Toys bring their story to campus

Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3 featured scenes from the previous films as well as the latest one. (Peter Flint) 

It’s midway through fall semester of college, but do you know where your childhood toys are?

Well, this weekend they’ve invaded campus.

Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 3 comes to life at the Patriot Center through Sunday with the tale of what happens to toys when their owners grow up and move off to college.

The story, which is the conclusion to the saga started with the original Toy Story film in 1995, looks at a box of former-friends and whether they should live the rest of their days in the attic, be donated to a happy and hectic daycare, or maybe join Andy in his dorm room.

Through musical and dance numbers that include props and people flying through the air, Woody, Buzz and the gang learn from the green-army-man that their “mission has been executed to perfection,” now that Andy is leaving home.

The audience reminisces with Woody and Buzz about past adventures like the “Claw” and alien dolls and is later lead in a rendition of “Ho-down Throw down” by the “Round-up Gang.”

After intermission, Andy’s sister’s Barbie leads a jazzed-up workout number complete with leg warmers and skates that look like high-heels.

Then Barbie makes her resentment clear about being, “tossed in a box like yesterday’s fashion,” and donated to a daycare.

When the toys arrive in their new toy box, they meet Lotso-hugging-bear and the plastic-dream-boy Ken, who quickly skates Barbie off her feet in a slow motion dance of love at first sight.

Getting settled in, the daycare seems like a toy’s paradise where they’re “played with all day, five days a week,” but soon the toys have more to deal with than rowdy toddlers.

This week, C2M interviewed skater Kathryn Cotton, 18, who this past June graduated from high school in Texas and now brings Toy Story to life as part of the skating cast.

How long have you been doing Disney on Ice?

“I actually just joined this year, so this is my first year on tour.”

When did you apply to Disney on Ice?

“I auditioned after I graduated. A different Disney on Ice show was in my city and I auditioned with that show.”

What character do you play?

“ . . . I am in the very beginning number and it’s a green army military precision number. We start out with toy rifles and then we do a lot of military style choreography, then we move into a dance portion. It’s really fun. I’m also a rag doll in Woody’s Round Up which is my favorite number. We do lots of fun country dances—it’s kind of a medley of a lot of different songs and dances, and the crowd gets really into it. I’m also a Barbie workout girl and I get to work out with Barbie which is really fun and that always gets a lot of reaction from the crowd."

Do you think Toy Story 3 translates well to Ice?

“Oh yes, it really does. We have pretty much the entire Toy Story 3 movie and it fits really close to the movie but we also do parts from Toy Story 1 and 2 in our show.”

What’s your favorite part of the show?

“My favorite part of the show is probably Barbie and Ken. . .They are so funny.”

How long is the tour going till?

“We will go until May.”

How is it living on the road?

“I really enjoy it actually . . . I just graduated from high school, [so] it was kind of [like] leaving for college, except leaving for tour. I’ve been more independent and do everything for myself and I’m living away from home, but at the same time I get to travel and I get to do something I love. ”

What’s your favorite part about everything? You must get to meet a lot of people.

“We do get to meet a lot of really fun people, but I think my favorite part would be either the traveling or the performing because when we’re out on the ice it’s just energy for the crowd that transfers. . .and it makes the performing so much more fun.”

What got you started doing things on ice?

“Well, I started skating when I was four and I competed for about 12 years, and then my sister toured with Disney and that led me to do it.”

Why did you pick working in a show over competing?

“I liked competing but there’s a lot of pressure when you compete and I was really always geared more towards the show aspect. And so having the opportunity to do a show after all my years of training was great because I love performing and there’s no pressure and it’s always about fun.”

What’s in your future plans?

“I definitely want to keep touring for several years, and then I have a scholarship back in Texas waiting for me for college, and I plan to attend college afterwards.”

To see the toys for yourself and to find out how they survive their new toy box, contact the Patriot Center Box Office for tickets and show times through the weekend.