Photo credit: Rich Kessler Photography
She’s back…..Tinker Bell that is, the feisty little fairy that first showed up in Disney’s 1953 film Peter Pan and has been flitting around ever since. Feel free to call her Tink, or Ms. Bell for that matter. Her latest reincarnation is at the Verizon’s Center’s Worlds of Fantasy from February 11th to the 16th with Sasha Lanser assuming the role.
Sasha Lanser as Tinker Bell – Photo courtesy of Feld Entertainment
The extravaganza is a magical Disney fantasy live on ice with four of your favorite Disney stories presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt. “There are high-speed stunts as Lightning McQueen, Mater and the crew of Disney•Pixar’s Cars that race across the ice like you’ve never seen before! Dive into The Little Mermaid’s enchanting undersea kingdom and enter the mystical world of Pixie Hollow with Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies as they reveal the magic that lies within! The toys are back in town with heroic action when Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and the Toy Story gang escape from the rambunctious tots of Sunnyside Daycare and race for home, in their most daring adventure ever! From wheels to waves, playtime to pixie dust, your family’s favorite Disney moments come to life at Disney On Ice’s Worlds of Fantasy.” Production Notes
This is the first time that Ms. Lanser has performed in Washington, so she’s expecting a little bit of stage fright but “when you’re on stage and get a little bit of jitters then much energy gets out and your adrenaline kicks in and all that just goes away.”
Her path to skating began as a kid. “You have a million things you want to get done. It’s really hard to make that one decision,” she told Hollywood on the Potomac. “My mom actually encouraged me to not only do ice skating, but she had me do gymnastics and tennis and basketball and swimming and all these other sports. She wanted me to make sure that skating is what I wanted. It’s a very selfish sport. It does not come cheap. It’s an investment, so my mom had me do all these things. I said no, I want skating. That’s all I like. I wasn’t good at all these other sports. I knew this is what I wanted. I love everything about this sport. It’s been a part of my life for the last 18 years. There was just a feeling that all the other sports didn’t give me that joy that skating gave me.”
The Kessler girls: Holly, Chloe and Zoe
While she never competed in the Olympics, she did of course compete in other challenges. “Professional skating is very different, of course,” she explained about competitions. “Competing is really hard and requires a lot of dedication to it whereas ice shows are a little bit more relaxed. It’s still a lot of hard work, probably just as much work as when I was competing, but it’s not stressful or upsetting. You can just relax and have so much fun. What I like about the Disney family is that we’re together for pretty much the entire year. We celebrate every holiday together, everyone’s birthday. I don’t know, it’s really hard to explain unless you’re in it.”
Jayne Sandman and Jeff Dufour with Owen and baby Harrison
The collective idea for the show involves Minnie and Mickey, Donald and Goofy. “They’re going to take you to meet the cars. You’ll meet Mater and Lightning McQueen. Then, we’re going to go to meet Ariel and her friends Sebastian and Flounder and Prince Eric. Then, they take you to Pixie Hollow with Tinker Bell. This is before she meets Peter Pan, so this is Tinker Bell being born. Then, they take you to Toy Story 3 where you’re going to meet Jesse and Woody and Buzz and Barkington.” Lanser says she nevers get tired of the roll of Tinker Bell. “I loved Tinker Bell ever since I was younger. It connects me with my old friend from when I came to New York. He used to always call me ‘Tink,’ To this day he actually still calls me ‘Tink.’ I love the character. She’s just so fun and sassy. I feel like I can relate to her a little bit.”
Courtney, Gwynn and Bernard Kennedy-Smith
“You feed off the audience’s energy, you’re so in the moment. I’m always very excited to see how they’re going to react when I come out.” From what we hear, it’s all positive.
Darcy Spencer (Channel 4) and Jenn Smigal
The preview:
