I always say that you can tell how old someone is by asking them what their favorite Disney Movies were as a child. If they say Snow White, Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty – you know you’re dealing with someone a bit older. But if they say Aladdin, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, or, my personal favorite Beauty and the Beast, then I know I’m dealing with someone who is close in age.

It’s funny how experiences that I treasured as a child have come back around full circle so that I can share them with our two kids. I can very vividly remember sitting in the theater watching Beauty and the Beast at age 9 – falling in love with the music, the story, and of course – that yellow dress. Naturally, at 29 I was totally geeked out to share that same experience with my family – to see the twinkle in my kids eyes as they watched the story unfold.

I’m so thankful to the folks at Disney, who were kind enough to invite the four of us to do just that last Saturday at the El Capitan Theater (the same place that I attended the premiere of Cars 2) in Hollywood. We didn’t tell them where we were going until we were almost there – and then they kept shouting “We’re going to HOLLYWOOD!”.

I’ll take awesome parents for 500, Alex.

We felt like royalty ourselves when we got to the check-in table and discovered that we were special guests and were allowed to skip the line. One day, when our kids no longer think I’m cool, I’m going to show them this post as proof that I am, indeed, cool.

Did I mention that Beauty and the Beast has been remastered and is being released in 3D? We rocked our 3D glasses didn’t we?

What the kids didn’t know was that two very special people were making a surprise appearance at this sneak peek – so imagine how my heart melted when Belle and the Beast waltzed out on stage and I see both of my kids sitting on their knees, stretching out their arms waving and yelling at them with the world’s biggest smiles on their faces. Belle and the Beast thanked us for coming to see their movie, and then there was a confetti explosion and I thought my kids might explode with excitement themselves. They were literally bouncing in their seats. Pure magic.

Before the movie itself started, we got a preview of something that we had been waiting a long time for – Tangled Ever After! My daughter is the world’s biggest Tangled fan so this was a real treat for her. She literally giggled throughout the entire short – she loves Pascal especially, and she even told her grandparents about how funny it was on the phone later that day. My son’s favorite line from Tangled is “They just can’t get my nose right!” and without spoiling anything from you I can tell you that there is a little tribute to that line in the short as well!

We loved every second of Beauty and the Beast in 3D – and it was an amazing experience. The movie still moves me to tears – I was sniffling at the end of the movie. Just wait until you see the ballroom scene in 3D – you will be blown away!

Beauty and the Beast 3D hits theaters TOMORROW, January 13th – so be sure and check it out with your kids this weekend! What a great way to introduce them to the movie that captured our hearts 20 years ago! By the way, you can like Beauty and the Beast on Facebook for up-to-the moment updates!

Thank you so much Disney for this very special day with my family – we are still talking about it!

PS – Do you watch Modern Family? We watched Beauty and the Beast in 3D all while sitting a few rows away from “Manny” who is played by Rico Rodriguez. Kinda awesome! We also got to see Zachary Levi who is the voice of Flynn in Tangled. :)