Never having been to an ice show before, I had little idea of what to expect from Disney On Ice's depiction of Toy Story 2. What I got came largely as a pleasant surprise, though this review will fall some way short of an all-round recommendation. The plot, I imagine, would be very difficult to follow if, unlike me, you'd never seen the film. If, like me, and you've seen it dozens of times with your youngster, following the plot won't be a problem. Save for some extra song and dance routines, the show follows the story almost exactly. The sound, though, wasn't great. Maybe it's a problem with the NIC acoustics, or perhaps my seat wasn't in the best place in the house sound-wise, but I found myself straining to hear the dialogue. As you'd expect from disney, the show was spectacular ... the dance routines creatively excellent, with the airport check-in scene the undoubted comedy highlight. The traditional "pinwheel" appeared in scene one of the 2nd half - another colourful, dazzling ensemble of twriling and whirling bodies all over the ice.
 | | Rex at the Nottingham Arena |
The show, of course, is aimed largely at children, and being an official Disney production, the young ones lapped up the sight of Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear skating before their very eyes. "Will Bullseye need 4 skates?", my four-year-old asked me on the way in. Yes, he did, just like Slinky dog and Ham the Piggy Bank. Three excellent examples of how the film characters were brought to life by the costume designers. Three great examples, too, of the skating abilities of the cast! In short, a bright, loud, dazzling and spectacular show ... great for the kids (though the evil Emperor Zurg's a bit scary!). "Which bit did you like best?" I asked my eldest on the way out. "All of it", he replied. There's no better recommendation! Michaela Atkins says... There was something for everyone….Sam (3½) was on the edge of his seat waiting for Woody and Bullseye, Kyle (12½) eagerly looked out for any tumbles (I didn’t see any!) and John (34¾) couldn’t wait for the Barbie Beach party! Me (old enough to have owned the first Mr Potato Head), I loved it all - the lights, the atmosphere, the way they stuck to the storyline and the great skating. Lisa Dransfield says... It was Oliver's (aged 3 and a bit) first ever live show and he absolutely loved it. He laughed, he cried, he clapped along (although there was the intermittent distraction of candyfloss). Evie (aged 6 and a bit) has been to see lots of shows and her reaction was a bit more mixed. At risk of sounding a bit old ... the sound was very loud, almost distorted and it was difficult at times to follow what was going. Visually - it was okay ... the road crossing scene was easily the best. But overall I thought it was a bit average. But - I'm a parent and it's not supposed to entertain me so I asked my kids what they liked best. Oliver said Woody - Evie said the candyfloss. I was quite pleased with this as, as at £6.00 EACH ... yes ... £6.00 for each of my children to have some candyfloss in a 'Toy Story 2' plastic bag ... I think it was a bit pricey. Merchandise is practically rammed down your throat ... there are stalls all over the place and people wandering around the aisles with flashing plastic toys which, like the world's most expensive candyfloss won't last long. So, will I remember 'Toy Story 2 on Ice' as pure entertainment for little kids or a cynical fleecing of mum and dad's wallets? Well, I'm broke this morning. What did you think? Have you been to see Toy Story 2 @ the Nottingham Arena? What did you think? Have your say... | 
