Birthday Princess and a Frog

Although this is a post mostly about Disney related things…. Happy Birthday Janelle! My roomie and BFF turned 27 December 10th. There are no pictures of a cake because she only wanted a cupcake from Sweet Lady Jane’s on Melrose. In classic Krysta and Janelle style, she had a themed party: Princess and the Frog. Although the movie hadn’t technically been released yet, I was able to find a few decorations.


For her birthday celebration, she decided to have lunch at Tam O’Shanter Inn. She got the idea by watching the extra features on Cinderella. This restaurant was one of Walt Disney’s favorite. He and the Nine Old Men would dine there frequently because of it’s close proximity to the studios. The restaurant itself looks like it could be a Snow White cottage. The food was fantastic and the waiters wear plaid! It is actually owned by Lawry’s (the season salt company) and is the oldest restaurant operated by the same family in the same location in Los Angeles. The staff was smart and sat us close to the table Walt Disney sat at. We couldn’t all fit, otherwise they would have sat us there.








After our delicious lunch, Nathan, Domonique, Janelle and I headed over to the Disney Studios. Normally, when a new Disney movie is released, they have a special event over at the El Capitan Theatre. However, because of the Christmas Carol running at the same time, The Princess and the Frog was given a special engagement at the Disney Studios. They started the event two weeks before it was released nationwide. It sold out so fast, we were only able to get tickets the day before it’s release. Which also happened to be Janelle’s birthday! So, for her birthday, we saw the Princess and the Frog =) They opened the studio theatre, where we watched the movie, then converted one of the sound stages in to an event much like Enchanted’s Experience. They had costumes and props, games, cupcakes, merchandise, and of course, all the princesses! Including the new addition to the princess club, Miss Tiana herself. After we worked our way around the set, we went on a tour of the Disney Studios. Although I have been to the studios many times, it was fun to learn new facts.












The movie was amazing. We laughed, we cried, we clapped… we pretty much went through every emotion. The animators have been holding their breath on this one. They went out on a limb making an animated film without CGI. They hoped that there were still people in the world who missed the traditional Disney animated films. Although I love Pixar and all the fantastic movies they make with Disney, it was so nice to see a classic animated musical film. So go see it to support 2D animation!

Following our Disney Studios event, we headed down to Anaheim to go to….. you guessed it, Disneyland! Unlike most trips, however, we only ate and shopped! Now that's what I call a happy birthday!