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For us, the last week or so has been dominated by two powerful forces – Disney, and Ice. We just got back from our first family trip to Disney World in Orlando only to be greeted by skating-rink streets and sub-freezing temperatures. Fitting then that these two forces will soon combine at Xcel Energy Center for Disney on Ice: Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey. I’ll be totally up-front and say we’ve never seen any of the dozens of Disney on Ice shows that have been produced the past few years, but we have had a lot of experience with Disney and Disney characters over the last few months.

Disney stuff (with the exception of the Pixar films) has never been all that big with our kids until very recently. But once we started talking in earnest over the summer about a Fall trip to Orlando it became something of a focus. Just as the hype was building in our house, we got a chance to see a Disney Live production at the Xcel. The show was Mickey’s Magic Show, in which various characters including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald participate in variations on classic magic tricks. A few weeks later, we were at Walt Disney Word and EPCOT center, where we experienced tons of rides, shows, events and costumed characters.

It’s obvious once you’ve seen some of these things that Disney has a very consistent style and approach to everything they do.

First of all, everything tells a story. Some are better than others, but every production has some kind of narrative running through it. The Magic Show was built around a fairly forced “story” of two guys – one of whom can’t seem to do magic very well. But of course it all comes together in the end. Many of the kids favorite rides at Disney World were also linear stories of sorts – the Spaceship Earth ride at EPCOT center tells the story of technological advancements throughout history, the Monsters Inc. show uses live digital puppets in a comedy show designed to generate power for the monster city from human laughter (it’s a plot point in the movie).

Second, everything is based on settings and characters from Disney films. In Mickey’s Magic Show the traditional rabbit/hat trick was weaved into an Alice In Wonderland scene, as were several popular card tricks. All the parade floats we encountered at Disney World were based on specific stories – there was a Cinderella float, a Beauty and the Beast float, etc. The Aquarium at EPCOT center features digital characters from Finding Nemo that interact with the live fish.

Third, everything is expertly choreographed. And I don’t just mean dancing. Music, sound effects, lighting and video are all used to great effect. In the Disney parks every speaker is part of a networked sound system that cues visitors about what they should pay attention to. During the day different music plays in different areas, but if a “main event” like a show or fireworks display happens, suddenly every speaker pipes in the same synchronized tracks.

Finally, where Disney is concerned the world is always a sickeningly happy place. There are no complex emotions in Disney productions – it’s all 100% in-your-face smiles and singing. This is the one aspect of Disney stuff that is a personal irritant to me, but not to my kids. In fact, its probably the thing that sets Disney apart: ultimately its all about the kids, not the adults. While many of the things we’ve written about on this blog are things both parents and kids can enjoy, Disney takes a very traditional approach based on the idea that when kids are happy, parents are happy. And I guess this is pretty universally true, even for cynical Gen-X parents like us!

So, what does all this mean as a preview for Disney on Ice? The website describes the show in a way that definitely lines up with all of the above Disney core themes: “Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy have their bags all packed for a journey that will transport audiences straight from their seats into the magical worlds of best friends Lilo and Stitch as they hula in Hawaii; Simba and Nala as they explore the African Pride Lands; Ariel and Sebastian as they experience an aquatic adventure in their undersea kingdom; and Peter Pan and Tinker Bell as they soar through the starry skies.”

So expect familiar characters, world-class skating, amazing costumes and art direction, somewhat cheesy music and smiles on the kids faces. In other words, everything you expect from a Disney experience.

Disney on Ice: Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey runs from Thursday, Dec. 9th to Sunday Dec. 12th at Xcel Energy Center. Tickets are on sale now at the Xcel Center website.