Disney on Ice is inviting families to join their favorite Disney characters on a winter road trip to magical destinations.
The latest ice skating show from Disney and Feld Entertainment, “Road Trip Adventures,” is all about the fun times and adventures of the open road.
Going along for the ride are favorite characters from Disney’s “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Moana” and “Toy Story 4” — including the 2019 animated movie’s loveable new pal Forky in his first live appearance — and of course, hosts Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
As part of its current U.S. tour, Disney on Ice “Road Trip Adventures” stops in Pittsburgh for nine performances Feb. 27 to March 1 at PPG Paints Arena.
Audience participation
The show is designed to involve the audience through several participatory elements built into the production, including a dance party, a Disney version of Road Trip Karaoke and carnival games.
A specially-designed vehicle driven by Mickey or one of his friends will escort more than 50 guests for rides on the ice in small groups during the show. The “road trip” visits different Disney movie scenes and Disney princesses that fans will recognize.
“The arena is our canvas, and we use that space to create a 360- degree experience that brings the heart of the show closer to families by stretching the performance area beyond the ice into the air and into the audience,” said Patty Vincent, creative director for Disney on Ice.
In addition to skaters on the ice, cast members dressed as lamplighters are lifted into the air on flying vertical poles during “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” from the “Mary Poppins” scene, and aerial artists and acrobats are part of the show.
Memorable moments
Nicole Feld, executive vice president and the producer for Feld Entertainment, said one of the goals of the show is to make family moments as memorable as possible.
“We wanted to design an atmosphere where families come together and interact with the performance to create something truly special,” she said. “By the time the finale ends, more audience members than cast will have been on the ice, creating family memories that can only happen at Disney on Ice.”
Crowd pleaser
For Nelson Sanchez-Leemet, who skates the role of “Toy Story’s” cowboy Woody in the show, the best part of his job is the reaction from children in the audience when he enters the arena ice.
“Going out there as Woody and seeing the kids’ faces light up is an incredible feeling,” he said. “Woody is such a crowd pleaser. He’s so much fun to play.”
The 21-year-old skater was born in the Dominican Republic and moved with his family to Montreal, Canada, where his mother was from, when he was 10 years old. There he discovered figure skating. He took lessons and competed for five years “until competition and being judged wasn’t fun anymore.”
He has been with the ice show for four years — which included skating the roles of Hans from “Frozen” and Scar from “The Lion King” in past productions — and said that ice skating for Disney on Ice is his passion.
“It’s not a job to me. You can never push me too much,” Sanchez- Leemet said. “I love performing and I’m doing what I love. It’s also nice to see families spending time together.”
