"I'm going on a trip and I'm taking an apple, a basket, a cucumber..."

Who remembers that horrible game? Or, perhaps you're like me and you know that's actually a line from a very funny play by Larry Shue called The Nerd... in which I starred as Mrs. Waldgrave my senior year in high school, thankyouverymuch. (I found a link online to a different, probably more recent production from a different high school... there was no youtube when I was in school... there was hardly internet. I'm old. Anway, link HERE where you can see the whole show, but video number five has the scene I mentioned.)  However, the sentiment in that title is what I'm REALLY here to talk about...

I'm heading to Los Angeles/Hollywood next week! Where it's WARM! And not SNOWING!!!

Image courtesy Disney.

The reason I get to go is even more awesome. I'm getting a sponsored* trip to go check out Disney Animation Studios and some awesome Disney films with a group of new blogger pals (and a few I met back in October at the Hub Halloween Bash event!) in anticipation of the release of Disney's Frozen and The Pirate Fairy on Blu-ray!

I get to board a plane and head for sunny California (BUH-BYE cold Ohio winter weather!) next Monday at stupid-o'clock in the morning, which I'm okay with, actually, because it's a direct flight and I'll have the whole day on Monday when I get there to do some sightseeing for a change! Walk of Fame, here I come! I also managed to score a ticket on my own to a taping of the Comedy Central hit "@Midnight" for Monday evening since the studio isn't far from the hotel I'll be staying at, and I'm secretly hoping I can meet the one and only Chris Hardwick (Geek Squee!). You'd better believe I'll have a Sharpie in my pocket in hopes of an autograph!

Image courtesy Disney.

On Tuesday, I get to head to the famous Disney Animation Studios to meet Frozen's Director, Chris Buck, and producers Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho, and participate in a Q&A session. Then, we get a cool hands-on demo of the rigging process used in the film with Character TC Supervisor, Gregory Smith. And, if that wasn't enough awesome behind-the-scenes fun, which you all know I *love*, I get to do a voiceover recording session with the Audio Engineer Gabe Guy! I am seriously hoping there is video involved that I get to post. Voiceover actors are among my favorite interviews I've done, and I'll finally get a look at what they all do every day! There is also a SUPER SECRET event after all of that, which I'll get to post more about later this month!

On Wednesday, I get to truck over to the DisneyToon Studios for an advance screening of the new animated feature The Pirate Fairy, and then have a chat with Director Peggy Holmes and Producer Jennifer Magee-Cook. Finally, we'll all get a walk through of the creation of one of the characters, seeing the character evolve from design to animation. (An About.com review of the film will follow as well!)

I also get to fly home on my first ever "red eye" flight Wednesday night, not arriving back home until Thursday morning. I will then hibernate most of Thursday, haha! I'm glad TV Dad had the foresight to take that day off too!

In anticipation of my trip, I hit up my favorite BIG RED LOGO store (you know, the one you can't go into for two things and come out having not spent over $50?) and picked up some new Disney-appropriate wardrobe...

Geek chic!

I plan on bringing the Sharpie with me when I wear that Mickey shirt on Tuesday, because I want some Disney Animation autographs on that sucker! And Marvel is now owned by Disney. (Because. Yeah. I didn't buy that thanks to my huge geekness or anything...) I still have to find a plain shirt to wear to the @Midnight taping though, they have a policy about that.

Post any questions you have for the Directors or Producers in the comments section! I will have a six hour plane ride on the way there to think of some, but you know I love reader-sourced questions! Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and on The TV Mom Facebook page, all of which have buttons or widgets on the right sidebar, for all the up-to-the-minute coverage of my whirlwind adventure! Keep an eye out for the hashtags #‎FrozenBluray‬ and  #‎PirateFairyBloggers‬, which all of the bloggers will be using during the entire trip (those links go specifically to Facebook, but they will be used on all social media outlets).

In the meantime, check out this awesome video featuring The Pirate Fairy and singer/songwriter Natasha Bedingfield!





*Disclaimer: I am receiving an all-expense paid trip to LA in exchange for my coverage of these titles and this event. Views expressed in this post and all those related are solely those of The TV Mom and TheTVMom.com and are not in any way influenced by receipt of this trip, nor are they representative of Disney Studios or subsidiaries thereof. Please see the "Disclosure" tab for more information.

An Interview With a Disney Legend, Floyd Norman!

If we are going by the "six degrees of separation" theory, I am now officially only one degree away from the legendary Walt Disney himself, thanks to my interview with Mr. Floyd Norman (even if it was just by phone!), who worked on the story art for Disney's The Jungle Book.

Floyd Norman and his work, image courtesy Click Communications.

In anticipation of the release of The Jungle Book on Disney Blu-ray on February 11th, I was given the express opportunity to chat with Mr. Norman about working with Walt and his career.

Check out my interview over at the About.com page! Mr. Norman was a fabulous person to talk to and was so articulate. He surely made my job easy! What a fun way to jump into Black History Month!

Stan Lee's Mighty 7 - Premieres Saturday!

I wanted to like Mighty 7. I really, really did. You all know I'm a huge geek, right? Thanks to TV Dad, that includes interest in comics (although I loved the X-Men LONG before I met him. Jean Grey FOR LIFE, YO!), and Stan Lee is THE man for comic characters. I am a serial "True Believer". I wanted to BELIEVE...

Image courtesy Hub Network.

But, I'll be honest... I was disappointed. It still has potential, sure. However, Stan Lee needs to stick to bit parts and narration... he's not that good an actor. Which I guess we all knew. Still... sigh.

If you're a comic fan, you SHOULD still watch this. Then you come back here and tell me if I was way off base or not in my review of the movie. (Yes, that's a link. You should click it. No major spoilers, I promise.) The movie airs this coming Saturday, February 1st at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific.

My Little Pony Classic Movie Collection on DVD

If you were a kid in the early 2000's (so, you'd be in your early twenties right now and making me feel horribly old) or you had a daughter who was, you might remember this specific incarnation of My Little Pony. They came before guys fell in love with ponies. They came before ponies were "cool". But they're back and they're on DVD!

Image courtesy Shout! Factory.

Check out my review of the DVD over at the Kids' Cartoons page at About.com, and enjoy these clips!

Why It's Cool to Raise A Brony

You'd think after my Facebook hashtag fiasco (yeah, check out The TV Mom FB page... and then pick your jaw up off your desk), I'd have learned my lesson with using the term "Brony". Alas, I've had this idea for a neat article for my About.com page about why parents shouldn't freak out if they find out their son loves Rainbow Dash (as TV Boy does), and I had to go with it. My instincts tell me it's going to be a big reader hit. Here's hoping I'm right!

Also, this marks the first time TV Boy will be appearing on my official About.com website. I watermarked the image I used from my Instagram account of TV Boy wearing his "My Little Brony" shirt I made for him last February for the MLP Coronation event we went to together and playing with a pony toy we got in a kids meal someplace. Here's hoping he doesn't hate me for it in fifteen years, haha!

So, pop over and check out my article, Why It's Cool to Raise A Brony at the About.com page! Let me know what you think in the comment section below! And don't be shy to share it with all your Brony-Mom friends out there!