I'm not very good at relaxing. Every time I take a vacation I always seem to find a way to work.
"Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast South Pacific, and discovered the many islands of Oceania. But then, for millennia, their voyages stopped - and no one today knows why. Enter Moana, a spirited teenager and born navigator (and Disney's first Polynesian Princess) who sets out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder, and sails the Pacific Ocean to complete her ancestors' unfinished quest. Join her and Maui, the legendary Hawaiian demigod, as together they traverse the open ocean on an action packed voyage, encountering enormous fiery creatures and impossible odds in search of a fabled island."
"They're both super fun and flexible characters" she says. "I get to make up my own stories and improv with kids, instead of having a set script to work with."
"Three to six year olds just love being silly!" she says. "Give me a group of three-year-olds and I can keep them laughing forever with one joke. They just love it! The threes and fours are in that silly wordplay area, which is really fun. The fives and sixes are really in to the stories, and know everything there is to know about their favorite characters, which means you can get in to really cool story nuances with them."An excellent entertainer all-around, Lanie particularly loves doing activities like magic, puppets (of course), and birthday theater.
"Magic is always fun because I can really be silly and joke around with the kids. The birthday theater is great because you get to help the kids come up with their very own story" she says.
"I was doing a Fairy Princess party" says Lanie, "and had a guest request something special for her face paint design: a waterfall on one cheek with 5 droplets of water splashing off it, because she was 5 years old."
"When I finished and showed this little girl her face in the mirror, she absolutely lit up, and said 'I LOVE MYSELF!', which as a children's entertainer is what we call a BIG win!"
"Lanie was great with the kids. She had great energy and did awesome face painting and balloons. Kids had lots of fun!! She also made the birthday girl feel really special. Thank you Lanie for making my child's birthday more special."
"My daughter absolutely LOVED it! She was so excited when she saw Elsa walking down the street. And Lanie made her feel so special and like a princess!"
"Lanie had everyone mesmerized and entertained the moment she came through the door -- girls, boys and all the grown ups too! She had a beautiful voice and did the most awesome face paintings and glitter tattoos. Several of the adults ended up getting their faces painted and glittered up too."
"There's no life in it!" he says, "I didn't feel like I was doing anything, or contributing to society. I was just working for a paycheck." During a production of Peter Pan, he met one of Fire Pixie's princess entertainers and Jacob was intrigued. "So, like a Clown?" he asked, to which Princess Lily replied "It's better!".
"When I'm Peter Pan, it's not like a clown going to the party. It's not just someone coming. It's PETER", says Jacob. True, Peter Pan has a following that kids just die for. "It's like he's a celebrity and they want to ask him all kinda of questions. Seeing how compassionate kids are about that character gives you hope for future generations. He's a really innocent character, so there's a great vibe throughout the party, and he's definitely a symbol of a growth of imagination."
"Jedi have this authority that's very looked up to." he says. "Kinda like a mentor, so a lot of times your shows turn in to a teaching lesson for kids on how to behave: focus, have discipline, determination and drive. Jedi are a symbol of dedication in practice. The kids know that, and when you start talking about the force, it's super believable for them. You get to teach kids a lot about respect, too. Kind of like teaching them a lifestyle of martial arts, and they're dedicated so they pay really close attention and really take a lot away."
"Older kids have a little more imagination and are a little more emotionally developed, but not at the age where they're questioning everything you do and trying to squash the magic. With 5 and 6 year olds, you can be more down to earth, but they still have the imagination and faith and believability in the characters."
"Magic is great because it's not about the destination. Kind of like life, it's all about the journey. Getting from point A to point B is boring, the adventure is in the process."
"The whole process of trial and error and silliness; working together and figuring out how things work is great! Even though everything is going 'wrong' you get to go through it together, and that's the part kids love."
"First thing he did was run to the kitchen and grab a bunch of pictures he'd drawn, and present them to me 'for keeps'. Then, he gave me the grand tour of the house, which concluded in his bedroom, where he showed me all his favorite toys. He was so proud, and obviously over the moon that Captain America had come for his party."
"What does Captain America say, Charlie?"
"I'm Captain America and I'm going to save the day!"
"We were in the middle of doing the magic show, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there's Darth Vader!" No one had mentioned that Vader was coming too, and he was being played by someone Jacob didn't recognize. "All the kids were going nuts and yelling at me to fight Vader." he says, "But I'd never met this guy before, and didn't want to just start attacking him!" Jacob shot a look to the hostess of the party, who seemed just as surprised as he was. Luckily, Luma and Juliana jumped right in and took over the magic, allowing Jacob to approach Vader and ask if it was OK for him to vanquish him. Vader was a good sport, and an epic battle ensued, with the kids cheering Jacob on the whole time.
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