I recently had the pleasure of attending the 2016 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration “On the Road” with a group of fellow influencers and dear friends of mine.  It had been a while since I’ve seen this group of extraordinary women and what a better place to reunite than at a Disneyland Resort.

The fun event took place early on in the day at Paradise Pier Hotel. After a delicious Disney breakfast and catching up session, we were energized for a morning of motivation and learning everything Disney.  We first heard from Leanne O’Regan, Director of Content Relations for Disney Parks, Michele Himmelberg, Disneyland Public Relations Director and Erin Glover, Editorial Content Director for Disneyland Resort.

We heard the latest of what is happening at Disney Parks and Resorts.  In California, Frozen at the the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure along with a brand new Soarin’ Around the World.   In Orlando, The Tree of Life Awakening at Disney Animal Kingdom is beautifully lit in the evenings.  Disney Springs, Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney has been updated with lots of restaurants, eateries and fun shops to choose from.  Inside the Magic Kingdom, you can find Disney’s newest princess, Elena of Avalor.

Social media moms

My favorite part of this entire event is having the opportunity to sneak a peek at Disney’s new Animation Studios’ project:  Moana.

Amy Smeed, Walt Disney Studios animator introduced us to the lovable characters, the premise of the beautiful story and a few behind the scenes peeks at the making of Moana. All I can say is that Amy’s passion shined through as she told us about Moana.  I got chills just listening to her excitement.  Here’s a bit about the characters:

MOANA is an adventurous, tenacious and compassionate 16-year-old who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. Along the way, she discovers the one thing she's always sought: her own identity. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker ("The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," "The Princess & the Frog") and featuring newcomer Auli‘i Cravalho as the voice of Moana, Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Moana" sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016. ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

MOANA is an adventurous, tenacious and compassionate 16-year-old who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. Along the way, she discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity. The film is directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess & the Frog”) and features newcomer Auli‘i Cravalho as the voice of Moana. (©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.)

Pineapple rice

Seeing all the beautiful Hawaii photos and listening to Moana’s music made me miss Hawaii so much.  I came home and immediately prepared my version of Moana’s pineapple wild rice.  I think this will hold me over until Moana is released on November 23, 2016.  Just in time for Thanksgiving!

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