The Jungle Book Red Carpet World Premiere Experience #JungleBookEvent

Elation, Wonder, Euphoria, Awe, Jubilation, Bliss – if I had to sum up the experience of being at The Jungle Book red carpet world premiere and all the emotions stampeding through my mind, these are a few words that might make the cut.  Whatever you may have envisioned a night on the red carpet and attendance at the exciting after party to be, it’s all that and a bundle of bunnies!

Sometimes in our lives, something so magical happens you can hardly articulate it with adequate words.  That’s how I feel about my red carpet experience at The Jungle Book premeire, it’s truly beyond words, but I’ll do my best to share!

Sometimes dreams do come true! #redcarpet #JungleBookEvent What a night! The premiere and after party were such glam and fun events! #Magical #dreamy #crazycool #thisisthelife

A photo posted by Barb Webb (@barb_webb) on Apr 5, 2016 at 7:59am PDT

The entire time it was hard to believe this was happening to me… from Kentucky Appalachian farm to Hollywood red carpet is a quite a journey.  Had to pinch myself plenty of times as I soaked in every vibrant sight and sound, savoring the moments of this glam affair.

When we first caught sight of the El Capitan theater and the hustle and bustle of the red carpet, I had to stop and catch my breath as the first wave of excitement hit.  This is the stuff of fairy tales, of a little girl’s dreams, and this big gal’s bucket list blessings.  As we drew nearer, the crowds intensified and we were caught up in a flurry of well-orchestrated activity.  Fans rushed the barriers, hoping to catch a glimpse of or get an autograph from their favorite The Jungle Book actor/actress.

The air crackled with amazing energy, frenzied excitement and tumultuous joy.  From that moment on, a wave of euphoria carried me along the red carpet line (inside the secondary rope line for invitees like me, outside for the mega stars.)

The stars paused, just as we’ve always seen them do, to take photos for the press – only this time they were doing so nearly right next to me.  S.U.R.R.E.A.L!

A jungle of Hollywood proportions enveloped us, from cute vine decor on the red carpet ropes to vines and leaves overhead, enhancing the experience.  A times I felt like I was entering the jungle, not the theater for this gala event.

What spanned perhaps fifteen minutes, felt like a five second bubble of bliss as I made my way towards the theater entrance.  To my chagrin, someone started speaking to me about the glam of the event and I turned to find it was Jon Heder! – talking to me… ME… like I was a real person (ha ha!)  Seriously, though, that was the icing on the red carpet cake, this little ol’ author from Eastern Kentucky hobnobbing with Hollywood megastars like it was an ordinary thing!

I tried to take in every moment but there was just so much to see!  I turned around and there was Sir Ben Kingsley, interviewing!  Another turn and Lupita Nyong’o was talking to a reporter.

The constant magical moments continued straight into the theater, where I had to surrender my phone/camera so I don’t have photos to share, but our plush seats had us in the thick of it, surrounded by Hollywood stars, being entertained by a fabulous band and lovely singer, and absorbing the grandeur of this iconic theater.  When the film began, everyone in the theater cheered.  The energy and excitement grand enough to light up the famous Hollywood sign for decades!

My film review will come later, but I will share that it is a truly amazing, well-executed and highly entertaining film and I loved the 3D version – well worth checking into when you see it in theaters on April 15.  Take a peek now to see a little bit of what I saw:

Welcome to The Jungle Book After Party!

So, as if the whole red carpet thing wasn’t enough, right? We (the 24 other bloggers on this adventure with me) got the exclusive opportunity to head to The Jungle Book after party.  Wow!

Again, words fail me to describe the vibrancy, ridiculously-cool energy and beauty of this event.  We were simply surrounded by stars, movie executives and their families and you could hardly take a picture without having a star-adjacent view! (as you can see in the background of my dear friend Linda’s (nycsinglemom.com) gorgeous photo:

We truly had a blast exploring the after party and learning how the celebs celebrate a film premiere.  They certainly know how to do things right with wonderful music, immersive experiences, conversation, decor and even craft tables!  Linda and I made beeswax candles, which was certainly a treat for this DIY gal!

And did I mention the food?  Oh my goodness, there were enough honey-themed goodies to keep Baloo happy for a millennium!  I enjoyed each and every tasty bite and truly need to find the recipe for these crazy-good Walnut Wildflower Honey Cookies.

There was so much to see and do that the after party went so fast, I hardly realized how late it was until I sat down and my body said “oh my, you are about exhausted girl!”  But the exhilaration of the evening still pumping through my veins swept exhaustion to the side and left simply a big, beaming smile dancing upon my lips.

As I looked up and spotted the dazzling ceiling displays for the first time, they echoed my bright sentiments.  This was one of the most memorable events of my lifetime and I’ll be forever grateful to be blessed with this experience.  I hope that you enjoyed the journey with me and at least have a glimmer of what it was like to attend The Jungle Book premiere.

Disclosure: I attended the #JungleBookEvent My expenses were covered by Disney. All opinions are my own.