Eva Lake, 3½, and her mother, Jenny, get wristbands for the free screening of the Disney movie "Planes" Friday. The screening was for servicemembers and their Families. The pair also were treated to a free drink and popcorn at Fort Belvoir's ... VIEW ORIGINAL
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (NOV. 27) -- Disney and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service hosted a "Day of 'Planes'" on Fort Belvoir Friday, including a free screening of the Disney animated comedy, "Planes," and a chance to meet the film's producer and director.
Children created paper planes and picked up free "Planes" gear, like movie posters and wooden fliers, before getting tickets to see the movie on the big screen.
Families also had the chance to talk with "Planes" Director Klay Hall and Producer Traci Balthazor-Flynn and get their autographs.
"The children were really excited when they learned that they had the opportunity to see somebody who (had) an integral part in the movie," said Crystal Harvey, Army spouse, who brought her children, Joi, 9, and Jonathan, 5, to the event. "They've seen it before when it came out and they really enjoyed it, and my son is really interested in aviation, so he was totally excited."
Disney also provided balloon makers, a drawing and coloring station and free small popcorn and drink for everyone, along with giveaways like free movies.
Two-year-old Sean-Alexander Watson was so excited about seeing the movie again that he wore his aviator's sweatshirt with pilot's goggles on the hood.
"Planes" is his favorite movie, so going to the event was a no-brainer, said Watson's father, Chaplain (Capt.) Jared Watson, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Belvoir Family Life Chaplain.
"I woke him up from his nap 30 minutes ago and I said 'Do you want to go see 'Planes' on the big screen?' and he said 'Yes, yes, yes,' so yeah, he's very excited," he said. "We bought the DVD and he's watched it nonstop since it came out."
The event was a way for Disney to give back to military Families, said Klay Hall, "Planes" director.
"It was very important for us to get a chance to try to give back a little, let them know how much we appreciate them," he said. "It's an honor to be here."
Hall, whose father was a Navy pilot, said the movie has several connections to the military community.
"Some of the core ideas were driven by Navy pilots," he said, and it has military values. "It's about discipline and a respect, which is a code that goes throughout all branches of the military."
"Planes" Producer Traci Balthazor-Flynn said that many of the film's themes can be especially applicable to the military community, such as the importance of having a support system.
"You can kind of see through the movie that Dusty fills his support system based on being true to who he is and they help him in times of challenge," she said. "I can only imagine that that's not a foreign concept to those on base today."
Balthazor-Flynn said she hoped the event brought joy to the Families serving the country.
"I am just so thankful for everything the Families do and give up for our country. So, bringing back a little bit of fun into their lives through the film and hopefully bringing some joy to them this holiday season means a lot to us," she said.
The event was the first time Disney partnered with the Exchange to provide a free screening to the Fort Belvoir community, said Fort Belvoir Exchange General Manager Nildy Eiley -- and she hopes there will be more events like this in the future.
"We're very excited that we got them to come here to support our military personnel," she said. "That's what our community is about. They are who we serve (and) they deserve the best."
The event was in conjunction with the release of "Planes" in Blu-ray combination pack Nov. 19.
For more information on upcoming events on Fort Belvoir, visit the Fort Belvoir Facebook page.
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