If someone would have told me a few years ago that I would be attending a movie premiere for a Tim Burton movie I would have thought they were crazy. After all, Tim Burton is a world renown director, producer and writer. Tim Burton created such hit movies such as Edward Scissorhands, Beatlejuice, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas to name a few. If you check out Tim’s IMBD (International Movie Data Base) page you’d be shocked at just how many well known movies he’s been involved in. Just the mere thought of me attending one of his movie premieres, and even attending an after party with him, seemed as far fetched as bringing a beloved deceased pet back to life.
Imagine my shock and excitement when I learned that I would be attending the red carpet event for Tim Burton’s latest film, Frankenweenie, or in this case a WHITE carpet event. Instead of the typical red carpet the Frankenweenie event was held on a white carpet, after all, there is nothing typical about Tim Burton’s movies. The theme of the night was black and white in honor of the film being made in black and white. Frankenweenie is the first animated 3D film.
I was so excited for this event. I was literally counting the days! I had the perfect dress and accessories. I even applied temporary tattoos that looked like stitching which resembled the stitching that appears Sparky, one of the main characters in the film.
Prior to leaving for the theater we had a Q&A session with three of the film’s stars – Charlie Tahan (I am Legend, Charlie St. Cloud), Atticus Shaffer (“Brick” from the TV series The Middle) and Rob Capron (“Rawley” from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies). Charlie is the voice of Victor Frankenstien, Atticus is the voice of Edgar E. Gore and Rob is the voice of Bob. They were all a delight to talk to. I hate to sound like a crazy fan but it was fun to meet Atticus and Rob because I am a huge fan of the show The Middle (watch it every week) and my family loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies (who doesn’t like the adorable Rawley?).
I attended the event with several amazing bloggers. Before heading over to the event we stopped for a photo opp on the steps that lead up to the Kodak Theater where the Oscars are held.
Do you recognize any of the bloggers? I’m sure many people read their blogs. I’m honored to be among these amazing bloggers.
Earlier in the day I took a stroll over to the El Capitan Theater where the event was being held to check it out. They were setting up for the event early in the morning.
By the time we got to the event later on that night the whole area was invaded by paparazzi, news crews, fans and of course the event attendees.
Walking behind the celebrities on the red (or in this case white) carpet is an amazing experience. The only down side is that you can’t really stop and take photos. It’s important that people don’t linger behind the celebrities because the photographers want the background to be free of distractions when photographing the celebrities. I was able to capture a few photos of Winona Rider. She is the voice of Elsa Van Helsing in the film.
I did notice a few young Disney actors on the white carpet too including Peyton List from the series Jessi (she also played the character of Holly in the Wimpy Kid movies) and Ryan Ochoa from the Disney series Pair of Kings as well as the character “Chuck” from iCarly. I was able to snap a picture of them, but Peyton had turned her head (she’s the one with the blond hair on the left).
We couldn’t wait on the white carpet too long because the movie was about to begin.
MaximoTV.com took some video of Winona Rider on the white carpet. You can actually see me walking behind her at around the 55 second mark. Thank you MaximoTV.com for capturing me and my fellow bloggers on the white carpet.
If you are reading this via e-mail you can see the video here, .
The El Capitan Theater is BEAUTIFUL inside. It’s very ornate. They even have an organ on stage where someone sits and plays to entertain the audience before the film begins.
Once we were all inside and in our seats I looked around to see if I noticed anyone famous. I did see Catherine O’Hara walk in. She is the voice of THREE Frankenweenie characters – Mrs. Frankenstien, the weird girl and the gym teacher.
I will be posting my movie review shortly. In the mean time I guess I can leave you with this impression of the movie – WOW!
After the movie everyone headed across the street to the after party. Martin Landau, the voice of Mr. Rzykruski in the film, walked past me. By the time I positioned my camera his back was to me. Oh well…
I’ll be honest with you, it’s hard NOT to try and look for celebrities. After all, we’re only human. Most of us never get the opportunity to rub elbows with television and movie stars that we admire.
Almost as soon as I walked in I noticed my first celebrity – David Arquette and his daughter Coco. Sadly they were leaving just as I walked in.
As you can imagine it was next to impossible to get too close to Tim Burton. I came close a few times but something always got in my way before I could ask for a photo with him. That’s OK. At least we actually did rub elbows (literally!).
I saw actress Tia Carrere and I was able to snap a picture of Conchatta Ferrell, the voice of Bob’s mom (she plays Berta on Two and a Half Men) and actor John Savage. I’m sorry for the poor photo quality.
I was surprised to see Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) at the party too. Again, I’m sorry for the horrible picture. If any camera company is reading this post and would love someone to review a camera that takes quick shots in low light please feel free to reach out to me. Ha Ha. 🙂
Some where at the after party were Kendra (Wilkinson) and Hank Basket with their son Hank, Jr., Martin Short (he is the voice of the characters Mr. Frankenstein, Mr. Burgemeister and Nassor in Frankenweenie), Jennie Garth, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Marcia Gay Harden, none of which I was able to find.
One of the fun things about attending an after party is trying to identify actors and actresses. There were several people that looked familiar but I couldn’t remember their names.
I did meet the dog from Beverly Hill Chihuahua. That was fun!
A fun surprise was Jared from the Subway commercials. He took the time to chat with me for a bit. WOW! He’s really tall in real life. He had to bend down just to be in the picture with me (I’m “vertically challenged”).
A friend of mine kept telling me that “the Oompa Loompa” was there at the party. I wasn’t sure exactly who he meant. That is until I noticed Deep Roy who played the part of ALL the Oompa Loompa’s in Tim Burton’s film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, staring Johnny Depp.
The belt on my dress is down to low in this picture. I had to re-tie it. 🙂
I tried to get a picture with Tim Burton but I knew that was impossible. He was the “man of the hour”, so to speak, and everyone wanted to be with him. That is OK. We rubbed elbows and I was able to get a few photos of him.
The grainy picture above is Tim Burton with Winona Rider. I just wish it came out better. 🙁
Another person I had the opportunity to meet up with at the after party was Rob Capron, the voice of Bob (“Rawley” from the Wimpy Kid movies). What a sweet young man. He is very polite and well spoken. He even shook my hand twice. Awww… what a sweetheart he is! Rob chatted with me and told me about some upcoming projects he’s working on including Tarzan (Kellan Lutz plays Tarzan). Rob plays the part of Derek. He’s also in a movie with Steve Carell coming out next year called Way, Way Back. He plays the park of Kyle.
I have to admit as excited as I was to meet everyone, and how anxious I was for a chance to meet Tim Burton, there was one person I was really hoping would show up at the party – Tom Kenny. Most people don’t know him by name but you know his work. He’s the voice of SpongeBob Squarepants. He was also done voices on shows like Rock’s Modern Life, the Power Puff Girls, Johnny Bravo, the Justice League, Handy Manny, Adventure Time and even Disney’s Winnie the Pooh movie (Rabbit).
I was fortunate to interview Tom for a Popsicle campaign I was working on. It had to be one of the best interviews I’ve ever done. He is so personable and a joy to talk to. Sometimes when you talk to famous people it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and nervous. That was NOT the case with Tom. The moment he said “hello” to me I felt totally at ease. I could have talked to him all day.
I spent the whole night looking for him (not knowing if he was even going to be there). Alas, just before the party was almost over he appeared with his lovely wife and beautiful children. I FINALLY had a chance to meet him. Words cannot expressed how thrilled I was.
Not only did I get a chance to talk to Tom (I got a hug from him too!) but he also was incredibly kind to send a special birthday wish to my son. While I was out in LA my son turned 13. I felt totally guilty not being there on his special birthday, but I think the video Tom made for him more than made up for it. Check it out…
If you are reading this via e-mail you can see the video here, .
Tom was even kind enough to make one for my daughter so she didn’t feel left out. He wished her a belated birthday since her 15th birthday was this past May.
A special thank you to Cori at www.CorisCouponCorner.com for taking the video for me when my video recorder wasn’t working.
Talk about a FABULOUS way to end an AMAZING night.
I cannot wait to share more with you about my trip to Hollywood. I have so much interesting and exciting things to share with you.
Frankenweenie opens in theaters on October 5, 2012. You can learn more about the film at www.Disney.go.com/Frankenweenie. You can also find the film on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/Frankenweenie). You an also follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #Frankenweenie.
Below is the film’s trailer. You can also see the trailer here, .
Kimberly
*I was invited to attend the press trip. Disney provided travel and accommodations. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way.
What a great post! What a great experience!
And we are on youtube with Winona!