Spirited princes and princesses dance across the rink as though they’re lighter than air. And for a few hours in their local ice arena, audiences get lost in a world of imaginative special effects where finned friends from Finding Nemo turn a glassy surface into a bubbling undersea wonderland, Mickey and Minnie Mouse shine against a sparkling pyrotechnics backdrop and Lightning McQueen makes a slick track out of a freshly glazed-over, frozen surface. At every dazzling performance, Disney On Ice puts families around the world face to face with Disney’s cast of beloved characters. Now, Disney Theatrical Group (DTG) and Feld Entertainment celebrate 30 spectacular years of bringing the many worlds of Disney magically alive in ice arenas all around the world.

In Tokyo, Istanbul and hundreds of cities in between, the on-the-road team transforms the arenas into storybook worlds. And with eight unique shows currently on tour, there’s no sign of the Disney On Ice global phenomenon melting anytime soon. Disney On Ice combines DTG’s brilliant film adaptations and Feld Entertainment’s heart-pounding energy and effects to create non-stop entertainment like you’ve never seen before. “In many instances, the first live show that many kids see is a Disney On Ice production,” Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO, Feld Entertainment, says. “It’s important that we leave a positive and lasting impression on them and create heroes out of parents.” Disney and Feld have truly created an unmatched genre of live entertainment.

From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to High School Musical, Disney On Ice has paid homage to Disney’s beloved film canon. They’ve made Disney live entertainment a global pastime, bringing it to 83 countries with 31 productions and more than 47,000 performances. But when the first Disney On Ice show opened in 1981, Kenneth admits no one knew what to expect. “No one had ever taken so many Disney characters on the road before,” he recalls. World On Ice, the first production, introduced audiences to a new chapter in Disney character storytelling — combining the stories of Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, The Three Caballeros, Zorro and others. “It’s storytelling through sensory overload,” Kenneth says. “The ice allows us to move characters around quickly and it creates emotion through the movement.” Currently, Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey, an evolved form of that first show and their longest running production, has been on tour for 16 years.

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