Disney On Ice brings 'Frozen & Encanto' to Tucson Arena

Two of Disney’s most popular animated musicals are sharing top-billing in Disney On Ice‘s latest production, “Frozen & Encanto,” coming to the Tucson Arena Oct. 12-15.

Wait, “Frozen” and “Encanto” in one show?

How do these totally divergent storylines — a princess sets out on a journey to end the spell that has left her kingdom in perpetual winter; a teen girl is determined to save the magic surrounding her family’s enchanted mountain casita — fit together?

That was a question director Adam Loosely and the creative team also had when they set out to bring Disney’s box office hit “Encanto” into its Disney On Ice lineup.

“We really wanted to put (‘Encanto’) into one of our shows,” said Loosely, who spent 11 years performing with Disney On Ice before becoming a director. “It wasn’t easy. We really knew that these two films were contrasting in so many different ways, in style of music, in color palettes, in style of movement. ‘Frozen’ is obviously chilly, cold, blues, icy colors, and ‘Encanto’ is South American vibrancy.”

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But behind those contrasts, Loosely said, was a parallel throughline: The two main characters, Princess Anna from “Frozen” and Mirabel from “Encanto,” are surrounded by magic in their stories, but neither has magical gifts.

“But they were able to create their own magic through their stories,” said Loosely, who is making his full-show directing debut with “Frozen & Encanto.” “We really leaned into the contrasts and found the parallels that created a message: everyone has an opportunity to be and make their own magic in their stories.”

The 90-minute show is divided into two parts — “Frozen” in the first half, “Encanto” in the second. The stories have been condensed to move from production number to production number “because ... everyone wants to see their favorite characters, of course, but they really want to sing the songs and dance along with us and see these beautiful production numbers we created to tell the story,” Loosely said.

Each part has its own set enhanced by video projections that bring to life the icy wonderland of the fictional Norwegian village of Arendelle and the secluded Colombian mountain town of Encanto, including the Magical Casa Madrigal.

Disney On Ice introduced “Frozen & Encanto” last September, a followup to its popular “Frozen” show that premiered in 2014 with Loosely in the role of Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.