I wanted to start this off with a paragraph about how excited I am about this trip using lyrics from Hamilton, but realized I’d be doing a disservice to the actual nature of the trip. This is about the collective genius of everyone who came together to create Disney Animation’s new film, Moana (with some other exciting things along the way).
Here’s the thing, It’s so hard to go from having this musical, lyrical obsession for 9 months to finding out you’re meeting the creative genius behind your obsession. But then I also realized that this trip is so big and so full of creative genius and talent that my head is still spinning. It’s not often I’m speechless but right now I’m finding it difficult to form sentences to explain how exciting my upcoming trip to Los Angeles to celebrate the red carpet premiere of Moana is going to be. Don’t worry, you’ll get to see Moana in theaters when it opens on November 23rd, you’ll just have to live vicariously through me for the interviews and premiere.
Saturday, November 12
My trip starts early in the morning on Saturday, November 12th when I take flight from the Florida panhandle to Los Angeles, California. I’ll get to squeeze some friends, grab dinner, and then we’ll head to a private screening of Disney’s Moana (for the record, it’s pronounced MOE-ON-UH, not MOE-NA) and the short film Inner Workings. After the movie, I promise to tell you how much I loved it without giving anything away.
Follow along with #MoanaEvent
Sunday, November 13
On Sunday, I’ll wake up from probably not sleeping at all due to overwhelming excitement, and use breathing practices to calm my heart for our interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote the music for Moana. *deepbreath* I can’t believe this is real life. Followed by that interview, we will be interviewing Auli’i Cravalho who voices “Moana”.
Image ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
She’s adorable, you guys. Check her out on Disney’s Instagram page where she took over for the day last week. We’re also interviewing the directors, Ron Clements & John Musker (who, by the way, are responsible for The Little Mermaid and Aladdin – would it be inappropriate for me to bring my magic carpet into the interview and brush my hair with a fork?), producer Osnat Shurer, Opetaia Foa’i who is also responsible for the Polynesian-inspired music in Moana, and – do you smell it? DO YOU SMELL IT?
MOANA’S MISSION — Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) may be a demigod—half god, half mortal, all awesome—but he’s no match for Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho), who’s determined to sail out on a daring mission to save her people. Moana’s first challenge is convincing Maui to join her. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, produced by Osnat Shurer, and featuring music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa‘i, “Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016. ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
Dwayne Johnson, the voice of “Maui” himself. I wonder if he’ll come correct with a raised eyebrow or if we’ll have to entice him to raise it for us. After a one hour break on the beach, we will also interview the director and producer of Inner Workings Leo Matsuda and Sean Lurie after a special presentation.
Follow along with #MoanaEvent
Monday, November 14
Have you ever wanted parts of your childhood to come to life where books were concerned, or was that just us nerdy kids? As an enormous Roald Dahl fan, I am so looking forward to Monday morning where we will have a miniature brunch feast inspired by The BFG, and and interview with Lucy Dahl, daughter of late author Roald Dahl. This whole set up is to celebrate the release of The BFG on Blu-Ray. The BFG is available Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital HD on November 29th.
We will then visit the set of ABC’s sitcom, Speechless staring Minnie Driver where we will have a meet & greet with available cast, and a special behind-the-scenes experience.
NOTE: If you haven’t watched this show yet, set it to record or watch it when it airs on Wednesday nights because it’s HYSTERICAL! It follows Minnie Driver and her family through life with a teen child who has Cerebral Palsy and cannot speak. J.J. is a typical teen whose “hands need a tune up” and uses a special board and laser pointer to “speak”. Watch it.
Follow along with #ABCTVEvent and #Speechless
After that, we’ll head to the set of ABC’s Dr. Ken where we’ll have the chance to have a meet & greet with producer and star of the show, Ken Jeong and other available cast members. Catch Dr. Ken on Friday nights on ABC!
Follow along with #ABCTVEvent and #DrKen
After a crazy day of meet & greets, we’ll be hitting the red carpet where I’ll don a custom Moana-inspired necklace by The Salty Sparrow.
There’s a pre-party on Hollywood Boulevard where we’ll have the chance to rub elbows with Hollywood’s A-list celebs and their families before the red carpet premiere of Moana at the famous El Capitan Theatre
. Make SURE you’re following me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for this event because I’ll be live-streaming, tweeting, and posting loads of pics from this star-studded event.
Life goal: Tell Lin-Manuel Miranda how much his work has impacted my family and our relationships. Stay tuned to see if I can make it happen.
Follow along with #MoanaEvent
Tuesday, November 15
Our trip concludes with a visit to Disney Studios with an interview with Nicole Scherzinger who voices “Sina” in Moana.
NICOLE SCHERZINGER (Grammy®-nominated singer, West End’s “Cats”) voices Moana’s mother, SINA, who always has her daughter’s back. Playful, sharp and strong-willed, Sina appreciates Moana’s longing to be on the water, but also wants to protect her daughter from the fabled dangers beyond the reef. ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
We’ll finish the day with a rockin’ interview with the entire cast of one of our family’s favorite shows currently on The Disney Channel, Stuck in the Middle.
Follow along with #MoanaEvent and #StuckInTheMiddleEvent
Then, my friends, I’ll board a plane and come home, no doubt still floating from the days’ events.
Come with me!
I mean, you can’t actually come with me, but be there in spirit by shooting over any questions you’d like for me to ask the stars of Moana, Lucy Dahl, or the stars of any of the shows. Contact me by tweeting your question to me or by dropping an email to Summer@dirtyfloordiaries.com.
And make sure you’re following along on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook because you really don’t want to miss this!
From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes Moana, a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess & the Frog) and produced by Osnat Shurer (Lifted, One Man Band), Moana sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.
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