The most magical place on earth does not come without stress. We just came back from a trip to Disney in October and I slowly realized that we had to go about navigating our trips a little differently. While neither of my boys have been diagnosed with anxiety by a doctor, they do have anxious tendencies. Going into that situation completely unprepared can make for a stressful situation for both parent and child. If you are planning a trip to the parks, here is some useful information on how to handle anxiety at Disney World.
In between walking the red carpet at the world premiere and the magical after party, we got to be some of the first to see Frozen 2. Elsa is my girl, and after seeing trailers all year I was more than ready to see how these sisters were going to shake up Arendelle. I think the general consensus from most people has been that the trailers for Frozen 2 make the movie seem extremely dark. And while I think Frozen 2 definitely visited some more mature themes than the first, the movie for the most part is still friendly enough for the smaller little ones. Before I get into my Frozen 2 review, check out the full trailer below:
Before I get into HSMTMTS I just want to say Happy Disney+ Day!!! There are so many things to watch on Disney Plus it’s ALMOST like I don’t know where to begin. I mean, do I take it back to my childhood? Or do I go with one of the many new original movies/series options? Decisions, decisions!
Now lets get into it……
I don’t know if it’s the ridiculously long name, or the fact that Troy irked my nerves but I rolled my eyes when I first heard about High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. I mean I wouldn’t call myself a WILDCAT but I enjoyed the movies. But I had no idea where this new show was going to take us and I honestly didn’t know if I was interested in even finding out. So when we went into the screening of the first episode at The Geekly Retreat, I had no expectations. I thought it was cool that we got to see it early, but I wasn’t expecting to feel any feels. I was so wrong.
About High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
The 10-episode scripted series, set at the real-life East High, where the original movie was filmed, follows a group of students as they countdown to opening night of their school’s first-ever production of “High School Musical.” With meta references and some docu-style elements, it’s a modern take on the “classic” from 13 years ago. Show-mances blossom; friendships are tested, while new ones are made; rivalries flare; songs are sung; and lives are changed forever as these young people discover the transformative power that only high school theater can provide. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” follows East High juniors Ricky and Nini, who just returned from summer camp with a new-found voice, confidence and ambitious boyfriend, E.J. With the help of his best friend, Ricky launches a plan to win back the heart of his ex-girlfriend Nini by auditioning to stage opposite her in the school’s first-ever theatrical production of “High School Musical.”
My Honest Opinion on Episode One of the Series
By the end of episode one, I was completely in love with this show. I spent the entirety of my day singing “I Think I Kinda, You Know”. I honestly didn’t know how much I would enjoy this “mockumentary” from the teen perspective. AND Nini’s best friend Kourtney? The diva I WISH I was in high school! From what I got to see, the show is super sweet and I think that teens, tweens and us 90s babies looking to feel the nostalgia are going to enjoy this series. I hope Disney doesn’t make me eat my words but, how could you not?
My only gripe?! Why can’t we binge watch all the episodes!! Disney Plus knew what they were doing!!
Get your head in the game! Episode one of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is now available for streaming on Disney Plus!
The Geekly Retreat kept us very busy! As part of our Disney day (you know, the day we screened 3 movies and 3 shows in ONE DAY) we got to catch a special advanced screening of NOELLE. Now if you know me, Christmas is my JAM. I countdown to Christmas starting December 26th! So this was a movie that I was really excited to get to see launch day. And, it was every bit of amazing (and probably a little more) than I expected it to be.
About NOELLE
In Disney+’s holiday comedy “Noelle,” Kris Kringle’s daughter is full of Christmas spirit and holiday fun, but wishes she could do something “important” like her beloved brother Nick, who will take over for their father this Christmas. When Nick is about to crumble like a gingerbread cookie from all the pressure, Noelle suggests he take a break and get away…but when he doesn’t return, Noelle must find her brother and bring him back in time to save Christmas.
My Initial Reaction
So let me be the first to say, we are THAT family. We watch Twice Upon a Christmas year round, Santa is always watching us and Christmas is always “soon” but never quite close enough. So I went in to the movie fully expecting to love it. I wouldn’t have even been mad if they just followed the traditional cheesy Christmas story line. Rest assured, Noelle delivers so much more than that.
Noelle touches on topics like homelessness, divorce, children with disabilities, self doubt and so much more. And I love how the topics while handled in a way that were family friendly, were handled realistically. This movie is definitely not a fairy tale.
How Noelle Was A Reminder Not to Dim My Own Light
From the very beginning of the movie you can see in Noelle that she has BIG aspirations. And throughout the movie she is constantly reminded by friends, family and the people who love her about what her role in the North Pole is. She basically dims her light to fit into the role of what everyone feels like she should be doing. Being a supportive sister, daughter, friend and bringing joy to the people in the North Pole. Sound familiar?
Noelle was a reminder to me not to dim my own light for others expectations. All throughout the movie we get little glimpses that Noelle has something different inside of her. I feel like she knew it, but never embraced it due to what other people had been telling her for so long. It was a great reminder that your dreams no matter how big they seem, are very real. And you just may have the twinkle!
Get your yogurt pants ready, Noelle is now twinkling on Disney+!
Want to know what else I did at The Geekly Retreat? Check out these posts:
You would think after attending the world premiere of The Lion King over the summer that I would just be overflowing with confidence about attending these star studded events. Alas, being an introvert you can never REALLY prepare for these types of things. I had known for a while that I was going to be able to attend the Frozen 2 world premiere so I had some time to mentally coach myself for the event. If you’re an introvert like I am, let me give you a little bit of a rundown to what a night on the red carpet is like, and some tips to get through it like the professional you are!
It starts with a dress
At the risk of sounding vain, how you look on the carpet is EVERYTHING. The red carpets I’ve seen are usually themed based on the movie so I tried my hardest to imagine what the carpet for the Frozen 2 World premiere would look like. I originally wanted to go with an Elsa themed outfit but I knew that EVERYONE would be channeling the queen’s vibes. Instead I went for this green dress (inspired by Anna’s coronation day look) and it ended up going with the carpet’s theme perfectly! If you look good, you will feel good. That’s a proven fact! 😉
Get you a squad!
Though events like this are huge, situations for myself as an introvert tend to feel less overwhelming if I do it with someone I’m comfortable with. Luckily, I attended the premiere as part of The Geekly Retreat, so I had over 20 other ladies backing me up on the carpet in case I started to feel cray cray. I laughed when we were told to get a red carpet buddy, but quickly realized if you want to quickly catch all those angles, someone right there to snap pictures for you is needed.
Disney Moms of Color take over the Frozen 2 premiere.
Look for familiar faces
Okay fine, this is really the moment I want to add in my celebrity red carpet and after party sightings. But that’s one of the most fun parts of the carpet! If you have the opportunity to walk the carpet, celebrities are ALL over. And luckily everyone I encountered was extremely gracious about taking pictures with me. Yvette Nicole Brown was my familiar face of the evening, especially because I had JUST spoken with her earlier that day at a different screening.
Soak In Every Moment
It is loud, it is hectic and there are a million things going on. But at the end of the day, this opportunity is like nothing else. So even if you are rushed down the carpet (because security will try!) take your time and take in every moment. Magic like this doesn’t happen everyday. And if you get to attend the after party, enjoy that too! Just don’t forget to relax and unwind the next day. The recharge will be needed!
Take your own journey “Into the Unknown” when Frozen 2 premieres in theaters everywhere on November 22, 2019!
