I am so incredibly excited to tell you all (or as they say in Nashville, ya’ll) about my trip! Dreamworks sent me to Nashville for an amazing media day, where I got to learn so much about Veggie Tales, and sneak peeks into their future projects! As if I wasn’t already a HUGE Veggie Tales fan, I have become an even bigger fanatic.
When I arrived Monday, I had a few hours to relax in my hotel room. Heavenly.
Then it was time to get ready for the Celery Night Fever DVD launch party!
The party was SO fun, and the food was so delicious! It was really fancy, and was a fun time to mingle with other bloggers, and some of the great people who work for Dreamworks and Big Idea. Veggies. At a Veggie Tales party. SO adorable!!
They sent us home with a copy of Celery Night Fever, and a promise for a JAM-PACKED day of fun on Tuesday! Tuesday morning was bright and early!! 
SO excited!
Could not get over how cute the centerpieces were!
Breakfast was unbelievable!
We spent the day at Oceanway Studios. It is a GORGEOUS recording studio where Veggie Tales records a lot of their script development, editing, music, and recording. It was originally a church, and they have kept so much of it’s charm and beauty.
We got to meet Mike Nawrocki, who is the co-creator of Veggie Tales, and the voice of Larry Cucumber himself! He did the voice for us- it was awesome. He was incredibly sweet and genuine and I enjoyed hearing about how he and Phil met and started Veggie Tales (hint hint- they met in MN!)
We hit some breakout sessions which were AWESOME! Getting behind the scene looks and sneak peeks into the future of Veggie Tales was so incredible. I felt like a kid on a great field trip. I wanted to soak it all in! I started with Mike Nawrocki and Frankie Franco who is a storyboard artist for the new Netflix Veggie Tales series “Veggie Tales in the House”. Mike talked a lot about where they got their ideas for “Celery Night Fever” and walked us through how they do the digital work from start to finish. It was so interesting to learn that 21 years ago, digital artistry was so elementary, that they choose veggies because they didn’t have limbs and were easy to work with digitally. Certainly worked out! =)
Frankie talked about his process in his art- he works digitally to draw, and he says technology is so advanced it really feels like pen and paper. The characters got a few updates on their look- technology advancement has allowed for the profiles to change. We can now actually see into the characters mouths when they are in profile. Frankie also gave us a little sketch lesson- it was so fun! What do you think of my work?
We then got to bust in on Chris and Tom who are the producer and director for the much anticipated new movie “Beauty and the Beet”.
They were literally in the middle of the editing process, which was super cool, and also so nice of them to take a break and let us in on their world a bit! The story is based on loving the unloveable, and from the sneak peek we got looks amazing! They said that all the actors come in and do the voices first, then the animation is done. Sometimes, after both are finished, actors still need to get in and change a few things here and there. They call this ADR- automatic dialog replacement, or “looping”. For instance, they said Kellie had a line that went “Dad, it’s getting bad out there.” But when she originally came in, it wasn’t quite what they needed- she needed to sound more scared. So they bring her back in, and she has to try and match the mouth of the animation. They re-do the line over and over again until it’s perfect! And best of all we got a chance to try!
It was so fun getting in the recording studio and voicing one of the sisters in the movie. Maybe this can be my next career goal? =)
Next was a sneak peek into the new Netflix Veggie Tales Series- “Veggie Tales in the House.” I am SOOOO excited about this! It’s coming out this fall, and I know my boys are going to love it and it will be a favorite in our house. We talked with Doug TenNapel, and his passion for the project was infectious. He told us that it will be broken down into 11 minute stories, 2 of them per episode. It will be released for “binge watching” on Netflix, like “Orange is the New Black”, etc. They work really hard on each story, and every episode has a new original song! It is set like the original Veggie Tales, where you see them on the counter of a “human” home. This time, they have a fully funished house on the counter, and other veggie tales are all throughout the house. They’ve made it their own village. =) They wanted it to look like something a kid would design if they were playing. How cool is that? Sort of like little dollhouses everywhere, as if the veggies just took over the house! And they will be introducing their first meat character- Bacon Bill.
There’s also a new theme song… take a look!
Lunch was served… we were seriously so spoiled. And those DESSERTS! To die for. Almost too cute to eat… Almost.
Photo booth fun! How great is this? Plus, I got mine signed by Larry the Cucumber himself! (Mike Nawrocki)
Then it was time for the main attraction! Miss Kellie Pickler! We were so excited. And met with fun gifts as we sat down to interview and listen!
She was so incredibly adorable. Filled with sweet southern charm, and so much excitement for her role as Mirabelle in “Beauty and the Beet”. Have a listen!
She was so happy to work with Veggie Tales, and shared with us that although she isn’t a mom, she loves being behind a project with such great lessons and values, which is so different than all the stuff thats out there today.
HUGE thank you to Dreamworks and Big Ideas. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity!
