Disney On Ice - 100 Years of Magic Review

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Last night we had the privileged of attending the opening night show of Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic. The kids had heard the radio advertisements during the week and had mentioned how much they really wanted to see the show. Little did they know that we had media passes to last night's show. It wasn't until we sat down in our seats that they finally realized where we were at. It was a complete surprise and they were excited and very impatient for the show to start.

Disney on Ice will be at The Arena at Gwinnett Center from May 14th-18th. Parking is FREE at the Gwinnett Center and there is ample parking. Obtaining our tickets and locating our seats was super easy. All of the staff at Gwinnett center was very helpful and accommodating. We arrived at about 6:45 pm and were in our seats by 7:00 pm. There are several concession and gift shop stands set up throughout the halls and there are plenty of vendors inside the arena as well. We sat in Section 121 Row Z which is at the very top of the arena. I was very impressed with the seats, as was the rest of the family. We could clearly see everything that was going on and I was able to get some really great pictures too.

The show started promptly at 7:30 pm after the announcer gave everyone a 5 minute warning that show was about to start. He also alerted the audience that singing, dancing, video tapping and photography (which is totally awesome for those of us that like to preserve special memories) was permitted. The show is about 2 hours long with a 15 minute intermission.

The show kicks off with the original Disney gang: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and the hilarious Chip and Dale duo. After the gang discovers a magic lamp Aladdin and the Genie take over the ice. At one point there are about 20 Genie's dancing on the ice. Following Aladdin and his pals was Nemo and the gang. Even the sharks got in on the action. The shark costumes were way cool!

Next up was every little girls favorite part and the part where my son and husband zoned out a bit, the Disney Princesses. Gwyn was really excited and said this was her favorite part of the show...of course. You could literally hear every little girl in the audience oohing and ahing at this point in the show. With their eyes glued to the rink they watched Belle and the Beast Beast (who we got to see transform into a handsome prince right before our eyes), Cinderella and her Prince Charming, Ariel and Eric, Aladdin and Jasmine, Pocahontas and John Smith and Snow White and Prince Charming dance to their songs.

Following the lovely princesses Goofy meets a little green army man from Toy Story. But soon the entire ice rink is filled with marching green army men. This was my sons favorite part of the show. And I must admit it was one of my favorites too. The marching routine on ice was pretty spectacular!

After a 15 minute intermission the show started back up with original Disney Gang. Followed by the best, "It's a Small World" spectacle I have ever seen (much better than the ride). My children were a little confused though and kept asking which Disney movie the act was from (they have never been to Disney World). Afterwards the Disney Gang, a marching band and the troublesome Stitch get the audience up and out of their seats so they can dance and sing along with the characters! Following the marching band Jiminy Cricket, the Blue Fairy, Pinnochio and several other characters make their way onto the ice to sing, "I got no strings." And wait until you see the giant whale that swallows Pinnochio and Geppetto, it's awesome!!!!

I was getting a little antsy because my favorite Disney movie had not had its appearance yet, but that was all about to change. Mulan finally arrived!!! Yup this was totally my favorite part of the show. The battle scene and giant Chinese Dragon were really amazing.

The show was winding down and there were only two more acts left and these were the two that got the biggest screams from the audience. The beloved Incredible family made their way onto the ice like any superhero family would, in style. Each character's power was highlighted including invisibility and super stretching arms. Have you ever seen an invisible ice skater? It's really cool! After the Incredible's made the audience laugh hysterically things got a little mushy as Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa skated to two well know Lion King classics.

And then it was time for the finale. All of the characters made their way onto the ice for one final number.

The show was filled with great special effects like snow, flashing lights, etc. The sound quality was sensational and there was a mix of classic, original Disney songs as well as new musical creations. The majority of the songs were condensed versions. Each costume was very accurate and detailed and I especially enjoyed the large costumes (sharks, whale, dragon). There are a total of 60 Disney characters from 18 stories in the Disney On Ice 100 Years of Magic show so there is definitely quite a bit going on. As a result younger children may have trouble keeping up with the quick story changes. Overall I thought the show was a fun, family outing. The only critique I had was regarding the ice skating routines. I personally felt that many of the ice skating routines lacked technical elements (jumps, spins, etc). The princess segment had the best technical elements in my opinion and the audience definitely concurred by their applauds.

Disney On Ice 100 Years of Magic will only be in town for a few more days so be sure to purchase your tickets now. Below is a coupon code!

Coupon Code: Save $5 Off!  To redeem, click here. Under Promotions & Special Offers click "Buy Offer" and enter code M100. Good for the following performances: Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday at 10:30am, Sunday at 5:00pm. Savings will apply to the $30 and $25 price levels. 
Check out how awesome the show is:


Let me know if you see the show and what your thoughts are in the comments below!