Thank you to Disney for sponsoring my attendance at the #JungleBookEvent!
There are few things I love more than hopping on a plane and heading off on a new adventure. And let me tell you-the travel bug has had a serious hold on me for the last few months. That’s why I’m so excited for the epicness of April. I have trips planned for the beginning, middle and end of the month…and the first one is pretty darn amazing. On April 4th, I get to walk the red carpet at The Jungle Book‘s premiere!
Of course I know literally nothing about what goes down on the red carpet other than what I’ve gleaned from years of entertainment television and reading the blogs of friends who’ve gone before me. But I love shopping for new things-and a red carpet means dressing up, right? So now I’ve got a new dress. I’ve got new jewelry. I’ve got new shoes. I’m ready to learn just what that red carpet is all about and share it with you. Just light a few candles and say a few prayers. If you know me, you know I’m a walking disaster. Tripping and falling directly into Scarlett Johansson given half the chance? It’s a distinct possibility.
THE JUNGLE BOOK (Pictured) MOWGLI. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
In addition to the red carpet, we’ve got a full schedule of events ahead of us. Our itinerary includes a full slate of celebrity interviews. We’ll be chatting with Neel Sethi, who plays Mowgli; Ben Kingsley, who voices Bagheera; Lupita Nyong’o who voices Raksha; Giancarlo Esposito who voices Akela; and director Jon Favreau.
Bagheera is a sleek panther who feels it’s his duty to help the man-cub depart with dignity when it’s time for him to leave his jungle home. “Bagheera is Mowgli’s adoptive parent,” says Ben Kingsley, who lends his voice to Bagheera. “His role in Mowgli’s life is to educate, to protect and to guide. My Bagheera was military—he’s probably a colonel. He is instantly recognizable by the way he talks, how he acts and what his ethical code is.”
Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lupita Nyong’o voices Raksha, a mother wolf who cares deeply for all of her pups—including man-cub Mowgli, whom she adopts as one of her own when he’s abandoned in the jungle as an infant. “She is the protector, the eternal mother,” says Nyong’o. “The word Raksha actually means protection in Hindi. I felt really connected to that, wanting to protect a son that isn’t originally hers but one she’s taken for her own.”
Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Akela is the strong and hardened alpha-male wolf who shoulders the responsibility of his pack. He welcomes Mowgli to the family, but worries he may one day compromise their safety. “Akela is a fierce patriarch of the wolf pack,” says Giancarlo Esposito, who voices the character. “He believes the strength of the pack lies in what each and every wolf offers. He’s a great leader, a wise teacher.”
Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
After all things The Jungle Book, we’ll join Disney XD to screen their new hidden camera-practical joke series Walk the Prank. The show combines live-action scripted comedy with fully produced, unscripted pranks. We’ll even visit Paramount Studios to view production of an upcoming episode and interview members of the Walk The Prank cast. Honestly, I’m already predicting we’re getting pranked. You can’t get 25 bloggers on the set of a prank show and not prank them, right?
Catch Walk The Prank when it premiers on Disney XD on April 6!
And because I’m a lucky girl, I get to experience all of this with some of my very best friends! I really do have the best job ever.
I’m planning to share all the things on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. You can also follow the #JungleBookEvent hashtag on all social channels to catch the latest updates.
Have any questions you’d like for me to ask in the interviews? Are there things you want to know about a red carpet event? Just let me know in the comments or tag me online and I’ll do my best to find out the answers to all of your burning questions!
The #JungleBookEvent is April 3-5, but stay tuned for full coverage after the event right here on As The Bunny Hops.
The Jungle Book opens in theaters everywhere in 3D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D on April 15th!