‘My little girl was transfixed’

The Echo arena was transformed into a fantasy ice world for Disney’s annual skating spectacle, surrounded by a sea of little princesses and their enthusiastic parents.

The performance began with introductions from Disney’s best-loved characters Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, who went on to host the show’s four sections, each based on a popular Disney film and featuring much loved songs from their soundtracks.

The Little Mermaid was first, with dramatic scenes of Ariel saving – and falling in love with – the prince from his shipwreck in stormy seas.

It started with a routine from Ariel’s ‘sisters’, to a somewhat unexpected backing track of Madonna’s iconic song Vogue.

It then progressed to breathtaking ice dancing – part of it while suspended from the ceiling – from the lead skater.

There were also comic turns from crab Sebastian and wicked sea witch Ursula.

Tangled was the next film to be brought onto the ice, with romantic scenes from the tale based on the traditional Rapunzel story skilfully interpreted into dance.

We saw the headstrong princess skate her way from imprisonment in her tower into the arms of her true love, amid brightly coloured floating lanterns.

Beauty and the Beast brought fun and drama in equal measure, as the gorgeous Belle was courted in vain by the arrogant Gaston, who then tried to do away with the Beast in a jealous rage. True love saved the day, and the Beast was transformed to a handsome prince.

The highlight was the perfectly choreographed dinner routine to the song from the feature film Be Our Guest.

The grand finale was the moment the majority of youngsters in the room had been waiting for – Frozen.

Loveable reindeer Sven glided into the ice with Kristoff at the start of the most memorable part of the performance.

My little girl was transfixed as her idols Anna and Elsa skated to songs from the film – with the special effect of snow sprayed onto the rink throughout.

The obvious highlight was Elsa’s solo skating routine to popular song Let It Go, which featured impressive pyrotechnics.

It is the first time we have seen a Disney on Ice show, and we can’t wait to see what is in store in the next production.