions such as the Haunted Mansion, the Pirates of the Caribbean, and It’s a Small World. The final battle takes place in Belle’s castle, where the Incredibles enlist the help of the audience to beat the omnidroid and set Mickey and Minnie free.
The crowd was enthralled, adults and children alike, as they pointed this way and that until Syndrome was defeated and Mickey and Minnie were released from their prisons. My boys’ eyes never left the ice. They were totally mesmerized.
The show lasted one hour and forty-five minutes, including the fifteen minute intermission. We left feeling as if we had experienced something truly magical, and had had a small taste of “the Happiest Place on Earth”.
