Cruisegoers can enjoy ‘Toy Story’
Disney sure knows how to spin a yarn.
After all, the entertainment giant successfully transformed its wildly popular animated films – “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast” – into hit Broadway musicals for theatergoers.
For its resort landlubbers, Disney also adapted its animated fish tale, “Finding Nemo,” into a musical two years ago at Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
Now, for seagoing fans of “Toy Story,” here comes “Toy Story – The Musical.”
After pumping millions of dollars into the venture, Disney recently announced that it’s bringing “Toy Story” to sea in April.
Using larger-than-life props, inflatable fan-cooled puppet costumes, rear-projection screen technology and about 20 singers, actors and dancers, cowboy Woody and space ranger Buzz Lightyear will come to life on the small stage of the Disney’s Wonder.
According to Disney spokesman Jason Lasecki, “Toy Story – The Musical” is the largest theatrical production at sea.
The first Disney-Pixar classic to be adapted to the stage, it “represents the next generation of staged entertainment for Disney Cruise Lines,” says the line’s president, Tom McAlpin.
The stage adaptation faithfully follows the animated film version, yet has its own twists beyond the technological theatrics required to transform cartoon characters into breathing creatures – including an entirely new musical score.
With the exception of Randy Newman’s Oscar-nominated hit song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” all the music for this stage production is new, with an added seven-song score.
New York-based husband-and-wife team Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn from the band GrooveLily have created a contemporary extravaganza from a blend of pop, rock and folk.
Costume designer Ann Closs-Farley tosses into the creative mix her artistic spice – a combination of novel puppets and inflatable costumes, even a nearly 9-foot-tall version of Rex the dinosaur and a 4-foot-round Hamm the piggybank.
While Disney focuses on fantasy, Royal Caribbean International is banking on a reality show for its hottest entertainment. And in its newest production, you could be the star.
In the line’s innovative show, “Invitation to Dance,” passengers star as ballroom dancers in a collage of rumba, samba, cha-cha, waltz and swing pieces.
After a stiff dancing competition on the first night of each cruise aboard the line’s Explorer of the Seas, four couples are selected to star in the musical production.
To help competitors put their best feet forward, passengers get help from the line’s professional dancers, stylists and make-up artists. Finalists must learn slick dance routines as well as attend costume fittings.
The show is a collaboration between Louis van Amstel, Emmy-nominated choreographer for ABC-TV’s “Dancing with the Stars,” and Cheryl Burke, two-time winner on the show.
Explorer of the Seas sails year-round from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, N.J., on five-night Bermuda getaway cruises and nine-night Caribbean vacations. For more information, go to royalcaribbean.com.