Q&A with Disney On Ice's Adam Loosley
The Creative Director behind Jump In! chatted about what goes into bringing iconic Disney properties to the ice.
The newest Disney On Ice production, Jump In!, is now more than two months into its touring season. I’ve already had the pleasure of seeing it five times, and I’ll be back again Wednesday night in Long Island, before heading up to Lake Placid for Skate America (and rest assured, I’ll have a preview coming for that). After chatting with choreographer Adam Blake about the show back in September, I spoke with Adam Loosley, the show’s creative director, last week.
Q: I want to start going all the way back. How did you get your start with Disney On Ice as a performer?
A: I was 19 years old and at the time in Canada -- I grew up in Canada -- there was a show that came into town called Celebration on Ice, and it was with all of my heroes at the time. It was Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Josée Chouinard, you name it. Shae-Lynn Bourne, Victor Kraatz. All of them were my heroes. And three weeks from that time that the show was there, I was headed to school. I was going to go away to become an elementary school teacher. And they came through town and they said, ‘we need some local talent.’ So one of the directors called and said, ‘hey, would you like to skate in the show?’ And I was like, wow, with all my heroes, of course, I’d want to skate in the show.
So I did that show, and it was a Christmas one, and it was just the best experience, with all the people I really looked up to growing up as a young competitive skater. And I realized that I wasn’t ready to hang up my skates at all. I really loved performing. I really kind of lit a fire.
I went home and on my kitchen table, my mom had the International Figure Skating Magazine, and there was a little ad in the bottom right corner, and it was a skater that I still know now, Ali Bennett. She was doing a layback in the picture, I remember. And I sent in my video to Judi Thomas, who was the casting director at the time. And about a month later, I was in Scotland starting my very first tour with Toy Story 2 on Ice, and my whole life changed, and I performed for 11 years.
Q: How did you end up making the transition from performing to working behind the scenes?
A: Within those 11 years, I was a line captain, which was a progressive position, moving toward becoming a performance director, the artistic director that travels with the show and manages the cast. So I worked with performance directors that are still working today and I still look at them as huge mentors to me. Cory Obst, Gig Siruno, to name a few, Chantel Stringer, who is now the casting director. I really looked up to those individuals and I worked with them on their line captain teams and worked my way to become a performance director myself.
My first year as a performance director was on D32, which was called Dare to Dream. And I spent several years there, and then D35, Mickey’s Search Party, for many years. Then after the pandemic, I took the role,which I’m in now, which is creating the shows and directing them based here in Tampa, Florida. And so I was on the road for 16, almost 17 years, in several different capacities and I’ve really enjoyed the last four, 4.5 years here in Tampa, building shows and doing it with the phenomenal people at Feld Entertainment and the absolutely impressive creative team members that I’ve been able to work with over the years.
Q: What does an average day for you look like now working on Disney On Ice?
A: About half the year, I work remotely from home, but also I go into the Feld Entertainment Studios here in Florida, and I work there when I need to. And when I need to be present, I do visit the shows as needed to install little projects, like, for example, the Christmas project that we just installed to start Jump In! with this last week. While I was there, I was working with the producer, Juliette Feld, and the directors of production, Jay [Smith] and Michael [Hovda], to pitch a new concept for next year’s production. So I’m always presenting and pitching to our Disney partners, to the film producers.
Then I work with the creative team and each step of the way, we keep layering, right? It’s like creating a show is like a giant onion, right? You just keep layering and layering, layering. And it starts with myself, the producers and the writer. And then we bring in a production designer for those kinds of elements. Then after that, a costume designer. Then choreography, lighting design, video content, all of those factors keep layering and layering until we end up with something beautiful and it is truly a beautiful collaboration of people that are absolutely experts in their field. Every idea that I bring to the creative team, they elevate. And it’s so cool to be a part of it and to see a blank sheet of paper become what it is in one year’s time.
An average day for me right now because we are moving toward our, what we call a white model presentation, which is where we pitched the show from the beginning to end with renderings and people speaking from their departments about ideas and creating visuals. We’re building that presentation to pitch the show to our partners all over the world, marketing, PR, so they can start selling the show before it even opens, right? So that’s kind of where we are right now. Writing the script, creating these renderings and set design, costume design, and music as well. The music director is a huge part of the creative team that I hadn’t mentioned yet. So all of that is happening now. It’s a very exciting time.
I’ll tell you what my morning looked like. I purchased this kind of prop that we were looking at to represent Flotsam and Jetsam with Ursula. It’s like a giant piece of fabric that flows through the air. So I was out by my pool deck. My neighbors think I’m absolutely nuts, playing with this piece of fabric. So that was my morning this morning, and I also spoke to the writer. We were putting together show flow beats. I talked to the production designer about renderings, and I have a call after this interview with one of our global marketing partners and then I had another call with a costume designer. So that’s a lot of communication. It’s a lot of collaboration and talking to your team so everyone has what they need to continue moving forward in whatever direction I’m pointing.
Q: This year’s new show is Jump In! But unlike the last 2 shows -- last year’s was D38, the year before was D37 -- this is D30e. So it signifies it’s a modification of a previous show, but it has three entirely new segments. So what was the challenge like in bringing Zootopia and Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 to the ice?
A: It’s really interesting. What was great about this one is that we did have three brand new properties to kind of install, but it’s not necessarily as easy to [do that] when you’re modifying an existing show. You can’t just take something out and put something else in. You have to rearrange the entire show so that it’s balanced and it makes sense, right? So this one really, very much felt like a brand new production, because we gave it a new opening number, our through line was tweaked as well. All of our scenes that connected all of these stories together were different. What seemed to be called a refresh became a very large project, and I’m really proud of it. Because of all of that collaboration and the moving around that we did we ended up with something that felt brand new, and that was the goal.
Q: You mentioned in your previous answer the music director, and music is such a huge part of the Disney On Ice shows. So what is it like crafting a segment for something like a Zootopia or an Inside Out 2 where the movie isn’t as music driven as some of the other Disney properties?
A: Oh my goodness, it was so fun. And that’s where Scott Sena is his name. He’s brilliant. and he has a great team that works with him as well. An engineer as well, Michael Cochran. What they do to piece together the whole show is pretty incredible. They overlay all the dialogue, all the recording with the vocal actors. But, as you mentioned, in Zootopia and in Inside Out 2, those are original pieces that quote the film, so it has a recognizable quality to it, but, but that’s a Scott Sena original right there. Not only does he write that and create it, he also goes and works with the orchestra to record all of the mixes. It’s pretty incredible.
A lot of people think that we can plug in the iTunes for a song and use it for the show, but we can’t. We actually rerecord the entire show with an orchestra, every instrument and mix it our own way, so it feels full bodied in a large space like an arena. So, his job is putting together a two-hour, very musical show beginning to end, so that it has a beating heart of rhythm from beginning to end, even through the dialogue scenes and the score. It’s pretty phenomenal what he does and his team does. And I love when we come across the property like Inside Out where it can be an original piece and then from there, seeing what Adam [Blake] did with it on the ice is pretty phenomenal.
Q: Speaking of the Inside Out piece, you have skaters out there in inflatable bubbles representing the memory orbs. Where did that idea come from? And what was the reaction from the skaters the first time that they had to put those on?
A: Yeah, I totally did that to them, didn’t I? It’s always really fun on Disney On Ice in an arena show to think how you can play with proportions. It has to read big, right? So if we were to have a beach ball size memory orb on the ice with all of these characters, it just wouldn’t feel as theatrical and as exaggerated. And when you see it now and you see that we lit them up and they change colors and it’s just really, really fun. But if you’re sitting in the 300 level, the visual that you’re getting is just as cool as if you’re sitting on the floor, and that’s what I’m really proud of. We do have to find ways of exaggerating these visuals and having fun with it.
We could have just done beach balls. But this is way more fun and it does kind of challenge us to see what we can do with it? How choreographically can this work? What kind of shapes work? What kind of colors are reading? We create this chaotic ballet of color, and I just love how big and exaggerated it is, and that’s what’s fun about doing shows for an arena size audience. It’s very different than a theater, right? If I were to put 16 of those inflatable memories on a stage, it would be cluttered, but we have a very large, long, rectangular stage and an audience that is very far away. So this seems like a really, really fun way of imagining that story.
Q: Jump In! is also the first time that we’ve seen Moana 2 on ice. When you see a Disney movie for the first time, in your mind, are you immediately thinking of ways to translate it to the ice?
A: 100%. 100% 100%. And the people that are close to me in my personal life hear a lot about it. I’m very, very sorry about that. But I definitely watch movies from that perspective all the time.
Q: When you saw Moana 2 for the first time, what immediately excited you about that?
A: Bats.
I saw Matangi and I was like, ‘what a fabulous chorus of bats I could do.’ I think that UV visual is one of those surprises that is a perfect collaboration between lighting design and costumes that really came together for a really, really good surprise. I knew right away what I wanted to do with that number, from the first time I saw that film.
Also, “Beyond.” That solo, it’s so skatable. It’s so powerful. We have incredible talent on Jump In! Mone [Kawanishi], the performer who skates through all of Moana, takes that to a whole new level. Adam’s choreography shines. It’s just, again, a beautiful collaboration between Mone and Adam and the music to really bring that to life.
I know you talked to Adam as well, but he also worked with one of the film choreographers, Tiana [Liufau], so that the movement was culturally authentic and appropriate and was such a great representation of that beautiful film. The people, the story, and it translated to the ice so beautifully because of Adam’s willingness to collaborate and, he just crosses his T’s and dots his I’s when educating himself on these properties and then starts to translate it in such a beautiful way. He’s brilliant. Adam’s one of my best friends in the entire world and he’s also one that I continually am impressed by at all times. And his work really shines through in the Moana segment for sure.
Q: And just last week, we got to see a new addition to the new show, the holiday pre-show, the festive singalong. What goes into creating a special holiday experience for the audience.
A: This one was fun for me. They allowed me to write this one, so I wrote it and directed it, and I choreographed it, so it was a fun project that I was really involved in. I’ve always really loved Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. I’ve always wanted to get more of that music and more of that story somehow infused into the ice skating world. I really love that dress that Elsa wears. I love Anna’s as well. I love Olaf’s little bow tie.
I started concepting that a while back and we were kind of ready for it when Jump In! Opened. We already had a script in place and we were recording voices. Scott was doing music arrangements for a singalong. We had the content guy we work with, Ilya, he was already working on getting the words up on the screen and pulling from Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, some of those beautiful holiday visuals. It was a project that I did a lot with, and I really had a good time installing it this last week because the performers on Jump In! were really excited about it. That really makes it easy for me to work with it, if they’re feeling that good about it. It was a really fun week for me. I was really proud of them and I hope they are too. And I think the audiences are really gonna love it.
You know, it’s fantastic. We did a Christmas one last year as well with Goofy and Donald. And I think it’s really great for Feld Entertainment to be able to do this special edition solely just for the fans. It’s like a holiday gift to everybody and I think that is so cool that they’re doing that for their Disney On Ice patrons.
Q: So now we’ve got Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, the costumes and some of the music on the ice. We’ve had a full Frozen show [the original D34] and then between D37 and D38 we’ve had a lot of the music from Frozen 2. So when are we getting a full Frozen saga as one giant on-ice spectacular?
A: Wouldn’t you love that? I would do it. I really would. I mean, Frozen 1, 2... and 3?
Q: We’re getting Frozen 3 soon, right?
A: It’s coming up. I’m just saying, I think that would be great. I think that would be really, really exciting and magical. The draw that the Frozen IP has for our guests that come to the show is natural. It just makes sense to see Frozen on Ice. And it’s very full formed, but it does make sense and it feels right and Elsa always, really, really does well out there. I’m telling you, whether it’s “Let It Go” or “Show Yourself” or “Into The Unknown,” people love her, and I’m not surprised they do. It’s a really fantastic story. It’s a fantastic character. It’s always fantastic music, which is super skatable. And it’s infused with magic, which is obviously a perfect fit for Disney On Ice.
Q: I want to jump back to D37. That was the show that was debuting during the 100th anniversary year for Disney. And Asha was actually added to that show midseason. So I’m curious, what was the challenge of making a change like that on the fly and how did it feel to have something like that on the ice while the movie was still in theaters?
A: It was really special. We were allowed access to the film. We got a preview from Disney, which was really special as well to see it and to collaborate with our Disney partners leading up to installing that. And then, obviously, taking it one step further in D38 and doing a whole “Wish” segment, but it was something that was very close lipped. We had to really be careful. We were all under the strict NDAs not to talk about it until it came out because we did have the privilege of seeing it before it was released so we could work on it and do it in a way that it deserves.
D37 was my first show that was a brand new production that I directed. It will always have a special place in my heart. It really celebrates the Magic of the Stars, of course, but it’s a beautiful celebration of 100 years. And Asha makes sense to be a part of that because that film in a lot of ways celebrated the history that the Disney company had as well.
Q: I’ve been in the audience enough to hear the reaction when Asha comes out, when Elsa comes out, when Moana comes out. How exciting is it for you to experience the crowd reaction to seeing their favorite characters?
A: That’s why we do it, right? We just hope that they do react. It’s really crazy when we’re doing rehearsals. It’s black walls. It’s a very small rehearsal hall. It’s not small. It’s huge, but it doesn’t have a lot of seating compared to an arena, right? Um, and we’re rehearsing and it’s a serious time, even though we’re doing something super fun, we’re all working really, really hard. So, as a director, and the producers and choreographer, we all kind of wait and see that with an audience and hold our breath to make sure that we are doing things that are landing with our audiences and that we’re getting the reactions that these characters and stories deserve and that we’re doing it in a way that is evoking reaction, right? That is my job as a director to do that.
It is wonderful and so rewarding when that all comes together and works. So I really love seeing audiences enjoy our shows. That’s why we do it. Like you said, you started going to Disney On Ice because it was coming to you and it was a way of getting your Disney fill, Disney live entertainment in your hometown and that’s what we try to do. We want to bring that magic of the park to everybody. And that’s the beauty of what Disney On Ice does. And man, if I look back at my 16 years traveling. I toured to 40 different countries within that 16 years. That’s an incredible opportunity to travel and to share joy and positivity all over the world.
Q: Over those 16 years, you’ve had the opportunity to skate for a lot of different properties. You’ve had the opportunity to write for a lot, direct a lot. Is there a Disney property that you haven’t gotten to touch that you would, your dream property to be able to bring to the ice someday?
A: Ooh, I’ve had a lot of my faves come true, but you know, one of my favorite Disney Pixar films is Luca. I love that film. I thought it was so good. It came out during the COVID pandemic, so I don’t know if it really got its chance to thrive. It wasn’t as popular, but I think that is such a cute film. It would be so fun to imagine being above the surface and below. It’s got that mermaid vibe, right? So, Luca would be one. Silencio Bruno!
Q: That would be so much fun. You can get Silencio Bruno and then We Don’t Talk About Bruno.
A: Exactly. There’s our transition right there.
Q: In the past couple years, it feels like we’ve seen a resurgence of some of the iconic villains on the ice. We got Matangi in D30e. Scar and Magnifico have really big roles in D38. How do you balance bringing those characters to life while also remembering that your primary audience is kids who might actually kind of be scared by the villains?
A: Yeah, you gotta do it in a very happy way. That’s why Magnifico really works because he’s so exaggeratedly about himself that it’s humorous, his song is humorous. Matangi is not a villain, right? She ends up not being a villain, but she has this mystery to her. Scar, terrifying, but he’s got the hyenas to keep it light, right? And our costume design on that show was unbelievable. Dawna Oak. So good. Ursula, you’ll notice on D38, doesn’t show up. So we have to pick and choose our moments because it can get scary and we have to keep it light.
But there’s also a real big villain following. The show “Unfairly Ever After” at the parks here in Florida, has done really, really well, and that theme of seeing villains collaborate with each other under the same roof, you know, within their world, but under the same roof, for common purpose, is something that really we’re looking into and it’s really attractive to think about. So I would love to see villains in a new way and having them come in in a really humor-driven way, to your point, not to be scary.
I also think that with any storytelling, you need peaks and valleys. You need to have a villain make you feel a certain way so that you can feel a certain way of victory and happiness and a win for these characters, right? You have to have that arc. Otherwise, you’ll just be happy all the time and then you won’t really understand or feel those happy moments in the way that you’re meant to feel them. So it is important to balance that in any kind of storytelling.
Q: I completely agree. And you see that in one of my favorite segments in D38, in Frozen 2, where you have Maria [Starr] up on the ropes, she’s being thrown around by the ocean, and then you get that resurgence with “Show Yourself.” How did that segment come together?
A: Oh my gosh, I love that segment. I love it. I love that whole moment of seeing her fly and jump over the waves and then enter with the water nokk, the elemental spirit, and then get into “Show Yourself” and everything that Adam did with that solo. Absolutely iconic. Maria, absolutely one of the best Disney On Ice leads that this company has ever seen. It was a perfect collaboration of a whole bunch of talents to make that happen.
I will say when I saw that film, and I saw that scene from jumping over the waves to the horse, to the solo, I knew what I wanted to do there, right from the beginning. It was one of those things that we were pitching from the beginning. It never changed. It stayed strong. We did a lot of iterations of what to do with the fabric below because that is always tricky. But we ended up really finding it and I’m so proud of that. And that’s one of my favorite moments that we’ve ever created.
Q: Last but not least, this might be a challenge to answer, but, what is the main takeaway that you want the audience to have when walking out of a Disney On Ice show?
A: I want them to walk away thinking, ‘wow, that was way more than I expected.’ That we over-delivered on production value, on visuals, on storytelling, on skating, on acrobatics, on performance. I want people to walk away and be like, ‘wow, I can’t wait to bring someone back to this because I liked this way more than I ever thought.’ And maybe it’s someone that’s brought a date. Maybe it’s a teenager that’s brought a date to the show. Maybe it’s a family member that went as a kid that is now bringing their family. That is so cool that it becomes a tradition to people, but we also do want to be different each time. So we want them walking away thinking, ‘wow, that was way more than I ever could imagine.’ I think that it is really, really special that we have the opportunity to do that.