With 45 ice skaters from all over the world who train year-round and perform everywhere from the United States to Asia and Australia, this year’s “Disney on Ice: Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey” performance, running Oct. 11-15, is sure to impress San Diegans of all ages.
“The skaters continually tell us what they love about the show is seeing the reaction of kids and just touching them in that way,” Andy Perez, the west coast publicity director for Disney on Ice, said. “They are telling the story through their movement, and it really has an effect on kids. It’s a really great family bonding experience, and it’s infectious.”
This year’s show will feature four different themes, including “Lilo and Stitch,” “The Little Mermaid,” “101 Dalmatians” and “Peter Pan,” which were selected due to their popularity among youngsters, according to Perez.
“The Little Mermaid’s” Ariel character has remained one of the children’s favorite, Perez said. And Katie Griffith, the skater who will portray the young mermaid in the show, is a La Jolla native.
All together, the show incorporates about 80 different costumes and performers, and stagehands work together to arrange props quickly, transforming the set into four creative worlds, Perez said.
“The best thing specifically about this show is that it is truly about imagination,” Perez said. “It’s an amazing opportunity for these kids to experience live performance. Oftentimes, it’s the first time a kid sees live performance, and it’s a wonderful way to start.”
The ipayOne Center at the Sports Arena is located at 3500 Sports Arena Blvd. Showtimes are Oct. 11-13 at 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 14, 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Oct. 15 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $51.50 and are available through the Arena box Office or Ticketmaster at (619) 308-4311 or www.ticketmaster.com.