WDW Daily News

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you know that Frozen has basically taken over the world. So I wasn’t at all shocked when the announcement for Disney On Ice presents: FROZEN, showed up. Now you might think I’m a little bit over the great freeze…but I’m not…like at ALL! I hopped all over that like a Disney fan to dolewhip! I booked my tickets the day it was announced….and then promptly forgot that I had booked it until the ticketmaster fairy sent me an email to remind me. First off let me say this reminder was awesome for 2 reasons- 1: I remembered I was going to another Disney on Ice production, and 2: I had an extra day off of work that week 😛 So when September 5th rolled around, I prettied myself up, set my Mapquest for the Amway Center and away I went!

First off let me say I’m no stranger to lines, but I was completely shocked when I walked up the steps to cross the bridge into the center and there was a long line that wrapped all the way around the garage, there was actually a line to get into the center. It moved quickly and finally I made my way in and was smacked in the face with all the glorious Frozen merchandise. I bought myself the fancy program and snapped a few photos, the weirdest of which were the Olaf snow cone cups. They had this white ball of ice in Olaf’s head…it really looked like his brains were made of snow.

After I made my way through all of the merchandise I found my seats and I was ready for the show to begin. It starts out with some fun performers teaching you the snow man dance and to see a bunch of adults and kids wiggling around snowman style warmed my heart. And then Mickey and Minnie and a bunch of their friends make their grand appearance! I laughed, I danced, and sang louder than pretty much every kid around me. After Mickey begins to tell Minnie Mouse a story about the love the real party begins! FROZEEEEENNNNN!!!

Without giving away too many spoilers, the show is really the film come to life on ice. I don’t know where Disney finds their skaters, but the performances are absolutely stunning. Elsa’s performance for “Let it Go” was literally one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen- I actually shed tears (I know kind of sad, but it was that amazing). As the show progresses you do notice a few changes here and there to make it plausible for the show to flow together, but most of the story is spot on with lots of fun and excitement, pizzazz and of course all the music and fun of Frozen! I’ve been to two other Disney on Ice performances and I have to say this one was by far the most spectacular I’ve seen. I realized watching, that I’m going to know the words to every song on the Frozen soundtrack for the rest of my life…and every other person in the arena is too. And you know what I’m perfectly okay with that. I had a blast and I can’t wait for the next big event! Who knows…maybe Big Hero 6 will get its own ice show. Who knows, but for now….I’m off to build a snow man 😉

In the summer of 2012, my mom gave me the idea to write a letter to Diane Disney Miller, Walt Disney’s daughter, to tell her what a huge impact Disney has had on my life. I wrote about how my brother and sister have worked at Walt Disney World, how it is my dream to be able to work for the Walt Disney Company someday, and just simply what an amazing legacy and impact her father has left behind. It took a few rough drafts to get the wording perfect, but when everything was just right I carefully copied it onto homemade stationary. After a little internet sleuthing, I discovered that she and her husband owned a winery in California, so I decided to send the letter there, in care of Diane. I never expected an answer.

A few weeks later, I received a bulky package in the mail. Inside there were two books about Walt and a brochure for the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. The first book, Walt Disney: His Life in Pictures said on the inside, “July 16, 2012. Dear Emma- Thank you for your letter! I think that you would enjoy this book. Sincere regards, Diane Disney Miller.” The second book, The Walt Disney Family Museum, had inscribed, “To Emma, with the hope that I’ll meet you here at the museum some day. Diane Disney Miller. P.S. Your elegant printing puts my scrawl to shame!” I was completely overwhelmed and grateful – I had never in my wildest dreams hoped for such an amazing response! My parents decided right then and there that the next summer, we would take a road trip out West. It was something that we had always wanted to do, and Disneyland in Anaheim and the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco seemed like perfect stops for a trip! I quickly composed a thank-you letter for Diane and sent it off.

All throughout that winter and the next spring, we planned our trip. We decided that the round trip would take about two weeks, and by the beginning of the next summer we had every day outlined. When July finally rolled around, I wrote another letter to Diane telling her about our upcoming trip and our plans to visit the museum and Disneyland. I left my phone number and email address for her to contact me if she wished and hoped for the best.

Our departure date was set for July 25, and after months and months of anticipation, the day finally arrived. We left bright and early that morning, driving every day and making lots of stops all along the country. We saw the Wall Drug Store in South Dakota, wild donkeys and buffalo at Custer State Park, and spent two days at Yellowstone National Park. From the rugged landscape of the Badlands to the carved mountainside of Mt. Rushmore, we experienced it all. A few days into the trip, I received an email from Diane. She said she was so sorry to miss us, but she would be gone for a week in Colorado while we were there. However, she said that she had alerted the executive director of the museum of our visit and that she would be looking out for us. She also mentioned that if we knew when we would be at Disneyland, she could call in passes for us. I was disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to meet, but still anticipated the museum visit and Disneyland.
We arrived in San Francisco on July 31 and spent the evening exploring Chinatown and the Pier. The next day, we arrived at The Walt Disney Family Museum and walked in as soon as it opened. We were surprised to find tickets for us waiting at the desk, and the Facilities Coordinator came to greet us. She said that they had originally planned on having a guide take us around the museum, but Diane had insisted that we tour it on our own time. She also mentioned that Kirsten Komoroske, the Executive Director, and Michael Labrie, the Director of Collections, would be meeting up with us sometime. We thanked her and began our journey through Walt’s life.