Cartoons come to life in theater of ice

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Anyone who has had a brush with Disney before — and everyone surely has — will find something to applaud and adore in "Disney on Ice," a spectacle from the Mouse House, now playing at Blaisdell Arena.

"The Lion King" characters are among the Disney favorites that come to life in "Disney on Ice," at the Blaisdell Arena through next Sunday. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

It's really theater on blades, as colorful, lavish costumes help bring the magic of Disney's animation to life on a modest-sized ice stage with maximum entertainment quotient.

Think Ice Capades without clowns, except what will make you laugh so freely are not adults posturing as circus buffoons, but characters from the annals of the Disney family reinvented and reincarnated for family enjoyment.

OK, there's no "Lilo & Stitch," the heroes of the current Disney film fave. But darn nearly every other critter from a Disney cartoon, TV show, feature film or Broadway production intertwines and interacts in a volley of eye- and ear-filling pleasure. So what if the vocals are mouthed, and it's recorded music that accompanies the action?

You can chuckle and chortle to the antics of Timon and Pumbaa, as they cavort with Simba and Nala, from "The Lion King." Clearly, audiences adore this one, since a full-tilt stage version has yet to play here. For many youngsters, the video or CD comes to life with defined brilliance. If the adagio skating of the lion and lioness doesn't get you, the whimsical give-and-take of the other furry friends will.

So what else is there to like?

• The Genie from "Aladdin" emerges from an inflatable Genie, then is joined by 20 other blue Genies, who synchronize movements in Rockettes-type lines.
• The exotic ethnicities that characterize "It's a Small World" are brilliantly costumed in an homage to cultural harmony. Then the lights go out and an Electric Light Parade unfolds — with four floats of performers and animated dolls.
• A tribute to six cinematic princesses and princes collates Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Snow White, Cinderella and Ariel with their respective beaus.
• Geppetto's Workshop, adorned with toys real and human, is an Act 1 pleaser, with Pinocchio's nose actually growing.
• A "Mulan" segment in Act 2 is perhaps the most appealing, in terms of theatrical power. The drama of a girl pretending to be a boy in a battle with the Huns involves exciting fight choreography, a 14-legged dragon, and drizzling "snow" — plus a kabuki device of an oversized white sheet, symbolic of snow, swallowing victims.

There are sundry other favorites, from the circus troupers from "A Bug's Life" to Disney ice hockey jocks, from Woody and Buzz Lightyear exchanging friendly digs to the "Beauty and the Beast" inanimates springing to life.

Skater Sarah Kawahara helped choreograph most of the solo and pair skating numbers, Scott Lane designed the costumes, and Minnie is clad in some Bob Mackie finery. David Potts' scenic wizardry brings the screen image to the ice reality, and Jim Bilik's direction retains the joy that characterizes Disney.

Parents should be warned that Disney does what Disney does best: sell everything from "snow cones" in souvenir Mouse cups ($10) to light gizmos ($15), from souvenir books ($10) to stuffed animals ($15). In other words: Bring lots of money; you'll need it.