REVIEW: Disney On Ice, Webster Bank Arena Jan 5-8

This evening I had the opportunity to take my family to see Disney on Ice Presents Dream Big at the Webster Bank Arena. It’ll be there through Sunday, January 8th and then moves on to Hartford’s XL Center January 12-16. If you are a Disney Princess movie fan, this show is not to be missed! Eight Disney Princesses will be seen on the ice – Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, Aurora and Snow White

We’ve seen various Disney on Ice productions in the past, but this year is different in that we are seeing the show after having made our first trip to Disney World (we went last fall). I initially thought that my daughters' (ages seven and four) reactions to seeing the princesses on ice would be at bit muted this time around since they had the opportunity to interact with the princesses in Disney up close. But I was pleasantly surprised! As soon as the lights went out and the show began, they shifted to the edges of their seats and squealed along with all of the other little kids in attendance and pretty much stayed like that throughout the entire show, cheering on their favorite princesses when they skated by. The only time they sat back in their seats was so that they could more carefully dig in to their tall snow cones! 

If you are a Mickey, Minnie or Tinker Bell fan, you’ll enjoy how often you get to see these classic characters as they are the emcees of the show, introducing each of several popular Disney movie scenes. It’s amazing how many movies are covered in this one show. The beloved stories of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Frozen were presented in long form, separated by shorter storytelling of Snow White (my four-year-old giggled in delight at the size of the seven dwarfs skating past her!), Sleeping Beauty (the dragon scene was spectacular and not to be missed!), Beauty and the Beast (I sang along to Be Our Guest louder than I should probably admit!), and more, with extra care taken to cover at least the main song from each movie. I'll always be impartial to "Part of Your World" (it's my absolute favorite!) and my kids thoroughly enjoyed belting out "Let it Go" with just as much gusto as they did when the song came out several years ago.

In typical Disney fashion, the costumes and scenery were top quality with astonishing attention to detail. My four-year old LOVED how Ariel’s mermaid sisters’ costumes matched the colors of her dolls at home and my seven-year old commented how sparkly and glittery Cinderella’s ice skates were…just like her glass slippers. The special effects and props were impressive as well: we enjoyed seeing larger than life butterflies (Frozen/Olaf’s Song), Cinderella’s Coach, a fire-breathing dragon (Sleeping Beauty), mid-air flips by seamen (The Little Mermaid), falling snow and Elsa's glowing cape (Frozen) as well as several surprise fireworks throughout! 

The figure skating was graceful, meticulous and even jaw-dropping at times, especially when the princes lifted their princesses high above their heads or twirled them low into a death spiral that would likely even impress some of the world's top competitive skaters.

Between the storytelling, costumes, special effects, seemingly effortless skating and memorable music, Disney on Ice Presents Dream Big will leave you smiling, humming your favorite Disney tunes and feeling that magic only Disney can deliver. Just go see it! 



Here's a short video from the finale tonight: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5LRTwMXMFk

It’s being presented at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport now through Sunday, January 8th and then moves on to Hartford’s XL Center January 12-16.  Concessions and souvenirs are available but priced on the high end and therefore can add up quickly (plan accordingly!). Parking is available at the parking garage and the large outdoor lot across the street ($10 cash only).