DISNEY SURE KNOWS HOW TO THROW A PARTY

Thursday, we drove up to Hollywood to go to the movie theater owned by Disney, The El Capitan. We were going to see Toy Story 3 in 3D.

I love going to this theater to see movies. Of course, they are all Disney or Pixar movies. So it's always fun for the whole family.

Trinity took her best friend, Jesse with her. If you remember being a kid, no matter what you do, it's always twice as fun if you have your friend with you.

We had to wait outside to get in. The line was long and it was hot out. We did have a great place in line though as we got there early. So we, got to sit while we wait.

The girls had matching shirts with Jesse on them and GIRLS RULE, which is their favorite saying.

Inside the theater was a cute photo op they had set up. You could climb inside the large box and become the Newest Action Figure from Toy Story.

Going inside the theater is fun. It's an older theater and so they kept a lot of the old charm from the Good Ol' Days. Like the man playing the organ before the movie starts. They also showed a short animation that reminded me of the days they always had a cartoon before the actual movie.

There is a balcony and also side box areas. Sometimes, they have a show before hand with Disney characters and they will show up here.

No pre show this day though. They had a special thing planned for after the show. We couldn't wait to see what it was.

Before the show starts, the organ disappears down into the stage, the lights go dim and the curtains start to open. Several layers of curtains appear and each one has a pretty light show.

They showed some fun previews. Then it was time to put on the 3D glasses and enjoy the show. It was a great movie. Very cute and even a bit sad.

After the movie we were lead outside and over to Hollywood High School across the street to the Fun Zone.

Everything there was included in the price of the movie ticket, with the exception of any food or drinks you may want or things you may want to buy in the gift shop.

The shows, rides, games and activities were all there to enjoy, over and over.

Even the stars of the shows were there. Here is my sister, Patty hobnobbing with cast. They welcomed her into their group like she was one of the family.

The Fun Zone is open to everyone who sees the show for 2 1/2 hours. Then you must leave and the next group of movie goers get to have fun.

By doing this, the place is never overly crowded and there is plenty of time for everyone to have lots of fun.

You could race a Slinky over at The Slinky Dog Super Steps. Even I had fun playing around here.

Crazy tall man was walking around making everyone laugh.

All the games had a theme of something from the movie.

The way they set things up was really great and everything was decorated so cute. They really outdid themselves.

Rex's Race was one of the more popular places. Friends and family would race each other on tricycles and whoever won got a free ice cream.

The biggest draw was Bullseye's Bungee Jump. Of course this is where Trinity and Jesse wanted to go first.

Trinity shot up in the air so high it looked like she could hop off onto the top of Hollywood High's roof.

Jesse went way up too. You can see the Roosevelt Hotel in the background.

We took in a show called Dancing with with the Toys. At the end, everyone gets up and dances too. Lots of fun seeing all the kids dancing and having a blast.

Tons of toys to play with got the attention of most of the kids. Here Jesse and Trinity is playing with LEGOS. Is there any kid that doesn't love LEGOS?

Sunnyside Daycare is where the Toys (in the movie) were sent and they try to escape. So there was a big area set up with that theme too.

They had things like a Maze and things that the kids had to go through, under, over and around in an effort to escape Sunnyside Preschool.

Each area was named after one of the Toys at the school. Like Big Baby's Bumpers.

The girls doing a great job of getting across without touching the ground.

Swinging on a rope to jump from one area to another without falling in the "pit" was a great place to watch big smiles on the children's faces.

There was even a playground set up with swings and slides. Just like the kids in the movie had.

Oh my! It appears my sister, Maureen, may have found a date for this weekend. Why that's Ken! I wonder if Barbie and Maureen's husband know about this?



Of course, being the animal lover that I am, I enjoyed my time with Rex and Bullseye.



Somehow, Maureen, got talked into the Rex Race with the girls. Here they are with their bike helmets on waiting for their turn.



And...they're off! They raced around the course and Jesse was the winner. Way to go Jesse!

It was then time for the Ferris Wheel.

I love Ferris Wheels. They remind of Summer fun and being a kid. I enjoy going to top and getting to look around. I was always happy when someone on the opposite side from me had to get off and I would get to stay on top for an extra minute while they got off.

The girls did everything there was to do there. They even made a visor to take home. We enjoyed a snow-cone and by the time our 2 1/2 hours were up, we were all ready to go.

We had a blast and were all tired.

Since we parked over at the Kodak Theater, the girls had to stop in Build A Bear at the attached mall. They both got a big animal and a small one to take home.

We ate dinner in an effort to let the traffic die down before we headed home. It was a great way to rest up and talk about the fun we had.

I took this final picture outside the restaurant and then we left. Good bye Hollywood. We will be back soon!