SAPPORO -- Disney may not be everybody's dreamland. For some, especially children, Disney's movies and theme parks are a fantasy world; for others, though, they seem more like slick merchandising opportunities.

Those of you who love Disney, keep reading. Those of you who don't, well, before you grimace and turn the page, try a quick tour through the jungle adventures of Disney's latest project -- this year's "Disney on Ice" extravaganza.

This is a world apart from regular Disney films. Yes, it's still about the world's most recognizable animated characters. But they are brought to life by talented performers, who execute their complex moves to well-loved, familiar tunes. "Disney on Ice" blends the excitement of a musical with the energy and grace of figure skating.

This year's performance tells the stories of "The Jungle Book," "Tarzan" and "The Lion King." And, of course, Disney wouldn't be Disney without Mickey and the gang. Wearing jungle-explorer outfits, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy are the tour guides who lead the audience through this dark, mysterious world.

Of the three, "Jungle Book" is visually the most "Disneyesque," with its fantastic animals: a 15-meter-long purple-and-green snake; pink, green and blue elephants; vultures dressed to carry on in hip-hop fashion -- and more.

The story tells of the friendship between Mowgli, a young boy, and the animals who try to protect him from an evil tiger, Sher Khan, who hates humans. Despite his protective friends, the two eventually come face to face. This powerful confrontation is thrillingly presented: Mowgli skates to and fro in a series of jumps and turns while literally fighting Sher Khan with fire.

The second half begins with "Tarzan," surely the show's highlight for its aerobatic and acrobatic performances.

It opens with Tarzan swinging on a rope from a 10-meter-high cliff down to the ice below. He lands, glides, then executes a breathtaking series of triple Salchow jumps and back flips before leaping onto another rope and climbing high above the audience.

After rescuing Jane, Tarzan shows her the beauty of his jungle world. Together they climb a rope, hook their legs into it and execute a series of aerobatics high above the ground -- a technique called the Spanish web act, which was introduced to the circus world in the 1960s. The astounding thing is that neither performer uses a support rope -- if they fall, they risk serious injury.

It's not all aerobatics. Some scenes are good ol' Disney song and dance, as when gorillas trash the camp of Jane and her father, finding as they do so all sorts of items that they use to create music, including a typewriter and tin cans. For this musical number, the animals do a rousing combination of hip-hop, stomp and acrobatics -- from back handsprings to jumping onto a chair on a 3.5-meter stick held high by another gorilla (all of them on skates, of course).

The finale of "Disney on Ice" is "The Lion King." Although not as innovative and exciting as "Tarzan," and told more briefly than the other two stories, this is something you don't want to miss -- especially if you are a figure-skating fan.

The beautiful pas de deux of Simba and Nala will take your breath away. To the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" they dance on the ice in perfect harmony. Simba effortlessly lifts Nala with one hand and she strikes complex poses high above his head. Their graceful synchronized movements seem to express, wordlessly, the two lions' passion for each other.

Quite unlike usual Disney fare, this spectacular ice-dance show -- part musical, part circus -- is sure to appeal to adults as well as children. And what better place to escape Japan's disgustingly humid summer than alongside the cool of a skating rink -- albeit one masquerading as the jungle!

A peek in the wings

Disne has strict regulations prohibiting the general public from seeing behind the scenes of its shows. Performers can only meet audience members if in costume and the press is encouraged not to name those dancing some roles to maintain the aura of make-believe.

This time, however, The Japan Times was allowed to take a peek into the wings.

The facts and figures testify to the scale of the production, which is at 15 venues in Japan, its first stop after opening in the U.S. in Sept. 2000. More than 150 people spent three days creating the 35 x 19-meter rink and setting up the stage scenery, as well as 48 speakers and 706 lights.

The colorful costumes were designed by Frank Krenz and are an essential part of that Disney magic. In total, 521 pieces were created by some 87 costume artists. Even with that number of costumes, says wardrobe head Motoyo Kondo, items have to be cleaned with great speed in order to be ready in time for their next appearance.

"After a show, six of us collect the body suits of the performers," says Kondo. "We stuff them in the three washing machines backstage so that they'll be ready for the next performance."

The outer costumes, on the other hand, are so delicately made that most must be washed by hand once a week. And although both Kondo's team and the cast members take great care with each costume, invariably garments find their way back to Kondo for repair.

"We have a rule," says Kondo. "Once you're in a costume, you can't sit and you can't eat. There's a fine for people found doing either thing."

The most important factor, however, is surely the cast. The current tour draws 41 skaters from the world over, including the United States, Russia, Japan and Great Britain. Collectively, they've rehearsed for more than 1,200 hours -- an average of six weeks per performer.

There was extra time, however, for the principals. Two whose roles are especially demanding are Jamie Loper and Natasha Kuchiki, who play Tarzan and Jane. Loper and Kuchiki, like the rest of the cast, are professional skaters, and it took a grueling training regime to give them the skills -- and upper-body muscles -- required for the acrobatics their roles demand.

"We had to increase our physical strength and flexibility," says Loper. "Also, we had to learn how to work together and on an apparatus with no safety. Technique became our safety."

To master the aerial acrobatics, they spent an extra six weeks training with Alla Youdina, a master of the Spanish web act.

"She basically broke our bodies," says Kuchiki with a smile. "There were times when we wanted to quit, especially when we were plagued with serious injuries, but we worked through it."

All the audience sees, though, is the show's smooth final form.

Not that the hard work stop once the lights go down and each show begins.

"What we do out there [on the ice] is more important than anything," says Loper. "There are times when we are almost too tired to go out, but once we do, we realize that each performance is very special for the audience. And that makes it worth it all."