The Lion King premiered in 3D at the El Capitan Theater, and among all the stars and regalia of a Hollywood premiere I was part of a select group of bloggers invited to walk the red carpet. Just recalling the events of my star-studded day makes me giddy with excitement and pride to have been chosen for this opportunity.
My red, well in this case green, carpet debut was everything this suburban mom could have hoped for and so much more. Not only did I walk the red carpet and sit in a theater filled with stars to watch my favorite Disney classic of all time in 3D, I also attended the official after party and rubbed elbows with stars! Oh yes, that’s right — we were even part of the after party festivities.
Among the celebrities at the event that I saw were Melissa Joan Hart, Rick Schroeder, Julie Bowen and Nolan Gould (Modern Family), Gilles Marini (Brothers and Sisters), Melora Hardin (The Office), Maria Canals-Barrera (Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place), Adam Irigoyen & Davis Cleveland (Disney Channel’s Shake it Up), Ryan Ochoa (Disney Channel’s Pair of Kings), tons of Disney Channel kidlets, Moira Kelly (Adult Nala), Niketa Calame (Young Nala), animators Tony Bancroft, Mark Henn and Disney producer Don Hahn.
Apparently I missed seeing Adam Sandler, Antonio Sabato Jr., Ali Landry and I am quite sure tons more!
Yep, it was pretty much AWESOME!
Here it is, my red-carpet moment…
And for video proof… I was able to find myself in this video of star arrivals. You can actually see me in the upper right of the video thumbnail! Look for me in action at 50 secs (don’t blink).
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERS07Q4fI4I
The after party was just as incredible as the red-carpet premiere. Since this was a Disney film, the party was filled with areas designed for kids, and I sooooo wished K was by my side. From jewelry making and Lion King inspired “tattoos” to caricatures and a bug toss — it was like greatest party ever for the kids (oh and me too).
Minding my Ps and Qs, and trying my very best not to giggle like a school girl I excitedly met and had my picture taken with:
Rick Schroeder, who was super friendly and even a bit chatty with us.
Melissa Joan Hart, who was in a hurry, and I almost missed. Thanks to my friend Kelli from MinivansAreHot for letting my highjack her picture and hop on in.
Nolan Gould (Luke from Modern Family), who seemed a bit overwhelmed by four mommy bloggers fawning over him!
And of course, the stars of the show, Simba and Nala!
I could go on and on about my Hollywood moment (dare I to dream that this is the first of more to come). It was without a doubt a once-in-a-lifetime weekend, and I will never forget a second of it (I have plenty more pictures to help me relive it). I can’t wait to tell my baby all about her Hollywood debut with Mommy! Thanks to everyone who made the day possible.
Disclosure – I was invited to the premiere event and all of my expenses were paid, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Elisabeth @ My Local Giveaways says
Wow! Looks like you had a blast! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
jen says
I did, it was amazing! 🙂 Thanks for reading it!
LeeAnn says
What an awesome experience! So fun!