Alexia Williams and her two children were the first people from the UAE to get a look at DreamWorks Animations newest film, Home, ahead of its release on Thursday, March 26.
And they didn't just have tickets for an advance screening at a local cinema – they were flown to London for the VOX Cinemas global red-carpet premiere on March 14 after winning a contest run by the cinema chain and The National.
“At first, when I got the call, I didn’t tell my children,” says Williams, who is from the United Kingdom. “I told them on Thursday, the day before we were leaving, because I thought they’d be too excited if I told them earlier.”
She says Leah, 6, and Zoe, 3, couldn’t understand what was going on at first. “They didn’t comprehend why we were going to London to watch a movie in a cinema when there are plenty of cinemas in Dubai,” says Williams, who is a marketing manager. “But then they got really excited.”
The premiere was held at a cinema in London's Leicester Square and Williams received free flights and three nights accommodation at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hampshire Hotel, as well as tickets to the gala screening of Home.
The animated comedy, based on the children's author Adam Rex's novel The True Meaning of Smekday, was directed by Tim Johnson and features the voices of Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Steve Martin and The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons.
It tells the story of a human who goes on the run after an alien race invades Earth. She teams up with one of the aliens who has been banished from his race.
Families invited to the event were treated to a Home-themed party before the screening.
“There were alien-shaped biscuits, balloons and a bit of a disco,” says Williams. “Children were screaming all over as they were terribly excited. “There was face-painting and even a Guinness World Records holder, Samsam Bubbleman [who has set nine records with his spectacular bubble-blowing skills], was there.”
She says her children were thrilled by the whole experience. "They loved the movie. They thought it was hilarious," she says. "The main character doesn't speak English correctly and there was a lot of wordplay going on. "The film was very silly and was kind of reminiscent of Monsters, Inc, with the alien theme and befriending a human. "It was really colourful, with lots of music by Rihanna that the children were dancing to."
• The next VOX Red Carpet Experience for readers of The National will be for the Hollywood film Spy in May. Watch this space for a chance to attend a star-studded premiere
aahmed@thenational.ae
