Up!

Tonight there was a movie night at The Commons featuring the just-released-today "Up!"

I ended up going with Amanda, driving to The Commons and asking her a little about character auditions along the way. I felt bad, since when you're off of work, the last thing you really want to do is discuss it, but there's an audition coming up I'd like to try to attend, if anything just to say that I did it and did it well. We ended up in the clubroom, which I had promptly forgotten is probably one of the coldest places on property. Not that I mind the cold, but after sitting there for a couple of hours during one of my training days, I decided it would be best to go back to my car and get my jacket for the movie.

When I returned, Amanda's friend Adonis ::has no idea if this is the proper spelling of his name...sorry:: had found her, and together we sat in the middle back of the room, eating our free (delicious) popcorn and drinking our free soda. I got a Cherry Coke ^-^

Up! is just as I remembered it, full of amazing visuals, furry Dug goodness, and a story that makes you laugh while tugging at your heart. I love that Pixar has such a good grasp on moments like that. Granted, it sucks to experience the sadder side of things (I still got teary...what can I say?), especially in a room with a group of your peers, but I love that Pixar can do that to me. And the plethora of "Awww"s and sad "Ohhh"s I heard around the room made me think I wasn't the only one getting caught up in the story. Oh! And to have the experience where everybody in the room finds something funny and laugh all together? Wonderful! I'm loving these group experiences!

I realized part-way through the movie that the last time I'd seen it was back home, in summer, before I left to go to Disney. I remember seeing the castle on the screen and having my Mom remark that soon I was going to be there. And now, here I was, seeing it again at the beginning of Up!, less than two months before I would be leaving to go back home. There's a sort of profound feeling I get from this realization. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but there's just something about seeing that castle and knowing that I'm looking at it now, as a Cast Member, and also remembering how I looked at it in the theater in the past, thinking to myself that I really was going to be going to Disney.

It was a wonderful night, full of shared experiences and a very good story (although the dogs in the planes still threw me a bit). The very best part though was at the end, when Carl awards Russell with the badge while saying "Russell, for going above and beyond in the line of duty..." The entire audience cracked up over that one, and even though I was feeling a little touched by the emotion of the scene, I too laughed loudly aloud with the rest of the audience. I don't think I'll ever forget that moment, especially when I hear that line.

Afterwards, they had a little raffle for two posters and two copies of the movie. I didn't win anything, of course, but still had had fun. I was hoping they would've been raffling off one of the Dug plushes, but that's what holiday Cast discounts are for, ne?

I also ran into Kimberly, one of the girls I work with whose brother is an Imagineer. We stood in the rain and chatted for a little bit, said good bye to Amanda and Adonis who were off to get food, and then, because I found out she lives at Patterson, gave her a ride. On the way back, I asked her what she knew about extending.

I've got a four day work week this week. Tomorrow I'm sure I'm going to be encountering Fairfax's new menu. But for now, sleep sounds like a good idea.