The second the doors opened, the glare and blare of Disney wowed us.
Mickey, Minnie, Nemo, Cinderella and every other Disney-themed hunk of merchandise known to man was there.
Yes, Comics on the Brain was at Hersheypark’s Giant Center for the opening night of Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic.
Tickets are $16 and up, with shows through April 15.
We even brought our own pint-sized blogger to observe during the show.
The CotB staff arrived just minutes before the show, and the ice arena was packed to the rafters.
While wild-eyed kids jabbered, weary parents squeezed into their seats, juggling drinks and cotton candy until they got comfortable.
The show began as Mickey shot out on to the ice, and CotB determined it wouldn’t succumb to the “why am I here” attitude. CotB was there to have a good time.
So we made the best of it by keeping a close eye on everything around us, and not just what was happening at center stage.
With that in mind, here are things adults can do to enjoy the show in their own way.
CotB observed a lot of interesting things, including:
- Marionette Underwear: Who’d have guessed, but marionettes wear turquiose-colored panties. Hey, I wasn’t staring or anything, really, I wasn’t. They flashed me. It was part of the show. … Really it was.
- Slipper Swiper: A stage hand, or perhaps an ugly stepsister, steals Cinderella’s glass slipper at the end of her segment.
- Gun Smuggler: I spotted another swiping in the “Mulan” segment, when a wily stage hand made off with the Dragon Cannon.
- Picture Perfect: An informal count resulted in 12 videocameras trained on the ice. No, it wasn’t the Disney folks or the Hershey staff. That’s a no-no according to the Disney on Ice FAQ. Consider yourself lucky folks that I didn’t rat you out.
- Heads Up: A few of the costumes are so tall, namely Lumiere and the French feather duster from “Beauty & the Beast,” that the skaters try to duck as they come through the set’s castle doors. Lumiere wasn’t agile enough though, and he bonked his head.
- Army Man: A lot of the voices that are fed through the Giant Center sound system are direct quotes from the original movies. Unfortunately, the Sergeant character for the “Toy Story” isn’t done by the original’s R. Lee Ermey. That’s too bad, because it would have been great to hear him sing “Marching on ice is kinda cold” to the “I don’t know what I’ve been told” cadence call.
- Stealth Mode: As much as CotB tried to keep an eye on what was happening all over the stage, Nala and Simba, cubs in “The Lion King,” managed to sneak up and plant themselves in the wings without us spotting them. My advice: Keep an eye out for them. After all, if they can sneak up to the stage full of spotlights, then they sneak up on some unwary spectator for a late-night snack.
- Stealth Mode Part 2: Somehow, we completely missed how the Zamboni got off the ice. It was there at the start of the show and somehow it disappeared. We suspect it was magic. That or the sight of a 20-Genie kickline was able to hypnotize us.
- To Skate or Not to Skate: The only non-skater on the ice was fashion designer Edna Mole of “The Incredibles.” Apparently, they just didn’t go with her outfit.
- Drinking Water? If you’re planning on buying some water at the show, bring your own bottle cap. If you buy some at the show, the food vendors take the caps and keep them. That’s just annoying.
- Worst Job of the Night: One skater got the unfortunate duty of being the butt of Bruce, the shark from “Finding Nemo.” My advice: If you’re going to be a skating shark, be the end with all the teeth.
So there you go: Your own guide to enjoying “Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic.”
But wait a minute … Sure, all that stuff is kind of fun, but, come on, if you’re only paying attention to what’s happening in front of you, then you’re missing the best part of the show: Your kids.
After all, this is your kids’ time to whoop it up and get excited.
Their time to screech and clap.
And for adults, that’s really what it’s all about.
Don’t forget to look.
Unbelievable