Behind the Scenes of Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3
Page 7 of 7
Step 7: Your �Disney On Ice: Disney�Pixar�s Toy Story 3� is now ready to enjoy!
The hard work of the creative and construction teams may be over, but for the performers the fun is just beginning. The show is ready for us to enjoy, and just like the toys from �Toy Story�, is ready and waiting for the children (of any age) to play with.
Even better, our gift is delivered by some very familiar faces. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy take to the ice first to set things up. So here it is, ready to for us to experience it as we are meant to: a shiny new plaything that seems to have been dropped down our chimney ready to go, as if by magic.
You won�t be able to help falling in love with this toy from the moment it starts. Andy, all grown up and deciding what to do with his toys, skates around with Woody to �You�ve Got A Friend In Me�. It will make the little kids sway and clutch their own toy companions, while giving the bigger kids, (who may have kids of their own), a wistful smile and a catch in their throats.
From the get-go Cindy Stewart�s choreography once again hits the mark. Her understanding of the way each character�s personality should translate to movement on the ice will enchant you until the proverbial curtain drops.
Then the Green Army Men fly in with the first real ensemble number, another of Siruno�s favorites. �It starts out very rigid and structured and then all of a sudden we have the skaters just break it out into a hip-hop number, and it�s great! It�s high energy, and it really gets the crowd going and it sets such a great tone for our show.�
You won�t believe how magical it is to see your favorite toys come to life, especially when you�ll pretty much be the same size. Hamm, Slinky, Rex, Bullseye and the Potato Heads all join Woody, Buzz and Jesse in remembering their past adventures.
I have to admit, I am a sucker for the little green aliens. So knowing that a cherished memory includes the claw game, where they first meet Woody and Buzz already has me all a-giggle. Scott Lane wanted them to be smaller than we�ve seen them in the past, so they�re costumed from the knee up. When the skaters take to their knees, that�s where the aliens� feet would be. They are so adorable I can barely stand it. Like I said, I am a sucker for the aliens.
No need to worry, Lane assured me the skaters have awesome knee pads. �The head of costumes, Donna Oak, she takes care of all that. She�s phenomenal. She makes sure they have everything that they need.� he said.
Once Woody�s Roundup hits, you�ll be so jazzed that you�ll likely be throwing down your own hoedown during intermission. You�ll want to make sure you get back to your seats for the second act, though, as some new characters are introduced to the ice: Barbie, Ken, and Lots-o�-Huggin� Bear are a few.
This is where we get more of the plotline from the third �Toy Story� film. Through a mix-up at Andy�s house, the whole gang arrives at Sunnyside Day Care. Barbie meets Ken and we get to see Ken�s Dream House fashion show to the strains of �Puttin� On The Ritz�. Buzz accidentally gets switched to Spanish mode, and a romantic tango with Jesse ensues. Lotso is quite possibly the most huggable villain ever. Their action-packed escape, another sequence where projections on the ice floor enhance the experience, will have you on the edge of your seat.
* Replace Batteries When Needed
One of the many more wonderful things about this gift is that it comes with its own maintenance plan, in the form of Performance Director, Gig Siruno.
�I work very closely with the performers, primarily with choreography, staging, acting, and maintaining the performance level at a consistent high.� he said. �As well as maintaining the technical aspects of the show - so pretty much once the audience walks in to the venue and has their first experience, I am responsible for maintaining the high quality of that.�
As with all toys, sometimes accidents happen. A skater may fall ill or be out for a while due to injury. The ice size may be different from one venue to the next. Siruno has to keep up on everything and everyone and have contingency plans, just in case. So are there a lot of changes made from venue to venue if the ice sizes differ?
�Not very many.� he said. �The director, Patty Vincent, did such a wonderful job staging the show and Cindy Stuart did a tremendous job as well choreographically, so the changes are definitely minimum, but certainly we do have to make those minor adjustments just so that we all fit on the ice. One of the things I love so much about my job is the aspect of live entertainment, because really, no show is similar. Each show is unique - unique to that audience that participates and gets to watch it and unique for each of the skaters and there are so many different variables�
This is the second season of the �Toy Story 3� tour. Last year they toured the east coasts of North America and Canada and this year they�re making their way out west. It would seem that sometimes the skaters� batteries would run low after some long travel days and having been on the road so much, skating such a long program day after day. Having traveled before with Disney On Ice as a performer makes Siruno uniquely qualified to understand those situations. He�s been there, knows exactly what they�re going through and how to continue to get the best from them.
�You certainly learn another aspect of your skating as a performer,� he said, �portraying a role, carrying on a storyline and entertaining the audience in such a different way, not just technically but also on a theatrical and an artistic standpoint, and that was one of the things that really gravitated me towards this, as well as why I�ve stuck around. With these skaters, I try to impart my experience to them, because it is a unique experience to be able to travel and bring a little bit of Disneyland or Disney World to hometowns not only around the US but Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, Asia.�
Also, to ensure the show stays in tip-top shape, he holds maintenance rehearsals every other week, which gets everybody up to speed. �I like to fine tune and I pay a lot of attention to detail. Sometimes it�s just a reminder and sometimes it�s an just an overall cleanup but really it just benefits what we do, day to day. And I love watching the show. I always say I�m the luckiest person in the venue because I don�t have to pay for a ticket and I get to watch it every day!�
Toys are happiest when well-loved, and it�s no different for a performance. Similarly, we best love the toys that connect with us on an emotional level.
�One of the things that the director, Patty Vincent, had mentioned before we started rehearsals was �We�re here to tell one story. And it�s about friendship, it�s about no toy being left behind, it�s about love.�� Siruno recalled. �And I try to impart to the cast how important energy is in their performance because it�s really what creates the applause. Not just from a technical or an artistic standpoint, because what we do is so visceral, and really the payoff is the applause and the smiles on the kids� faces and the interaction that the audience gives back to the performers when they give it their all, telling the story. That�s what the payoff is as well. I think as a performer myself that�s one of the most gratifying things, knowing that you went out there and you did something absolutely wonderful� for one individual or a group of individuals.�
The cast and crew also love it when audience members arrive wearing their affection for the �Toy Story� characters on their sleeves. And elsewhere. Literally.
�One of my favorite things about what I do is when I walk into a venue and the house is starting to fill up and kids of all ages: children, toddlers, young adults, adults - get dressed up as their favorite TS character.� Siruno said. Really? Adults too? That�s not weird? Color me skeptical.
�Last year - and I wish I would have taken a photo of it �cause it would have been amazing for me to share with the cast and crew - there was this family and they each dressed up like a toy story character. So there was a Buzz, Jesse, a Woody, There was a Mr. Potato Head and an alien!�
Okay, you got me with �and an alien!�. I�m a believer.
�It�s great, because, I think it just extends the experience that the audience has, and the cast as well because when they notice those things it just becomes an automatic connection: when Woody sees a kid dressed as Woody.�
�Toy Story 3� has a wonderful emotional arc to it. Whether you�re a child watching their favorite toys come to life on the ice, or an adult, fondly remembering your favorite toy from years gone by, you won�t fail to be touched by this story of love, friendship, family and hope.
The creative team, construction teams, cast and crew of �Toy Story 3�, just like Santa and our parents, have gone through all this hard work so that we can enjoy a seamless, magical experience. That wondrous moment of revelation when a toy under the tree encapsulated our dreams, stirred our imaginations, and maybe even helped us to discover what we wanted to do with our lives.
While we will each wish for different things this Christmas, the simple joy of sharing an afternoon or evening experiencing �Toy Story 3� on ice with family or friends is sure to be one of your fondest memories of the holiday season.
Thanks Mickey, it�s just what I wanted.
�Disney On Ice: Disney�Pixar�s Toy Story 3� plays:
- Los Angeles - Staples Center: Wednesday, December 14 � Sunday, December 18
- Orange County - Honda Center: Tuesday, December 20 � Sunday, December 25
- Inland Empire - Citizens Business Bank Arena: Wednesday, December 28 � Sunday, January 1
- Long Beach - Long Beach Arena: Wednesday, January 4 � Sunday, January 8
Tickets are priced from $16, $21, $26, $45 (VIP)
and $70 (Front Row)
Opening Night tickets available for only
$12 each (not valid for premium seating)
All seats are reserved and available at
the venue Box Office, online at
Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.
Discuss It
-- Posted December 14, 2011
-- Story by Kaz Liput