A 16-CAR pile-up and a giant airplane landing gear being lowered from the arena ceiling are just two of the massive special effects on view as Toy Story 2 becomes the latest Disney On Ice show to visit Tyneside.

From Tuesday until next Sunday, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Rex, Bo Peep, Hamm, Slinky Dog, and the Green Army Men take to the ice at Newcastle's Metroradio Arena along with some new friends - Jessie, Bullseye and the Prospector.

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy, decked out in astronaut attire, introduce the story as Buzz enters to battle his arch-nemesis, Evil Emperor Zurg, complete with alien forms, laser lights and pyrotechnics.

For those who can't remember the popular animated film on which the show is based, the action surrounds toys owned by Andy which come to life. When Andy's mum holds a yard sale, Sheriff Woody winds up abducted by Big Al, the nefarious proprietor of Al's Toy Barn. Big Al knows the modest sheriff is really a highly valued collector's item and plans on selling Woody for a big price.

At Big Al's apartment, Woody meets some other collectible toys, Jessie, The Prospector and Bullseye the horse. All are old friends from Woody's Roundup, a 1950s children's television show. When Buzz's plastic posse finally finds Woody, the straight-shooting sheriff is uncertain as to where he truly belongs.

Jerry Bilik, vice president of Creative Development for Feld Entertainment, says: "One of the really big challenges is creating a sense of scale. We wanted to make the audience see the world of Big Al in human scale and then switch to see the world from a small toy's perspective. To accomplish this, we've included lots of oversized sets and scenic elements designed to make the audience feel tiny."

The principal skaters for this tour are: Russians Dimitri Botcharov and Igor Sinioutine, Lisa Cornelius, Shae Green and Eddy Zeidler from the US, Australian Kristian Ryan and Canadian Richard Stringer.

* Disney On Ice presents Disney/PIXAR's Toy Story 2 from Oct 5-10. Tickets: £10.50- 27. Box Office: 0870 707 8000 www.disney.co.uk/disneyonice

Published: 30/09/2004