Disney on Ice Presents Worlds of Fantasy skates into Royal Farms Arena

Tinker Bell was looking for an answer.

While all of fairy friends showed off their magical powers, Tinker Bell was trying to find hers.

She was young, so it wasn’t like she could ask Peter Pan, who she’d yet to meet. Tinker Bell was alone, in the middle of the ice rink at Royal Farms Arena, when her search ended.

“Her power is to let spring begin,” said Sasha Lanser, who plays Tinker Bell in Disney On Ice Presents Worlds of Fantasy, which will have eight more performances before leaving Baltimore on Feb. 8. “Tinker Bell’s journey is about finding out who she is and that she doesn’t have to be like everyone else. It’s great to just be yourself.”

Lanser, a 23-year-old native of Seattle, has spent the past seven months bringing Tinker Bell to life, which is quite magical since Tinker Bell has been a Disney girl since 1953. Lanser is among the dozens of cast members who make their livings touring the country dressing up and skating around as some of Disney’s most iconic characters.

“There’s no pressure,” said Lanser, who spent two years a Tinker Bell understudy while working as an ensemble skater during the show. “It’s the best job in the world because we get to be Disney characters.”

And quite a show it is. Three months after Disney On Ice: Frozen became the most attended family show in the arena’s 53 history, Disney has returned with its next act.

This time, Elsa and Anna have been replaced by Cars’ Lighting McQueen, The Little Mermaid’s Ariel and Toy Story’s Woody and Buzz Lightyear in an ice adventure that lasts a kid friendly two hours, including a 15-minute intermission.

And of course, the world’s most famous mouse and his girlfriend were on hand, as they elicited just as many children’s screams as Olaf and Sven did in October.

But Worlds of Fantasy is nothing like Frozen, which took the movie and put it on ice. Worlds of Fantasy consists of four acts featuring Disney’s newer characters.

The show starts with Cars, as Lightning McQueen, Mater, Sally and Ramone turn the ice rink into a race track. The cars are magnificent, as each one took 2,000 man hours to construct, as they feature blinking eyes, moving mouths and wheels that enable them to move easily across the ice.

The show then moves from land to sea, as lights give the ice a bluish hue while bubbles descend from the rafters. The cast of The Little Mermaid, including Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian the crab and Ursula – the evil Sea Witch – break into songs and dances that are much more entertaining for children than adults.

It’s then off to Pixie Hollow, a place inhabited by Disney fairies where Tinker Bell was born.  Lanser slides gracefully across a visually stunning set that features more vibrant colors than a fireworks show. Lanser shines during her solo skates and especially with her duet with Terence, the keeper of pixie dust.

“What makes this show different is it’s the only one where Tinker Bell hasn’t met Peter Pan yet,” Lanser said. “We’ve never seen this side of her.”

Following intermission, it’s Toy Story time, as Woody and his friends take over Andy’s bedroom. Green soldiers, teddy bears and a piggy bank create quite a spectacle as they whiz across the ice. But the scene belongs to Barbie and Ken. Ken, complete with his slick brown hair and ascot, looks like he was just pulled from the box. And Barbie, well, let’s just say no guy in the audience complained watching a svelte woman with curves skate around the rink wearing light blue spandex.

But it’s impossible to have a Disney show without giving Mickey and Minnie Mouse and all their buddies their time in the spotlight, providing a fitting end.

The rink was filled with the show’s cast, making it seem like Walt Disney World moved from Orlando to Baltimore, making for a pretty good ending for a pretty good show.

Disney of Ice: Worlds of Fantasy

At Royal Farms Arena

Thursday: 7:30 p.m.

Friday: 10:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.

Saturday: 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m.

Sunday: 12 p.m., 4 p.m.

Click here for tickets