Toy Story 2's nine-city tour began in Glasgow in September and ends in London at New Year - but there's nowhere better to see the latest Disney on Ice show than in Birmingham next week. From Wednesday October 27 through to Sunday, November 7, the skate-acular will be thrilling fans young and old during half term week. . . and beyond! We caught up with it at the Nottingham Arena last weekend and, while the show was great, there wasn't as much room to move around the stadium's narrow concourse as there is at Birmingham's splendid NIA. How spoilt we are! The opening ten minutes set the scene brilliantly, so don't be late for a flash of ceiling-high fireworks and some Jaws-style music as Buzz Lightyear faces danger. Then sheriff Woody is kidnapped by the wonderfully maniacal Stinky Pete - and all hell breaks loose. Closing the first 45 minutes is a stunning mix of visual flair and creative thinking, as a 30-foot toothpaste lorry gets caught up in a frenzy of motoring madness and sheds its load. This is the most challenging sequence Disney on Ice has ever done, so the highlight of part two is a much simpler but very funny bout of airport slapstick with Stinky Pete trying to hang on to his booty. The rescue of Woody from an aeroplane wheel is well staged before a big song and dance number reunites all the toys for a splendid finale to a show which features favourites from Rex to Bo Peep, Hamm, Slinky Dog, the Green Army Men, energetic cowgirl Jessie, Woody's trusted horse Bullseye and the proud Prospector. Show highlights include foot-tapping versions of hits by Thin Lizzy and The Beach Boys and Buzz Lightyear doing a backflip somersault by digging his skates into the ice in mid flow. See it and believe it at an event which mixes the light-show spectacle of a top class rock gig with all the silly fun of a Christmas panto. The 1999 movie generated nearly 10 million cinema admissions in the UK during the year 2000 and its £44 million gross was just enough to keep it in the all-time UK top ten films at the start of this year. There are 21 Birmingham shows -including three on both Saturdays, three on the first Sunday and two on the last day. Tickets are available from the NIA Box Office on 0870 909 4144 or online at www.necgroup. co.uk/boxoffice | 
