COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — After a few days of magic, Disney On Ice “Mickey’s Search Party” has left Columbus. Over the course of the long weekend, the show hosted hundred of local children and families as they sang along to their favorite Disney songs and interacted with skaters.
Before the Nov. 10 evening showing of “Mickey’s Search Party” at the Columbus Civic Center, performers expressed excitement to continue the high energy of the previous night’s show across the weekend.
“We opened last night and we had a really amazing crowd – they were so loud,” said Jasmine Bezugly, who plays Jessie from “Toy Story” (1995) in the show.
She continued, “We could hear everyone screaming and singing along and we just really hope to continue that energy for the rest of the week[end].”
According to one watcher who attended the 1 p.m. showing on Sunday, the cast did just that.
“It had something for everyone,” said Becca, adding toddlers dressed as princesses and princes and older groups of friends were all singing along. She said, “Your inner child couldn’t help but come out!”
The audience member said she enjoyed watching the acrobatic and aerial elements of the show, especially in the numbers dedicated to Disney’s “Coco” (2017) and “Toy Story.”
In the “Coco”-inspired set, skaters and performers dressed as skeletons in brightly colored suits and dresses spun, twirled and dangled high above the crowd in a high-energy performance set to music from the movie. The “Toy Story” number followed Jessie, Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their friends as they tried to secure a colorful bouncy ball with the help of the Green Army Men before Andy noticed.
“I really liked how the show had a seamless blend of old and new Disney films,” Becca said.
Many characters in the show also interacted with younger children in the audience and sometimes even older adults throughout the roughly 90-minute show with an intermission.
Toddlers were brought to the sidelines to assist Genie from “Aladdin” (1992), adults strummed Miguel from Coco’s guitar and guests were encouraged to believe in the Disney magic to free Tinkerbell from Captain Hook’s lantern.
As they left the show, children dressed in glittery princess dresses donned coats and held their parents’ hands as they loaded into cars. The Disney magic was done for the day, however the Civic Center will continue to bring excitement throughout the season.
Open, public skate events are available every week at the Civic Center Ice Rink, a Ladies R&B Kickback concert will take place on Dec. 1 and the Harlem Globetrotters will make a world tour stop on Dec. 15. For more information about upcoming events, visit the Columbus Civic Center website.