After seeing Disney on Ice’s Rockin’ Ever After last year in Dubai, their show Princesses and Heroes felt like a much more subdued musical journey. The ice-skating performance, which opens to the public on Wednesday night at Dubai World Trade Centre and runs until Sunday, was previewed to the press and select audience members on Tuesday. It soared during its last thirty minutes, a grand finale that was, of course, dedicated to Frozen.

The cast had us in the palms of their hands as they sung Love is an Open Door, Let it Go and For the First Time in Forever, upping the tempo and excitement in the arena. The stars of the show were the hilariously naive snowman Olaf (who, by the way, got the most cheers from the audience), the tormented queen Elsa and her loving, desperate sister, princess Anna. The trio put on some of the most convincing performances of the night, breathing new life into an otherwise nostalgic and oft stale journey.

However, before there was an ending, there was a beginning.

The two-hour show kicked off with the ever-colourful Aladdin, which took place in front of a nature-filled backdrop that served as a palace. The genius of Robin Williams’ Genie was irresistible. Like the rest of the show’s dialogue and songs, Williams’ voice was pulled straight from the Disney movie, an emotional addition for the adults in the crowd.

From there on out, props were sparse as we sailed through the stories of Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, Aurora, Ariel and Snow White. Ballads were frequent and so were the romantic two-person dance routines. Moments when the ensemble skaters came out and showed off more advanced tricks on the ice were rare and show-stealing.

Some of the princesses had more fleshed-out stories, and more than one number to perform. This included Cinderella, Aurora and Ariel, the last of whom was part of a livelier number in the show, Under the Sea. Cinderella’s stand-out prop was a sparkling, golden horse carriage, while Sleeping Beauty wowed with a massive neon green and pink dragon that spit actual fire onto the ice before it was slain by the prince.

However, fans of Princess and the Frog, Beauty and the Beast and Tangled should expect much briefer appearances, coming in between narration by Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the occasional wand-wave by Tinker Bell.

*Tickets range between Dh150-Dh2,000 on virginmegastore.ae. An “after school special” show on June 11 and June 14 at 3.30pm will be discounted by 25 per cent for bronze, silver and gold tickets.