Soaring with the Stars at the PLANES Red Carpet Premiere, #DisneyPlanesPremiere

(Note to readers: I was hosted by Disney Studios to help review and promote the movie. I was not otherwise compensated and my opinions remain my own. #disneyplanespremiere #littlemermaidevent)

Sitting in El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, enjoying the premiere of the movie PLANES, knowing the cast and crew were in the audience right along with me, is an experience that I believe ranks right up there with births, weddings, and graduations (please don’t ask me to rank them right now–I’m sure I’d insult a loved one)…essentially, something I’ll never forget.

The only other time I’d even walked down Hollywood Boulevard before was two years earlier, when I visited a friend in LA and she gave me the obligatory tour of all things Hollywood. El Capitan is where the action happens.  Where the stars strut down the red carpet like royalty.  I never would have imagined that I’d be walking the famed red carpet of a movie premiere just two years later.

Nor would I have dreamed that I’d be taking photos with Hollywood stars, meeting their families, while enjoying a premiere party in front of the Theater, then watching that movie with them.

So when I found out I’d be attending a premiere, I don’t think the thrill truly sank in until I actually stepped onto the red carpet, at the same moment that Teri Hatcher, one of the movie’s main stars, was taking that glamorous walk.

The only difference was she had dozens of cameras zoomed in on her every move.  I had one camera buddy that I’d selected before the walk, a blogging friend who wanted photos as much as I did to document that all of this really happened.

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(A selfie with my red carpet photo buddy, Shannon Gosney from http://www.themommy-files.com/.)

The pre-party was great, talking with the various actors and meeting their children, playing fun games created for the kids and winning fabulous prizes that included products now sold at Target stores featuring PLANES characters.  I’m not typically the star-struck type, but it’s tough not to drop your jaw when you meet the likes of Teri Hatcher. She’s stunning, as is her daughter. But as much as she seems ‘bigger than life’, she’s very approachable.  All the stars were.  They humored me, posing for photos.  They introduced me to their kiddos. I even swapped business cards with one or two who thought it would be fun to connect again later (yes, they might have tossed those cards as soon as I turned my back, but I choose to believe otherwise).

(Teri Hatcher was stunning, and super sweet to pose with me.)

(Posing with Alyssa Milano (who was there with her hubby, mom, and adorable son)

(Harold Perrineau Jr. from LOST and his beautiful daughter.)

As fun as that was, nothing topped the feeling of sitting in the theater, watching the lights dim and the movie begin to play.  It was as if I could feel their thrills and anxiety, celebrating the years of hard work that went into making it a reality, and share in that excitement.

And it was exciting.  Little cheers would erupt from different parts of the theater when someone would recognize their role coming to life, or when the credits crawled across the screen at the end.

And it was exhilarating to be able to tell these stars what a wonderful job they did when the movie ended.

That stuff doesn’t happen every day.  Once in a lifetime is pretty awesome, and I’m thankful to have been able to soar with the stars, even just for one night.

(Posing with Dane Cook after the movie. He’s the voice of Dusty.)

Special note of thanks to Stacie at The Divine Miss Mommy for allowing me to write for her during this trip and for the folks at Disney Studios who made it so memorable!

(Reader note: I’ll be posting a review of the actual movie this Friday, August 9th, the same day that it opens in theaters.) 

The following are some bonus photos that I took because my daughter loves these actors who are part of her Disney shows.

(Zuri (Skai Jackson) and Emma (Peyton List) characters from Jessie.)

(Luke (Cameron Boyce) and Ravi (Karan Brar) from Jessie… the entire cast was sitting in the row in front of us.)

(Ce Ce (Bella Thorne) from Shake It Up Chicago.)