December 14, 2009

The Guest Appearance

Remember when my family was on vacation in Los Angeles last summer? While we were there, I got a call from one of my hometown friends, a gal named Liane. She wanted to know if I was interested in meeting up for lunch while I was in town. I told her that I could do it, but that I would have to get a babysitter. She sent me directions to her office and told me to bring the kids.

"They'll be fine," she said.
"Where do you work these days?" I asked.
"They'll be fine!" she said again and hung up the phone.

Thirty minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of Disney Animation Studios in Burbank.

The next hour was a jealous blur. After showing us her super cool office which was filled with toys, Liane took us upstairs to meet some of her animator friends, who just happened to be sketching the last scene of The Princess and the Frog. A nearby vending machine stocked with candy bars and gummy Lifesavers prevented my children from appreciating the magnitude of what they were witnessing. While they dug through my purse for loose change, I tried not to act how I felt, which was like a six-year-old on a sugar rush.

"This is the coolest thing I have ever seen," I said a million times.

After I repeated this phrase a few million more times, the man smiled politely and got up to use the bathroom.

I must have made quite the impression on the animator because when I went to see the movie on Saturday with my kids, I saw that he had drawn me into the last scene. If you squint and cover your right eye and play the scene backward and in slow motion, you'll see a more modestly dressed Meanest Mom avatar sprint across the bottom of the screen.

At least that's what I'm telling all my friends.

18 comments

Miss Ellaneous said...

Wow, that is really cool! How cleaver of the animator to think to put you in it that way. Nobody but you would have thought to squint, cover your right eye, and replay the scene in your head backwards, how sweet of him to make it specially for you!

Emmy said...

Lol! That is so awesome you were able to go there.

KTW said...

That is amazingly awesome! :) I'm such a Disney fanatic anyway. Very cool that you got to have the experience. And I'll be sure to watch for your cameo. ;)

Working Mommy said...

How awesome!! Must be great to know that you saw those sketches before any of us even knew about the movie coming out!!

~WM

Natalie said...

I think I would both wet my pants and faint at the same time (while my kids jack open the vending machine) to find myself at Disney Animation! Wow!!

Parenting Ink said...

Someday, you'll kids will appreciate what they witnessed. It'll all be in retrospect, like when I met one of the New Kids on the Block when I was 14. Man, they were WAY cool back then!

The Novelist said...

Your friend has the coolest job! I can't wait to see you on the big screen! We are planning on it for the Christmas break.

The Damsel In DisDress said...

My daughter just graduated from the BYU animation program. Sounds like the coolest major ever, eh? Way funner than music. Or maybe even Medieval Literature, cough cough.

The Damsel In DisDress said...

My daughter just graduated from the BYU animation program. Sounds like the coolest major ever, eh? Way funner than music. And maybe even Medieval Literature, cough cough.

Malea said...

Neat neat neat. Bet the kids and grandkids will hear of this for years to come...I had a relative who watched the filming of The 10 Commandments where they were "walking through the red sea". Never heard the end of that one. ;)

Susan said...

Very cool! Me and my four girls are seeing that Saturday.

When we honeymooned in Disney in 1996, we saw them working on "Hercules". Yes, a very cool process indeed. Glad you got to see it!

Karen said...

I tried it! You really ARE there!

Train Wreck said...

Awesome! My kids are begging me to take them to that movie! It looks like another Disney Classic. I will definatley look for your cameo. lol

Mike and Heather said...

i lived in florida for several years growing up. therefore, every time we had a guest come visit from home, we took them on the disney tour. i'll never forget getting to see the animation process of the little mermaid and the filming of the bee scene in honey i shrunk the kids. truely fantastic! i'm sure your kids will never forget it either :) (even if their fondest memories will include the vending machine) lol!

Confessions of a Mother, Lawyer & Crazy Woman said...

How cool. Sounds amazing.

The Four Week Vegan said...

LOL - how fun was that! I'll keep my eyes open for you.

Lisa said...

I interned at Disneyland Resort in 1999. I was in the big office building near the freeway that most people don't realize is part of the resort but its where all the business people, engineers, and so on sit and make the park operate and work its magic. I can honestly say it was a wonderful, magical place to work. Even though I got glimpses of behind the scenes, there is no denying the Disney magic so I know how you must have felt visiting the Animation Studios. Good stuff!

Unknown said...

Now THAT must've been an amazing experience...kids in tow and ALL!!!