On the Red Carpet of the Zootopia Premiere

As I just typed out the title of this post, I had to stop and pinch myself, because I did indeed get to attend the Star-Studded Red Carpet Premiere of Disney's 'Zootopia' at the Disney El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. (I know. Shut up.)

DISCLAIMER: Prepare yourselves for a ton of over-sharing and lots of photos - both pro and personal. Also, there may be some serious fangirly gushing. Because if there's one thing I excel at, it's over-sharing. You've been warned. 

Marta & son, Jon Darby on the red carpet at the Zootopia premiere in Hollywood.

If you know anything about Los Angeles, you probably know that it doesn't rain much here on the west coast. And by "much," I mean "at all." Of course, you know where this is going, right? The day of the premiere of the latest Disney animated film, 'Zootopia,' it rained. And rained. It rained in a the-drought-is-probably-over-as-of-today-halleluiah kind of way. 

I should interject right here that we in So Cal don't really know what to do when the wet stuff starts coming down. So, Jon and I left really early in the day to make the drive to Hollywood. We live about an hour south if there's no traffic and road conditions are perfectly perfect. That was sooo not the case the day of the premiere. I'm not complaining. We live in California. Driving is our life. But rain is not. I'm mentioning all this by way of explanation and awe (as you'll soon see).

Driving to Hollywood on the Rainiest Day Ever.

It took us 3 hours (!) to drive 60 miles. Luckily Jon and I were super excited to mix it up with the celebrities and do our best to look cool and blend in on the red carpet. WE WERE GOING TO A HOLLYWOOD PREMIERE, DAMMIT. Sorry for yelling. We were just über-pumped and it was taking FOR-EVER. *sigh*

Now, we knew that all the red carpetty stuff usually takes place outside of the theater. So we had no idea what they do in case it rains. Before I give too much away, let me remind you that this is Disney we're talking about. What we found when we arrived was A-MAZING.

Jon Darby on the Red Carpet at the Zootopia Hollywood Premiere.

They had completely covered (!) the red carpet with a giant plastic tent-thing. The Red Carpet itself was completely decorated to look like the Zootopia Central Station. The giant plastic tent-thing added to that beautiful illusion. Disney Magic is real, people.

Zootopia Transit Station. Photo courtesy of Disney.

Isn't that just completely GENIUS? 

Jon and the citizens of Zootopia.

Can I just tell you right now that walking that Red Carpet is equal parts thrilling and exasperating. Everywhere you turn there are celebrities and faces you recognize. And you're so crazy-excited to be there, and you want to document the whole thing, (which of course, means sharing on social media) but you're so overwhelmed and you're not quite sure how to act or what to do next. 

That was us.

Plus, there are a bizzillion people taking all kinds of photos. In fact, there's an entire bank of paparazzi angling for photos and interviews and for this particular premiere, Disney had pulled out all the stops and seriously, the photo-ops were abundant. 

Red Carpet craziness at the Zootopia premiere.

So we slowly made our way down the red carpet and to the El Capitan Theatre, stopping every few feet to take it all in and document the magic.

Disney's El Capitan Theatre at the Zootopia Premiere. Photo courtesy of Disney.

Jon Darby and Marta at the Zootopia Premiere in Hollywood.

They gave us identifying wrist-bands and special tickets and cute Zootopia headgear and we kept stopping just to take a breath and take it all in. By the way, the weird thing about seeing famous people outside of where you would normally expect to see them is that they are difficult to identify. It's much more like, "Hey! Isn't that the guy from that one show?" as someone who looks really, really familiar (or do they?) casually walks on by with their family. Hollywood, you never cease to fascinate.

At one point on our Red Carpet Adventure Jon says, "Mom! That's Johnny Knoxville!" But mom was busy Tweeting and Instagramming all this magic and having forgotten that she'd handed all her stuff for Jon to hold, said to him, "Go ahead and take a picture." Jon just stared helplessly with his hands full of my stuff and watched Johnny Knoxville not just walk by, but brush against him as he did. *sigh* Red Carpetting is not for the faint of heart.

Johnny Knoxville and his fam. Photo courtesy of Disney, because Jon had his hands full.

Officer Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde at the Zootopia Premiere in Hollywood. Photo courtesy of Disney.

Also, that gorgeous red carpet? SOAKED. We were slogging and squishing our way all the way to the entrance of the El Capitan. But then, so were all the beautiful people.

Jon and I were still playing the "Hey! Isn't that the guy from that one show?" Game. Recognizing many while being able to identify a few. At one moment, Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell (Yes. I knew who they were.) turned around just in time for me to take the Worst Photo of Them Ever. Having said that, it was a pretty cool and ridiculously surreal Hollywood moment. 

[Note to self: Keep cooking and writing. You'll never make it as Paparazzi.]

Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell at the Zootopia Premiere in Hollywood.

Here's the photo we took of the Zootopia cast and crew just before we all entered the theatre:

The cast and crew of Disney's Zootopia at the Hollywood Red Carpet Premiere. Photo: M.Darby

And here's the Official Disney Photo:

The cast and crew of Disney's Zootopia at the Hollywood Red Carpet Premiere. Photo courtesy of Disney.

Clearly they've done this before. 

Finally we made it to the theater entrance and took our seats. 

The El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood all decked out for the Zootopia Red Carpet Premiere.

My review of the movie? First, let me remind you that I had already seen a good 20 minute chunk on the day I visited 'Zootopia' the Walt Disney Studios back in October - read about that here. I was looking forward to seeing how the story unfolded. But WOW! I was not prepared for the plot twists and turns that took the story in a completely different direction from what I was expecting. 

Jon and I both LOVED it! We're not the only ones, either. 

Nick Wilde celebrates a "Certified Fresh" Rating from Rotten Tomatoes. 

And can I just tell you how much fun it is to be in a theater as the credits rolled and the people whose names were on the screen are actually sitting there beside you and applauding each other? Talk about surreal. There was an indescribable kind of joy and energy in the theater impossible to duplicate in another setting. Seriously. Magical.

The film itself? Delightful. Fun and funny. I promise. Take your whole family to see it. This weekend! 

Meanwhile, back to my Magical Night...

Buffet at the After-party. Zootopia Premiere. Photo courtesy of Disney.

After the movie we were treated to a wonderful after-party which included lots of delicious food and even some live animals brought by the Wildlife Learning Center. Meet Lola The Sloth. She was quite the popular girl at this event. (Follow her on Instagram @lola_the_sloth)

Lola the Sloth at the Zootopia Premiere in Hollywood.

I swear, I was so completely filled up with Happy Disney Magic. The Red Carpet was a blast. 'Zootopia' was fantastic. We had eaten and seen a sloth. I didn't think my night could get any better. And then I spotted HIM.

I had seen him from afar earlier on the Red Carpet. He was wearing his trademark Hawaiian print shirt and shaking hands with everyone. John Lasseter, animator, filmmaker, creative genius behind the Disney/Pixar storytelling magic. My hero. *sigh*

And he was standing Directly. In. Front. Of. Me. 

I boldly stopped, extended my hand, congratulated him on a wonderful film, and introduced myself as a *gulp* blogger. He looked me directly in the eye and thanked me for all I do. (Wait. What?)

"May I have a photo?" 

"Of course," he said.

"Look cute," I instructed.

"I always do." He shot back. 

We both smiled for the camera. 

John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar. Marta Darby Star-Struck Blogger. 

NIGHT. MADE. 

I thanked him again. Disney Magic is potent stuff, boys and girls. It's the stuff dreams are made of. One of the highlights for me, besides now, meeting John Lasseter, was watching people continue to play the "Hey! Isn't that the guy from that one show?" Game - but this time they were looking at my son, Jon. 

Jon Darby and Marta at the Hollywood Zootopia Premiere.

The whole night was just completely delicious that way. 

Driving 3 hours in the pouring rain and enduring the ensuing traffic jam for an evening of Disney Magic? Worth it.

Thanks, Disney! 

'Zootopia' opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, March 4th, 2016.

The Finest Hours Press Day

"Seen any good movies lately?" As a matter of fact...

I recently went to a screening of the latest Disney film, 'The Finest Hours' which chronicles the true story of the most courageous small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. In February of 1952, one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast struck New England, damaging an oil tanker off the coast of Cape Cod and literally ripping it in half. On a small lifeboat faced with frigid temperatures and 70-foot high waves, four members of the Coast Guard set out to rescue the more than 30 stranded sailors trapped aboard the rapidly sinking vessel. 

Happily, I also got to interview the four principals in the cast, Casey Affleck, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and Holliday Grainger, as well as director Craig Gillespie. 

I will write a review of the film in a couple of days, but let me tell you about the press day with these guys. 

Marta Darby covering 'The Finest Hours.'

It's been unseasonably cold here in LA and I have that Cuban thing that I must keep my neck warm or I'll get sick somehow, which is why I'm wearing a tightly wound scarf, but that's not important right now. You can tell by the look on my face that I'm always just so happy to be invited to these things.

The interviews took place in a 'round table' setting. That is, a dozen of us journalist/bloggers around a table and the talent took turns coming into the room we were in. This, of course, makes it that much harder to control my fangirly urges. (I know. Shut up.)

First of all, let me tell you about Holliday Grainger, who plays Miriam in the film. She is an absolute wonder. Although she is from Manchester, England, she rocks a Boston accent like no other. Here's what she had to say about being the central female character in what is very much a man's world:

Holliday Grainger as 'Miriam' in 'The Finest Hours.' photo courtesy of Disney

HOLLIDAY GRAINGER:  "It was slightly intimidating the first day only because I had literally flown overnight from a job in Wales actually that I was shooting.  So I had arrived on set quite jet lagged, slightly terrified about the accent and everyone had been working with the guys for like two months and so as soon as I walked on site I did feel like I was like a museum piece. Everyone was all eyes on me.  Like here’s a woman, there’s a girl, she’s got lipstick.  She’s like – she’s in heels and a dress, what is this? *laughs* 

So that was slightly scary. But Craig was just so lovely and really, I mean immediately it was just we can try it in lots of different ways, you know, so that kind of took away any kind of intimidation."

Casey Affleck shared what it was like to play 'Ray Sybert,' the engineer who was one of the survivors of the terrible weather related accident that literally ripped an oil tanker in half. 

Casey Affleck as 'Ray Sybert' with director Craig Gillespie on the set of 'The Finest Hours.' photo courtesy of Disney.

CASEY AFFLECK: "We started filming in the fall; then we went until Christmas and it gets pretty cold in Boston during that time.  And we were mostly outside. But it was cold and wet and it sucks and then it’s fine and you kind of forget about it.  Or you get used to it.  You never really forget about it, but you know it was a nice group of guys who we were with so you get to complain all together and that’s comforting."

On having ice cold water thrown at him for hours at a time during filming:

"It’s much easier than pretending anything and all you have to do is sort of like get your lines out and you’re already shivering and you can’t help but like keep your eyes half closed because you’re being pounded with water and then you just look like a good actor maybe.  And like you really just stood there and took so much physical abuse.  So it makes it easier. If you can call that easier."

Next we interviewed Chris Pine (Bernie Webber) and Ben Foster (Richard Livesey) together. 

They were so close to me that I could have easily reached out and touched them, but I didn't, of course, because it's, you know, weird and creepy. So that didn't happen. But I'd just like to go on record right now and say that Chris Pine is seriously just as dreamy in person as he is on the big screen. And we were asked not to take any photos, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

But I did thoroughly enjoy their back and forth banter and I was impressed that these actors had so much respect for the characters, the real live people they were playing and were very honoring of the Coast Guard in general and the bravery of these guys specifically.

Chris Pine as Bernie Webber in 'The Finest Hours,' photo courtesy of Disney.

CHRIS PINE: "I had a beautifully written script and that’s really the basis of my task as an actor is to bring to life the character that I read on the page. I had some great audio recording of Bernie. Bernie wrote a firsthand account of the experience. There’s a book and then just being in Chatham and feeling what it’s like to be in a small New England town. You get a sense of these guys that are regular Joes. They clock in, they clock out. Their job just happens to be saving lives. That’s what they do."

Ben Foster as Richard Livesey in 'The Finest Hours.' photo courtesy of Disney.

BEN FOSTER: "It’s as you said these are guys. These are guys who put others before them. It’s so humbling doing a job like this where you get the opportunity to spend time with the men and women of our military. And not just, because it’s the American military but because these are men and women who have chosen to serve their fellow man and that just speaks to humans.

So a guy who said, “Yeah, I’m gonna go on the boat even though everybody else is saying no.' That’s his job. That’s what he does. He’s not looking for a selfie. He’s not looking to tell all his friends what a brave guy he is on Twitter. He’s doing it because that’s his job and it’s the right thing to do. It’s the right thing to do.

So in terms of the drama of the piece of Mr. Webber’s hero’s journey, it’s more of a privilege for myself to spend time with the real guys, the real Chatham Coast Guard. But in equal measure, it's a privilege to spend time with such a wonderful actor as Chris. He’s doing work that I haven't seen him do before. I haven't seen this sort of thing in a movie in a very long time. I haven't seen this kind of underdog. I haven't seen this kind of quality of 'true blue'. There’s so much cynicism in cinema these days and what Chris pulls off, I think, is as striking as the ocean that we’re on."

I love that these actors had such a great appreciation for the real-life heroes they portray. And I doubly love Disney is making these types of films again. In a few days, I'll tell you all the Big Thoughts I had about the 'The Finest Hours.' 

Until then, take a look at Disney's 'The Finest Hours.' 

Disney's 'The Finest Hours' opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, January 29th, 2016.