Behind the Scenes of Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3
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It�s that time of year again. Colored lights adorn houses, yards and trees. Candle flames flicker atop menorahs and kinaras. Halls are decked with bows of holly, mistletoe is hung with anticipation, dreidels are spun with glee. Best of all, snow covers the ground in a perfect blanket of glistening white - okay, I�m not fooling anyone with that one here in Southern California, but at least we get a taste of snow at Disneyland after the fireworks!
During the holiday season our minds turn to family, to hope, to charity, friendship, the spirit of giving, and, for me, that tingle of anticipation on Christmas Eve. The children are nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums dance in their heads.
Hmm �.back up a second. Sugarplums? Really? I�ve got to say, never in my life, awake or asleep, have I imagined sugarplums doing a conga line through my skull. In fact, even with knowing �The Night Before Christmas� by heart since childhood, until I Googled it tonight, I couldn�t even tell you exactly what a sugarplum was. (In case you were also wondering, the OED now declares the term obsolete but at one time defined it as �A small round or oval sweetmeat, made of boiled sugar and variously flavoured and coloured; a comfit�). Um, yeah. Never dreamed of those.
You know what I did dream of, though? Toys. Oodles and oodles of toys. Didn�t you?
Don�t we still? As we get older, the types of toys may change: Barbie dolls we could dress up may give way to iPads we can shop on, action figures take a back seat to flat screen televisions, stuffed animals that helped us get to sleep one day morph into that new coffee maker to facilitate us waking up.
This year, for children and adults alike, �Disney On Ice: Disney�Pixar�s Toy Story 3�, produced by Feld Entertainment, gets delivered to our doorstep in perfect time for the holidays, bringing us just that: oodles and oodles of toys.
Just as I used to rush to the tree on Christmas morning, my heart threatening to burst from my chest with excitement when I saw that toy I�d been wishing for waiting for me.
With most toys, before that magical moment when they sit under the tree in all their glory, at one point there were those three little words that strike fear into the hearts of parents everywhere at 3am on Christmas morning: �Some Assembly Required.�
�Toy Story 3� is no exception. Like a child on Christmas morning, we see that toy, shiny and bright, bringing instant smiles to our faces. For the creative team, however, the process to bring this present to life starts long before, in Mickey�s Workshop. Luckily for us, just like Santa and his elves, they love their jobs and are among the very best at what they do. We were allowed a peek inside �Disney On Ice: Disney�Pixar�s Toy Story 3� to get to know some of the creative team and find out how some of that magic is created.
Last year, for �Disney on Ice: Let�s Celebrate!�, choreographer Cindy Stuart, (who is also the choreographer for �Toy Story 3�) described for us the beginnings of the creative process. �What happens is, the producers, through their demographics, find the appropriate vehicle for that season,� she said. �Then we get together, the creative team, even before the writing begins and throw around ideas, how we want it to look, what we want to highlight, and that�s where it starts. It�s a very collaborative process.�
Let�s take a look at the insert and get down to it, shall we?