stage review

DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS

DARE TO DREAM

Presented by Feld Entertainment, Inc. At: Agganis Arena at Boston University. Through Jan. 1. Tickets $10-$100, 1-800-653-8000, www.ticketmaster.com

Merchandising tie-ins, theme parks, Broadway musicals: Disney is so relentless about squeezing every possible dime out of beloved movie characters that it’s prudent to approach each venture spawned by the entertainment empire with a certain wary skepticism.

But that can sometimes be hard to sustain in the face of the thing itself. Take the calculating but nonetheless beguiling “Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream,’’ which offers just enough of those expertly engineered moments of enchantment that are central to the Disney aesthetic.

“Dare to Dream’’ features figure-skating performers who portray Disney “princesses’’ and a host of other characters from “Tangled,’’ “Cinderella,’’ “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,’’ and “The Princess and the Frog.’’ The stylishly executed ice show at Agganis Arena is presented by Feld Entertainment Inc., which licensed the rights to the Disney characters and storylines. As suggested by the title, the princesses in “Dare to Dream’’ are intent on finding themselves, often by breaking free from constricting roles and repressive authority.

Underscoring that theme are the jumps, spins, and lifts that are gracefully executed by the lavishly costumed performers as they sweep across the ice, enacting scenes from the animated films. Whether performed as solos, duets, or precisely synchronized ensemble routines, the skating sequences in “Dare to Dream’’ verge on the balletic.

The protagonists include Cinderella, who remains a doughty underdog you can root for; Tiana, from “The Princess and the Frog,’’ though her storyline is vaguely sketched in a New Orleans sequence highlighted by a parasol-twirling ensemble; the golden-tressed Rapunzel, from “Tangled’’; and Snow White, who promises to “sew and sweep and cook’’ for the Seven Dwarfs if they’ll take her in (get this young lady a copy of “The Feminine Mystique,’’ stat!).

It is when the focus shifts to Rapunzel that “Dare to Dream’’ really takes off. Portrayed by the immensely talented Taylor Steele, Rapunzel chafes under the thumb of a control-freak mother figure while initially resisting the charms of the rascally Flynn, played by Joe Jacobsen. Their romantic attraction eventually provides the pretext for some heart-in-your-mouth high flying on aerial silks by Steele and Jacobsen, as well as some of the show’s most dynamic skating routines.

Also on hand in “Dare to Dream’’ are Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. If you’re an adult, the breathless yelping of Mickey et. al. as they introduce scenes is likely to get on your nerves. If you’re a kid, you might well wonder who the heck they are.

Kids, of course, are the target audience of “Dare to Dream,’’ and the performers played to them on Friday night, when numerous little girls were attired in princess gowns. After being offered a poisoned apple by the Evil Queen, Snow White asked the audience: “Should I take a bite?’’ The fervent reply came back instantly: “Noooo!’’ Alas, their sound advice went unheeded.

Don Aucoin can be reached at aucoin@globe.com.