The Moana World Premiere happened this week in Los Angeles with a star-studded BLUE carpet premiere and party. I had the very special opportunity to be a guest on the blue carpet event and am thrilled to be able to tell you all about the Moana Red Carpet Premiere.
There is no experience like walking the red carpet of a movie premiere. It’s fast and exciting and star-studded and elegant. And you try so hard to absorb every single detail as you don’t want to forget the feeling of being at such an amazing event.
On Monday night, I had the honor of walking the red – well, technically it was blue – carpet of Disney’s Moana World Premiere. And it was such an amazing experience – I want to tell you all about it!
For the Moana event, Sunset Blvd in front of the El Capitan Theatre was blocked off and a beautiful staging area is set, with a gorgeous blue carpet. The Pacific was brought into downtown Hollywood, as the Moana party area was filled with all types of food and activities that you would find on a Pacific island. There was a big step & repeat area with countless journalists with their cameras, followed by an area for on-camera interviews. The carpet is set with many scenes to take pictures in front of the characters & movie titles before it leads you into the movie.
Moana Red Carpet Premiere: Walking the Blue Carpet
When you are invited to “walk a red carpet”, you really don’t know exactly what that means. And when I was invited for my first red carpet event for The Good Dinosaur, it was so fast-paced and I was so excited to be there, that I just didn’t take the time to really enjoy the moment. This time, I was determined to do so.
I had my camera ready to take pictures, but I slowed my pace down, looked around and recognized how surreal of an experience it all was. We arrived just in time to see Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho walk the step & repeat and this is the first site we saw:
I loved being near the entrance, as that’s when the talent is photographed. They all look so beautiful and graceful. We were able to walk up to this elevated platform to capture these photos:
As you can see, it’s pretty crowded.
The security does a good job of keeping everyone actually moving along the carpet. There’s very little time to stop and just watch the experience, as they want you to move on down to the theater. Walking the red carpet is such an exciting experience. It really moves fast, so you have to be aware of everything happening around you to fully take it all in.
Moana Red Carpet Premiere: The Party
Before the movie, we were escorted into the tents right on Sunset Blvd. for the Moana premiere party. The event was exciting, with incredible decorations, themed-food, and of course, lots of stars.
As exciting as the red carpet is, the party is so much more relaxed and fun. Filled with Polynesian-themed food & drinks, you get a true taste of the islands. The party was filled with fun sponsors & activities. Everyone was given a pair of Havaianas flip flops and you could make a shell necklace and get a temporary tattoo. And of course, we had to get this fun picture:
Moana Red Carpet Premiere: The Movie
It’s really special to be able to watch a movie in a historic theater such at the El Capitan. So many incredible movies have previewed here. And it’s not until you settle in your seat and look at the stage with it’s elegant curtain do you realize the history these walls have seen.
What a treat it was to have the Moana movie premiere start with my favorite song from the film, “We Know the Way“, performed by Opetaia Foa’i and his band Te Vaca:
Then the curtains part and the movie begins. What an experience to watch Moana with the team that created it – actors, directors, producers, and more. One of my favorite parts of experiencing a premiere is to hear the various cheers & hoots from the audience as the different teams of people who worked on the movie scroll through the credits. No one leaves their seats until the credits are completely finished. I just love that support!
Alui’i Cravalho
The Moana Red Carpet Premiere was an amazing experience and I feel so blessed to have been a part of the event. The movie is incredible and was the real star of the evening. I can’t wait to tell you more about the movie, but for now, trust me – you are going to want to see it. So make a plan this Thanksgiving week to find time to take the whole family to see Moana.
Moana opens in theaters nationwide Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Follow all the fun here:
Facebook: Disney Moana
Twitter: @DisneyStudios
Instagram: @TheDisneyMoana
Other Articles from the Moana, The BFG Blu-ray Event, ABC TV Event & Stuck in the Middle Event you may enjoy:
I’m Heading to the #MoanaEvent
Walk the Moana Red Carpet with Me
She’s Not a Princess Mom, She’s a Hero!
Exclusive Interview with Moana’s Maui, The Rock
That Time I Met Musical Genius Lin-Manuel Miranda
Exclusive Interview with Moana’s Auli’i Carvalho
A Conversation with the Cast of Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle
Holiday Gift Guide for Moana: Moana-Inspired Gifts
The BFG Blu-Ray: A Perfect Holiday Gift
Behind the Scenes on the Set of Speechless
A Conversation with The BFG Roald Dahl’s Daughter, Lucy Dahl
Behind the Scenes on the Set of ABC’s Dr. Ken
Nicole Scherzinger Had To Play the Role of Moana’s Mother
6 Fun Facts About Moana from Directors Ron Musker & John Clements
Disclaimer: Disney sent me to Los Angeles on an all-expenses paid press trip, in exchange for my coverage of the red carpet premiere of Moana. All opinions are my own.
