Dreams…do they really come true?  Sometimes I think we as women have the idea that once we grow out of fairytale age that our dreams will never come true.  As we have children, we stuff those dreams under our pillows and hope maybe someday one of our children will live them.

Just last week, I had the opportunity to have a dream come true and it all started with an email invitation to go to California to preview a screening of Disney’s Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue, talk to Bradley Raymond – the director of the movie, a chance to see the behind the scenes things with Tinkerbell, and a chance to meet Paige O’Hara, the voice of Belle.  It was a wonderful opportunity and I greatly looked forward to wonderful time.

I arrived in Los Angeles at 11 on Wednesday morning and was picked up by a driver and headed to Hollywood.  Hollywood wasn’t as beautiful as I thought it would be but it was very interesting to see.  To say Hollywood is different than North Dakota is an understatement!  Hollywood itself probably has more people than all of the state of North Dakota.

After getting lunch and resting a while, I headed down to the lobby where I meet up with about 18 other bloggers who were also invited to the event.  I also had that opportunity to meet several people who I have chatted with online but never in person.

Dre is a favorite PR rep of mine who often lets me know about the latest things going on with Disney.  Having never met her person and never seen a picture – it was easy to assume she was a big black dude.  There is nothing big about Dre and since she is as tall as I am – I think she’s perfect!

Nicolle is the blogger from Babee Love.  She started blogging around the same time I did and has been a reader of Empowering Mommy for a long time.  I have also followed Babee Love for a long time.  It was nice to make an online virtual friend into a real life friend.

Together we all headed to the Frank G. Wells studio for that night’s screening of Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue.  This building is nondescript and is still a working studio and is closed to the public.

The front lobby houses pieces used in the movies as well as some great memorabilia from some old classics.

We also had a chance to see the original way that animated movies were made in the Disney studios – life is a lot simpler now!

After a quick tour through the lobby area of the Frank G. Wells building, we were off for a preview of the movie.  I’ll be honest, I was skeptical.  I have found Tinkerbell movies to be more dark than I liked in the past so I had never been a fan.

I fell in love with this movie and the wonder on Lizzy’s face as she meets Tinkerbell for the first time.  Being able to see the screening of Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue in the Frank G. Wells studio along with 18 other bloggers and the director of the movie, Bradley Raymond, made it that much more “magical”.

I was floored by this movie – the animation was incredible and the movie itself was by far (I think) the best Tinkerbell movie that Disney has produced.  I became a Tinkerbell fan because of the sweetness and beauty of this movie.  My full review of this movie will come soon but not yet.

After the screening, (the Seven Dwarf’s building was across from the Frank G. Wells building so I, of course, took my picture here) we headed out to dinner where we spent some time getting to know each other and a little of Disney’s vision for the future.  After dinner, it was off to bed to prepare for a very long but fun day on Thursday.

To be continued…