Sometimes my fancy friends invite me to fancy stuff.
Like last night’s fancy Disney party.
My fancy friend, Michael Mackie, is a local celeb. For real. We got out for coffee and he gets recognized on the regular. It’s crazy. Sidebar: One of the reasons M2 (as his BFFs call him) is a celeb is because he used to co-host a morning show. In fact, that’s how we met. Years ago, I was invited to be on the show and I wanted him to interview me because he “seemed” fun, whereas his co-host did not seem as much fun. However, the producers must have decided that if M2 and I were paired up we’d be unstoppable and take over the network and start a revolution, or something. I dunno. So, I got the co-host and the interview was…really, really fine. But the introductions had been made and the rest was history. Here’s the kind of nonsense the producers missed out on.
Now, back to my story. So, because M2 is a celeb, he gets invited to all the things here in town. He’s always like, “Did you get an invite to the XYZ party?” and I’m like, “Who is XYZ?” and then he’s like, “I’ll get you an invite and introduce you.”
A few weeks ago, he texted me and asked if I got an invite to the Disney party.
“There’s a Disney party?” I replied.
He then explained that there was a Disney exhibit coming to Kansas City and there was going to be a launch party and he was surprised I didn’t know because I should have received an invitation. It’s adorable how he thinks I’m really on these lists. After a few phone calls—and I assume an exchange of cash—I was added to the guest list.
Then came the stress of what to wear. Luckily, my friend Nicole has been inviting to fancy parties for years now and I’ve built up quite a nice collection of black dresses that can go from day to night without Spanx. The invitation said, “Cocktail attire or Disney-inspired.”
Hmm…I had a couple cocktail dresses I could whip out, but the “Disney-inspired” gave me pause. I am not a Disney princess kind of girl, but I do love a good villain. Could I channel my inner Cruella DeVille and make a splash? A few hours before the party, I got the idea that I’d let the movie Cruella inspire me. I had tons of black to wear and I do love Vivienne Westwood, I just needed the perfect leather jacket and wig. I’m always intrigued by the idea of a wig. You never have to worry about styling your hair and you can have any hair type you want! I see celebrities who wear these fabulous wigs. They have a blond bob with bangs on Tuesday and long black hair on Wednesday. But I don’t think those celebrities buy their wigs from Amazon like I do. That’s probably why my wigs never look like theirs. You can only do so much with $15 worth of plastic hair. I’d clearly forgotten about the “Bangs Fiasco of 2019" when I hit “Buy Now” on a Cruella wig.
The leather jacket was perfection but the wig was…a lot. And it was HOT. My peri-menopausal head couldn’t take it. I ended up ditching the wig and the jacket and going as a normal person. In the end, it was the better choice as most people interpreted “Disney-inspired” as Minnie Mouse ears with a cocktail dress.
Now, let’s talk about the party. It was niiiiice. I thought maybe they’d serve Dole Whips and those Mickey Mouse ice cream heads on a stick. But alas, they served grown-up food. It was delicious and they did sneak in some high-end corn dogs and churro bites.
The party was to celebrate the opening of Disney 100: The Exhibition at Union Station. This exhibition is a celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Disney. I’m excited to witness the last 50 years, I’m hoping to be around for the 150th anniversary, but we’ll see!
I’m a Disney fan, but I’m not a DISNEY FAN, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this installation. I was not disappointed. It was amazing. Personally, I liked the ties to Kansas City. Way, way back before Walt Disney was WALT DISNEY he lived in KC and drew cartoons so they had some of his artwork and photos from those days. I doubt all the cities will get that part, so it was really cool to see those artifacts.
I’ve been to Union Station in the past to see some of their other traveling exhibits and they’re always really well done, but this one was…well, let’s just say Disney knows what they’re doing. They know how to make an Exhibit with a capital E. It was so cool. Between the history and the interactive parts, I enjoyed it all. It was like a walk through my own childhood and my children’s.
It was so interesting to see how they come up with their ideas and the technology they use to create their stories and how everything translates to other countries.
And we can’t forget that Disney owns Star Wars now, so Baby Yoda made an appearance. Umm, he was equal parts adorable and terrifying. I’m not sure if someone was actually moving him or if he was just on a loop, but it freaked me out how “real” he looked. I was slightly terrified.
We made our way through fairly quickly but I would like to bring my kids back and take our time. There were so many movies that I remember watching with them that I had forgotten. I think it would be fun to go through it together and reminisce. Disney was such a huge part of their childhood and I’m always a sucker for nostalgia.
If you are a Disney fan, then you MUST see this thing if and when it comes to your city. You will love it.
Even if you are a fair-weather Disney fan, you should still go. It was so entertaining and so interesting. If nothing else, just the history of it all was fascinating.
I only hope that when you go, Minnie Mouse will be there so you can take a photo with her and she can tell you that she likes your necklace. (Mickey was on a break. It was sad because he missed us and we would have been the highlight of his night.)
I should have worn Adolpha’s mouse ears! Minnie would have loved them!
My one regret was that I didn’t get to run into the Official Disney Archivist, so I could ask my most important question: “Is it true Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen so he could be thawed out and revived at a later date when the technology allowed?” Of course, I realize this is an urban legend that has been debunked, but I’m that person who thinks there might be a kernel of truth to these rumors and who would know better than the Official Archivist? She probably knows where Walt’s freezer is buried!
Thank you to Union Station and Disney 100 for inviting me to this party and giving me a sneak peek at this fantastic exhibit.
A Century!! My friends and I used to get stoned and hit Disneyland in the 1960’s when it was affordable . All the rides especially those more fascinating to our hashish eyes. Haven’t been back since. I’ve grand children and the cost ? Well I’d rather fly to Italy than the Dumbo ride. Gotta admit. I was an experienced line cuter for Matterhorn
Thanks for being the most fabulous +1 in the history of +1's, gurl.