When you take kids to shows you find yourself judging its merits not on the spectacular unfolding in front of you, but by the reactions of the child or children you are with.

Whenever we take our four-year-old to a show or an event both my wife and I find ourselves watching our daughter rather than the things we have paid hard earned money for.

Applying this rating system to the Disney on Ice show we watched at the Phones 4U Arena would give it spectacular score, because from the moment the show started Charlotte was captivated by what was happening out on the ice.

Since becoming a father I have seen a lot of shows aimed at children and families of varying quality and have to say this was one of the best.

Everything from the costumes and the choreography through to the way the show ran shone bright with a sheen of professionalism.

The show features more than sixty of Disney’s best known characters and is littered with a raft of visually stunning moments.

Monstro the whale in the Pinocchio segment is particularly worthy of a mention, as is the dance sequence featuring six of Disney’s best known princesses and their princes.

The show is subtitled "a hundred years of magic" and I can honestly say that it does capture the essence of wonder and fun that the Disney name has been synonymous with for generations.

Gus Sivyer