Sand sculpture festivals featuring Disney characters are becoming more and more popular, particularly in Europe. In an earlier Archive entry, we saw images of several Snow White-themed works from a 2008 event in Holland. Today's photos were shot by enthusiast, Maxime Lansmans, at the 2011 Blankenberge Sand Sculpture Festival in Belgium (sponsored by Disneyland Paris).
Snow and the Prince.
Doc and Sneezy.
Happy and Bashful.
Dopey, Sleepy, and Grumpy.
Cottage.
And the Old Witch next to it.
Map of the Festival.
A closeup on the Snow White section.
Map reverse side.
Info and images courtesy of the Maxime Lansmans Collection.
More photos can be found online at the festival website. Below we see the walkway and pavilion canopy overhead.
Over the last few years, several additional sand and ice sculpture festivals have been held, with more planned in the coming years. The Filmic Light will report back in future posts on those that relate to Snow White.
One of the nice benefits of writing the Filmic Light blog is being able to connect with other Snow White fans. So many marvelous and generous people have supported the site--through their comments and sharing of information, with images from their own collections, and even with one-of-a-kind artwork.
Maxime Lansmans lives in Belgium. Like myself, he and his brother Alexandre are great admirers of Walt Disney's first feature-length film. I was honored the other day when Maxime sent this image he'd created as a tribute to the Snow White Archive.
This unusual looking Dopey was a merchandise item sold at Walt Disney's World on Ice United Kingdom presentation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1994-1997). According to its current owner, it's likely the figure was originally purchased at the UK Birmingham NIA or NEC arena. Made of hard plastic, it stands just under 6" tall.
Collector Disney Showcase Key lives in Belgium, and he shares with us a couple souvenirs he picked up from a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs World on Ice show he attended back in 1998. The performances were held at Flanders Expo near Brussels for 4 days in March. (Note: The "World on Ice" name would be changed to "Disney on Ice" during this year.)
DSK saved these items that typically don't hold up well over time after being played with by children. Pictured below is a Snow White popcorn bucket with lid...AND the original popcorn too! Plus a Snow White paper crown that was handed out to audience members.
DSK also purchased a couple of Snow White "gadget lights" at the show...
In 1981, the Disney Company began producing their own touring ice shows under the leadership of producer Kenneth Feld. Walt Disney's World on Ice hit the road that year and has never looked back.
The performances to this day are geared toward the child audience. As a result, the stars of the show are no longer the Olympic champion ice skaters (as in the Ice Capades) but the characters they portray. The productions are immensely popular, requiring at any one time up to eight different touring troupes around the world.
The first Walt Disney's World on Ice program book, premiere edition from 1981...
A wealth of shows have been produced over the years, the Snow White characters making appearances in a great number of them. The Evil Queen and the Magic Mirror played a significant part in 1982's The Great Ice Odyssey.
1982 Program Cover.
Yet, two productions in particular told the Snow White story in its entirety. The first was the 1986-1987-ish Snow White on Ice show, then the 1994-1997 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs presentation. This latter production returned again in 2000-2001.
1986 banners from Snow White on Ice (16.5" x 12")...
See the play-by-play for both Snow White productions via the program booklets from the 1987 and 1997 shows. Also see the press kit from the latter. Plus read a review of the 1997 performance by Kenneth Sundberg, administrator of the KenNetti Snow White Database.
In 1998, the World on Ice name was changed to Disney on Ice (see poster), and the number of shows continued to grow.
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Here's a sampling from some of the more recent Disney on Ice productions:
