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'3 Jungle Adventures' skate on thin ice
Oakland Tribune, Oct 21, 2005 by Leslie Katz, STAFF WRITER
THE JUNGLE is looking a little thin these days -- Disney on Ice presents "3 Jungle Adventures," that is.
The show, at San Jose's HP Pavilion this weekend and from Nov. 5 through 7 at the Oakland Arena, has talented skaters, familiar characters and hum-along tunes from three hit Disney movies, "The Jungle Book," "Tarzan" and "The Lion King." But what it doesn't have is a staple of ice shows from yesteryear -- the ol' razzle dazzle.
With shows on ice, bigger is simply better. Except for the closing number in each of the two acts, these "Jungle Adventures" sport all too few participants. Let's just say that four elephants in the march scene from "Jungle Book" and three hyenas from "Lion King" do not a pack make.
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While the ice seems empty much of the time, the 90-minute show is also spare on color. The greens and browns of many of the costumes and the set, a huge tree contraption, never quite light up the arena. Could this be a time when when colors not found in nature are preferred?
Never mind that the way the stories are pasted together is barely comprehensible, as is the soundtrack of often muddled dialogue. But little ones in the audience already know the basics: Man-cub Mowgli comes of age among charismatic wildlife in "Jungle Book"; tree- dwelling Tarzan falls for civilized Jane; and nimble Simba the lion grows to a maturity in "Lion King."
Still, the bits and pieces of plot were distracting, as were the Elton John and Phil Collins' songs, many of which seemed like excerpts rather than the full tunes.
Despite the disjointedness, the "Adventures" do showcase lovely athleticism, particularly by Jamie Loper as Tarzan and Natasha Kuchiki as Jane. The pair skates like champions and does some pretty cool rope stunts on Tarzan's vine in an almost spectacular sequence.
Hooray, too, for the costume shop folks. You can't deny the charm of Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog, or that the big, furry Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther land some nifty double axels.
Still, the snow cone in the plastic Mickey Mouse cup was the highlight of the event.
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