Rockin’ Ever After in Vancouver Review #DisneyOnIce

This week I got to fulfill a childhood dream of mine and make a dream come true for my little girls at the same time! I took my family to see Disney On Ice presents Rockin’ Ever After on opening night at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, BC.

Rockin’ Ever After started at 7:30 pm, and I was a bit concerned that might be too late for the kids, but they had no problem staying up for the whole thing. The arena was packed full of parents and very excited children. The premise here is Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy are hosting a Rockin’ Ever After talent show starring Ariel, Rapunzel, Merida, and Belle, and featuring all our favourite songs.

One thing to note, don’t expect to see the whole story. With four acts in two hours (including a 20 minute intermission), the stories are drastically abridged. The show is all about the music and choreography. Mickey and the gang MC the show and provide mini intermissions between each act.

After the opening segment with Pinnochio and Cinderella’s stepsisters, the first act got rockin’ with Ariel’s sisters dancing/swimming to a medley of classic 80s pop songs “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, “We Got the Beat”, and “Vogue”. This went over the heads of the kids, but the adults seemed to appreciate it!

Tee loved pointing out Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, and Prince Eric. The Little Mermaid is one of our favourite Disney movies, and we really enjoyed the song and dance numbers. The “Under the Sea” number was hands down the best part of the show! The entire troupe of skaters stepped out on the ice dressed up as fish, seahorses, and sea stars, or carrying giant glowing jellyfish and manta rays on sticks.

Ursula has always been my favourite Disney villain, and I thought her costume was fantastic! I only wish they’d done a longer version of “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. Once Ariel got her legs, she was pulled up on a rope to perform a beautiful aerial routine without any safety harness that I could see. (I couldn’t get a decent picture no matter how hard I tried.) Ariel and Prince Eric’s couples routine featured lots of impressive spins and lifts, and the calypso ballad “Kiss the Girl” wrapped up the first act.

The second act was based on Tangled and opened with the rough and tumble barbarians singing “I’ve Got a Dream”. Then came “Mother Knows Best” and Rapunzel singing “When Will My Life Begin”. Enter Flynn Rider and Maximus the horse. Whoever you were inside that horse, you two have my admiration. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to skate around in that costume! Rapunzel and Flynn skated to “I See The Light”, and the kingdom welcomed Rapunzel home with floating lanterns and a big dance number.

The third act featured Brave‘s Merida, her three little brothers sitting on moving barrels, and dancing Scotsmen. I recognized the song “Touch the Sky”, and the jigging skaters were a lot of fun to watch. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed they skipped over Merida’s mother being turned into a bear. That was a major plot point in the movie and would have been a cool costume!

The final act was Beauty and the Beast. Tee was fascinated by the larger than life versions of Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Chip, but she found the Beast a bit scary. Featured songs here included “Gaston”, “Belle”, and the large choreographed number “Be Our Guest” with all the skaters dressed as flatware and napkins. I thought the castle and library sets they used for this act were really well done. Then came “Beauty and the Beast” and the Beast’s transformation into the handsome prince. 

The show’s grand finale brought out all four princesses and the whole cast with fireworks showering down from the ceiling. Tee said her favourite part was “all the princesses”. She told me she’s a princess too because she wore a dress, and everybody who wears a dress is a princess. I saw lots of little girls there in their princess dresses, so I believe her.

Even at 15 months old, Kay was entranced almost the entire time. She was happy to snack on our supply of rice crackers, and she sat on my lap and bounced along with the music all night. Do you have any idea how hard it is to take clear pictures with a toddler using your lap as a trampoline?

We had a wonderful time at this show! If you get a chance to take the kids, do it! Rockin’ Ever After was non-stop music and entertainment and appropriate for kids of all ages. The show wraps up this weekend in Vancouver with three shows on Saturday, November 30, and three shows on Sunday, December 1. There are still tickets left, and youth tickets are just $15.00 for select seating and performances! Tickets are available online through TicketLeader, charge by phone at 604-757-0345, or at the venue Box Office.

For more information and to find a show near you, visit Disney On Ice. Connect via Facebook and YouTube.

Disclosure: I received media tickets for the purpose of writing this review.  All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ.