Fun Facts about Disney on Ice and Why This Year’s Disney on Ice Mickey’s Search Party is One You Won’t Want to Miss!

Disclosure: My family and I will be receiving tickets to Disney on Ice Mickey’s Search Party at Wells Fargo Center in exchange for promotion of the show.  All opinions are my own.

As most of you that follow along here already know, Disney on Ice is one of my favorite (and longest) holiday traditions.  My babysitter began taking me to Disney on Ice Shows when I was a young girl and I have been going with my own family every year since my children were toddlers.  I love that for a few hours every Christmas season we get to sit back, enjoy some much needed family time and dazzle in the magic of Disney right here in Philadelphia.  I love being swept away by the beloved Disney characters gliding gracefully across the ice while mesmerizing young and old with their whimsical tricks and fairy tale magic.  It’s a gift I always treasured as a child and one I look forward to giving to my family every Christmas. This year is no different and I am over the moon excited for this year’s Disney on Ice Mickey’s Search Party coming to the Wells Fargo Center December 24th – 31st.

Last week I had the amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to head to the Wells Fargo Center for a pre-show interactive behind the scenes meet and greet with some of the performers and the opportunity to check out some of the props, costumes and interactive demonstrations with the show’s performers.  This year’s performers are not only amazingly talented but they are incredibly friendly and down to Earth.  It was such a treat getting to sit down and chat with them not only about their performances, but many even shared some personal experiences and a little background about their life and relationships. I was amazed that many of the performers I met during the meet and greet had been members of the Disney on Ice cast for several years.  One big family, the cast is always looking out for one another and learning and growing together as a team.  Their passion, talent and enthusiasm for what they do made me appreciate the show in a whole new way. (Fun fact – Most cast members do their own makeup.  They help one another out as needed, especially new cast members who may take longer to get ready.  Each character has their very own makeup palette and cast members use makeup to compliment the individual characters and their costumes. Makeup can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour to apply depending on technique, experience and intricacy of details.)

This year’s Disney On Ice Mickey’s Search Party brings the magic closer to fans than ever before through new, never before seen innovation, technology and participatory elements that engage and entertain the audience on a whole new level. New elements such as hover boards and a sway pole bring a whole new vibe to this already amazing show. According to cast members there are new elements of strength and agility throughout the acts that really pushed them to train and prepare even more than ever.  Theatrical talent will be enhanced through dynamic and high energy performances featuring cutting edge figure skating choreography, aerial stunts, acrobatics, adagio pair skating, and hoverboard tricks. During the interactive meet and greet I had the opportunity to try the hoverboard on the floor – and I cannot begin to imagine how they perform using the hoverboards on ice! The strength and balance required just to ride on them is quite a challenge and yet the performers make these stunts appear effortless!

With approximately 45 cast performers and 40 Disney characters, Disney tales from Pixar’s Coco, Aladdin, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, The Little Mermaid and Moana will all come alive on ice right before your eyes in this year’s presentation. I am especially excited for this year’s Coco performance as I had a sneak peek at some of the many props that will be featured in the act and they are mind blowing in both size and movements! I’ve also been told that Ariel and Eric’s performance is especially notable with it’s aerial stunts and deep romantic element. (Fun fact – the cast members that play Princess Ariel and Prince Eric in this year’s performance are a sweet and happily married couple in real life)! Additionally, I was told that all of the costumes in this year’s show are brand new, never before seen styles.  They are absolutely stunning in person and range from dancing napkins to darling fish and fairytale prince and princess attire.  The sequins, crystals and pops of colors are absolutely gorgeous. ( Fun fact – Hundreds of thousands of Swarovski crystals are set by hand on the approximately 173 costumes in the show!)

The thing I love most about Disney on Ice shows are that as much as the children love the show, adults often love the show even more because of the appreciation for all that goes into these absolutely jaw-dropping performances.  As much as I love a good show, I am always just as intrigued by facts that help really understand what goes into these wildly popular presentations.

Here are 6 Fun Facts about Disney on Ice that will give you a while new appreciation:

1. As of 2017, over 283 million guests have seen Disney on Ice Worldwide with an anticipated 9.9 million guests expected to attend this year!
2. In the past 35 years, Disney on Ice has produced over 60,000 shows
3. In just one tour, Disney on Ice will travel an average 13,860 miles – that’s equal to six times back and forth between New York City and Los Angeles! Furthermore, the franchise has played in more than 70 countries on 6 continents! WOW!
4. Setting up a Disney on Ice production is no small feat! It takes approximately 13.5 hours to set up the production. for this year’s Mickey’s search Party, it takes 20 crew members and 6 staff in the production to set the stage.
5. A Feld built ice floor takes 425 manual hours ro install, maintain and breakdown for a 5 day engagement and takes 10,500 gallons of water to build a full 140’x60′ ice floor.
6. Feld Entertainment is the largest employer of professional figure skaters to date with more than 350 skaters employed in the course of a tour season!

I am so incredibly excited to attend the opening show on December 24th at Wells Fargo Center with my family.  This is going to be one of the most innovative shows yet and one you surely will not want to miss! Witness for yourself the incredible talent, strength and agility of these amazing athletic performers who push their skills to a whole new level.  This live entertainment will awe families of all ages and leave you with the gift of memories for many years to come!

Disney On Ice is coming to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Decmber 24-31, 2018 for 20 performances! Tickets are now on sale at www.wellsfargocenterphilly.com, 1-800-298-4200 or at the Wells Fargo Center Box Office. Tickets start at $22.

Enjoy the show and making memories with your loved ones!