Disney Archives - Jen is on a Journey

Queen Of Katwe Hollywood Premiere and After Party #QueenOfKatweEvent #QueenOfKatwe

September 23, 2016 by The Mom Jen 1 Comment

After 3 whirlwind days in Los Angeles and one day to decompress, I’m ready to fill you in on my Queen of Katwe Hollywood premiere and after party experience! I mean, this is my fourth time doing it and every single time it’s unique and different and also wonderful and awe-inspiring. Just hours before, we were sitting in a room at Walt Disney Studios interviewing the director of the film, Mira Nair. Soon after that, Lupita Nyong’o, Madina Nalwanga, and Martin Kabanza were seated before us in tears and bringing tears to our eyes recalling precious moments of the filming experience. That in itself is pretty surreal, and when they were leaving we didn’t say goodbye, but see you later at the premiere and after party. Pinch me because I think it may all have been a dream!

As per tradition for these trips, we lined up on the famous Dolby Theater steps, the very same ones that celebrities walk when attending the Academy Awards. Thank you to Marshall for snapping this fantastic photo of the group!I brought along 4 dresses to choose from for the red carpet. All black dresses because that is my comfort color, but they were all very different. The other 24 bloggers and I chatted and shared photos and inspiration of our outfits in a Facebook group and I grew more and more nervous as I saw the beautiful selections they were choosing. I had a few great thematic jewelry pieces I had borrowed and was hoping for a sign to help me decide what to wear. Fashion is not my strong point. As a stay-at-home mom/work-at-home mom, I don’t leave the comfort of casual clothing and my favorite place to shop is Target. Ultimately I opted for a short patterned dress with black wedge heels that made me feel like a million bucks. It was abnormally hot and muggy this particular evening, I wore my sweater at first but immediately had to shake it off soon after. We approached the burgundy carpet and began our stroll down Hollywood Boulevard. As you can see, I was constantly surrounded by beauty! Flash bulbs, fans, paparazzi, you get a chance to feel like what it’s like to be famous for 15 minutes of fame. It’s funny to hear the crowd ask eachother, “is that someone?” as us bloggers walk by and take our time to pause for photos. More often than not, we hear “please keep moving” as we photograph the cast of Queen of Katwe and their families on the carpet. As we approach the entrance to the historic El Capitan Theater, I was lucky enough to be in a great position to photograph the young stars. Their smiles were genuine and brought me to tears again (theme of the trip), we learned that Madina (who plays Phiona Mutesi) is quite the dancer, and my daughters both study dance and perform so these photos I captured were extra special. The inspirations for the movie Phiona Mutesi and Robert Katende arrived as did Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, and Mira Nair and I got another fantastic set of pictures! We were ushered into the theater with time to grab popcorn and a drink. We sat second row as the venue filled with families and friends of the cast and crew of Queen Of Katwe. As the curtains opened and the movie began, hoots and hollers came from the crowd. It’s an amazing feeling to know the very special people behind every aspect of the film were potentially in attendance of this Hollywood event and with pride they cheered for their grand accomplishment.

It was the second time we saw the film in the same amount of days. We watched the screener the night before to prepare for our interviews. I need to tell you to bring a BOX of tissues with you. The movie will move you, especially if you are a mother, especially if you have young children, especially if you have a beating heart. It’s emotional, it’s inspirational, and it’s a true story! My review will come next week, so stay tuned for that! Watch the trailer below:

The night was not over. Though I was exhausted from crying and our long day, a second wind came over me. I left the theater and headed to the Hard Rock Cafe across the street for the after party! The vibe was electric. Music was pumping, people were everywhere, there was food, drinks, dessert and it was a fun time! We found a spot to sit and I was impressed by a mother and her young daughters so polished and beautiful. I find out one of the girls is Disney Channel star Skai Jackson. As they are literally at our table, I didn’t take a photo but instead complimented the mother on her outfit and the beauty of her girls.

The music picked up and soon dancers filled the floor. I walked over to see Madina and Martin tearing it up and shot this video of them having so much fun along with a host of many other teenagers.

Lupita joined the crowd and I got to see her gorgeous lavender outfit up close.

The day and night were so memorable. I came home to brag to friends and family about our experience, but mostly to encourage them to see the movie with their families, with their children, with their friends!

Queen Of Katwe opens in select theaters today; everywhere on September 30th and I cannot wait to take my family to see it!

for more #QueenOfKatweEvent posts, interviews, and red carpet experiences from our trip, check out the following link, http://jenisonajourney.com/tag/queen-of-katwe.

Like QUEEN OF KATWE on Facebook: Facebook.com/QueenOfKatwe/

Follow QUEEN OF KATWE on Twitter: @queenofkatwe #QueenOfKatwe #QueenOfKatweEvent

My trip that included the Queen Of Katwe Hollywood Premiere and After Party was hosted by Disney but every moment documented is 100% my own.

Play Chess Like the Queen Of Katwe #QueenOfKatweEvent #QueenOfKatwe

September 8, 2016 by The Mom Jen 10 Comments

As a parent of three children, I’ve seen them explore hobbies and passions, I’ve seen them succeed and fail. No matter what, they need encouragement, support, and love and often a little spark to encourage taking risks. Now take that concept and apply it to living in a third world country. QUEEN OF KATWE is an inspiring true story of a young girl named Phiona, who sold corn on the streets of Uganda and then had her life altered when she is introduced to the game of chess. Confidence, determination along with the support of her family leads Phiona on a journey as she pursues her new found dream of becoming an international chess champion. It’s a story of overcoming the odds and finding your inner Queen.

Does this sound like the kind of movie you want to see, not only am I excited to see the QUEEN OF KATWE movie, I’m honored to be invited to the movie’s Hollywood premiere!

In celebration of attending the Red Carpet Premiere of QUEEN OF KATWE later this month, I have teamed up with several of the #QueenOfKatweEvent bloggers to bring you NOT ONE BUT TWO amazing chances to win a this gorgeous Jarilo chess board along with a copy of QUEEN OF KATWE. Entering is simple and easy, just follow the steps in the giveaway tool below, however once you are done entering my giveaway, head over to The Michigan Mom and enter the second giveaway. See I told you it was easy! Good luck.

Queen of Katwe Giveaway 2

Rules of the Giveaway: Winners are subject to verification of eligibility. You must be at least 18 years of age to enter, a U.S. Resident and provide a physical mailing address for the prize (P.O. Boxes will not be accepted). The giveaway starts at 12:00 am CST on September 9th, 2016, and will be end at 11:59 pm on September 16th, 2016. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond. Failure to respond will result in forfeiture of prize and a new winner will be selected.

Now that you have entered, please be sure to follow the hashtag #QueenOfKatweEvent to learn more about this amazing movie and to follow the journey of the 25 #QueenOfKatweEvent Bloggers who will be attending the Red Carpet Premiere.

Visit the QUEEN OF KATWE website

Like QUEEN OF KATWE on Facebook

Follow QUEEN OF KATWE on Twitter

Get your own copy of QUEEN OF KATWE

QUEEN OF KATWE opens in SELECT theaters on September 23rd and everywhere on September 30th.

Disney Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur Review #GoodDino

November 29, 2015 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Leave it to the brilliant minds at Disney Pixar to create a wonderful new movie, which not only has a fresh and new idea for a storyline, but also has the characters that you once again fall in love with. This is how I felt after seeing their latest gift, “The Good Dinosaur.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect when it started — the only ad my daughter and I recalled was one that suggested “what if the meteor had missed?” The movie did start out with that exact concept, making it clear that this was their idea of what a world with evolving dinosaurs would look like. And what a world it would be! I don’t want to give away much, but right off the bat, you see that the Dinos have figured things out.

We meet a family of dinosaurs that are just like a family you’d meet today — a proud father, a loving mother and three kids with three distinct personalities. Arlo is our hero, hatched last and smallest after his siblings. They grow up, as siblings do, with the usual amounts of teasing and squabbling that comes along with it. They all have their chores and have to help participate in the family routine. Everything goes along well until tragedy strikes and Arlo is separated from his family by a good distance. He wants to find his way back, and naturally along the way will meet all kinds of interesting characters and have crazy adventures. A favorite is Spot, the tiny human who runs and barks like a dog, but finds his way into your heart pretty quickly as Arlo’s sidekick. Another welcome character is Butch, a T-rex that Arlo befriends and is voiced by the wonderful Sam Elliott. I don’t know about the rest of you, but his voice wraps me up like a warm cozy blanket, making me feel safe and comforted all at once.

As Arlo goes along in his adventure, he slowly but surely becomes more confident in himself, and does some of the growing up that he needed to do. You find yourself cheering him on and feeling proud as he plugs along and fights his way through the inevitable bad guys. There are also a LOT of laughs along the way — I don’t know the last time I heard an audience laugh that loud, multiple times! Everyone around me — kids of all ages — enjoyed this movie from beginning to end.

In the end, I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to preview this movie and recommend it to others! Please take your whole family out and see this one together. Every age will love it and get something out of it — I guarantee it!

meredith Merrie is a writer for the Jen is on a Journey and you can also find her at her blog, Sleepless Mornings: Merrie is the mother of two beautiful children, newly married, a scrapbooker, a baker, and always fun to be around! Media passes were given for review.

Disney’s Descendants: A Sequel in Development #Descendants

October 16, 2015 by The Mom Jen 1 Comment

Descendants: A Sequel in Development + Fan Event at Disneyland Oct. 17 #Descendants My nine-year-old daughter just let out a squeal like many Disney fans around the world, a “Descendants” sequel script has been commissioned from the movie’s screenwriters Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon who will also serve as executive producers on the project. “Descendants” is cable television’s fifth highest-rated movie of all-time.

Gary Marsh, President and Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide announced yesterday, “By almost every measure – domestically and globally – ‘Descendants’ has already become one of the biggest entertainment properties of the year and we’re eager to delve deeper into the unfolding mythology of Auradon and Isle of the Lost. This kind of compelling, innovative storytelling, alongside our animated ‘Descendants: Wicked World’ shorts and unique transmedia campaign, continues to lay the groundwork for multiple franchise opportunities across virtually every line of business at The Walt Disney Company.”

Disney’s “Descendants,” a modern-day coming-of-age adventure about the teenage sons and daughters of Disney’s most infamous villains, is a live-action, music-filled, dragon-sized adventure starring Dove Cameron as Mal, Cameron Boyce as Carlos, Booboo Stewart as Jay, Sofia Carson as Evie, Mitchell Hope as Ben, Tony Award-winning Kristin Chenoweth as Maleficent, Wendy Raquel Robinson as Cruella de Vil, Maz Jobrani as Jafar, Kathy Najimy as the Evil Queen, Melanie Paxson as Fairy Godmother, Brenna D’Amico as Jane, Sarah Jeffery as Audrey, Zachary Gibson as Doug, Jedidiah Goodacre as Chad Charming, and Dianne Doan as Lonnie.

The July 31 premiere of “Descendants,” a Disney Channel Original Movie directed, choreographed and executive-produced by Kenny Ortega (“High School Musical”) delivered over 12.2 million (L+7) Total Viewers in the U.S., including 3.1 million Adults 18-49, making it the #1 cable TV movie in nearly three years in that demographic. It also broke viewing records on the WATCH Disney Channel app where it has posted 3.3 million video views since July 24.

Also announced, Melissa de la Cruz will write a second novel as part of the ongoing “Descendants” publishing program. “Return to the Isle of the Lost” will publish in May 2016. The prequel novel, “The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel” by Melissa de la Cruz, hit #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List (Children’s Middle Grade) for 13 of the past 22 weeks on the list. In total, four “Descendants” books from Disney Publishing Worldwide have been on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Furthermore all sorts of Descendants games arise. Poki offers a large selection of free to play Descendants games which can keep you entertained for hours. A “Descendants” mobile game from Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media will launch in November. A “Descendants” Karaoke App released July 30 and reached #1 in the Kids 9-11 category in four countries including the U.S. The “Descendants” soundtrack entered the Billboard 200 at #1 and six music videos of its musical numbers plus its end-credit song “Believe” by Shawn Mendes and a “Rotten to the Core” remix by Sofia Carson, have delivered over 254 million views on DisneyMusicVevo. The movie has also inspired creative fan art, fan fiction, fan song covers and fan dance videos.

On Saturday, October 17, the stars of Disney’s “Descendants” including Dove Cameron (Disney Channel’s “Liv and Maddie”), Cameron Boyce (Disney XD’s “Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything,” Disney Channel’s “Jessie”), Booboo Stewart (“X-Men Days of Future Past”) and Sofia Carson, and Kenny Ortega will celebrate with fans during an on-stage, music and dance-filled event at Downtown Disney District, Disneyland Resort, in Anaheim, California.

A Twist on Disney Stories: Fairy Tale 2.0 #FairyTale2pt0

October 15, 2015 by The Mom Jen 10 Comments

I have many fond memories of reading to my students as a Kindergarten/First Grade teacher. Of course The 3 Little Pigs is a classic, but a vivid memory I have is reading a spinoff of that tale, “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Jon Scieszka which tells the story from the Big Bad Wolf’s perspective. Just taking stories to the next level of thinking is something I love for my own children and Fairy Tale 2.0 is doing that very thing!

Disney-Hyperion’s Fairy Tale 2.0 now offers titles of popular stories with a unique twist! A Whole New World, Red’s Untold Tale, and A Frozen Heart are three new books for readers who love a good fairy tale retelling!

Frozen is my youngest daughter’s favorite Disney movie right now and A Frozen Heart is in stores now and is told in alternating chapters from both Anna’s and Hans’ perspectives. The story takes a sophisticated look at events of Frozen, exploring the couple’s backstories, motivations, and doomed relationship. A Frozen Heart is written by Elizabeth Rudnick, who has written over thirty books, including the original novel Tweet Heart and tie-ins such as Frankenweenie: A Novel; Oz: The Great and Powerful; and the best-selling junior novel based on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

A Whole New World, by Liz Braswell is something I’d love as Aladdin is one of my Disney Favorites! What if Aladdin had never found the lamp? This first book in the A Twisted Tale line will explore a dark and daring version of Disney’s Aladdin and readers will never look at the story in the same way again.

Red’s Untold Tale by Wendy Toliver Red is 16 and has a constant internal battle between her wild side and her strict, overprotective upbringing, and the issue of “control” as she discovers she has a hot temper when the “mean girls” push her too far. She is plagued by nightmares that she doesn’t understand, but the Once Upon a Time fans will recognize them as her wolf side coming out.