Suzanne Todd Interview – Alice Through the Looking Glass

Do you know that feeling when you first get introduced to a person you fall in love with their soul. That was the feeling I felt for the first time we were introduced to the producer of Alice Through the Looking Glass for our Suzanne Todd Interview.  I was invited by Disney to LA to the Premiere of the movie and interview some key cast and crew.

Suzanne almost had us all in tears when she walked into the room. Although there are some amazing Alice Through the Looking Glass quotes, Suzanne spoke so many of her own that she had me teary during the first 5 minutes of the interview.

Prior to interviewing her, Suzanne had recently spoke at a blogger conference in Disney World that I was invited to but couldn’t attend. Her shoes were amazing. They were Alice Through the Looking Glass design that were tweeted out by several colleagues.

Suzanne Todd Interview

Photo: Jana /MerlotMommy.com

Suzanne Todd walks out and begins to show us her shoes. They are beautiful shoes. The design, the colors, the interior, the bottom, and more! We loved the fact that she wanted to show us her Alice shoes! We asked if she was wearing the shoes to the Red Carpet and she told us “no” and began to tell us why…

She had recently tweeted out about her friend Maria Shriver that was doing a charity fundraiser for Alzheimer’s. Her charity is called “Move for Minds”. Suzanne had tweeted out this message where one of the bloggers, Keri, from SheSaved.com had donated in honor of her grandma.

Suzanne Todd's Fundraiser on CrowdRise Please consider a donation – any small amount helps! https://t.co/zfN51chfMQ

— suzanne todd (@teamsuz) May 20, 2016

Suzanne gifted these shoes to Keri! So let the tears begin. One nice thing for someone who did something nice! Keri deserved this so much! She is just such a nice and sweet mom who was shocked to get these shoes from THE Suzanne Todd. I couldn’t even take notes just loving all of the good deeds that were happening during the interview.

If you are interested in learning more about the fundraiser for Move for Minds check it out and be sure to tell others.

Here are my biggest takeaways with our Suzanne Todd interview:

TIME

We talked a lot about time, the main theme of the Alice Through the Looking Glass. Suzanne Todd said that, “The older I get the less I want to do a movie that doesn’t feed my soul.”

This should be how I should begin to movie forward in life.  I do this a lot with relationships and struggle letting go and fixating on what went wrong wishing I could go back and change something.  I can’t go back and change anything and I should take that energy and spend it on what I love most in life, my family.

AVOIDING NEGATIVITY

“I sweat the small stuff less. And maybe that’s just because I don’t have time for it, or the energy for it. Things that bring drama and conflict and aren’t productive movie forward, I really stay away from or avoid.”

Photo: Jana /MerlotMommy.com

KIDS

Suzanne didn’t ignore talking about her kids during the interview. It was even sweeter at the end of the night as we were leaving the Premiere Party, she introduced us to her kids and their friend.

Suzanne told us that, “The best advice I can give myself is the advice I tell my kids.”

There is so much truth to that advice. As a mom I always find myself putting my kids and family first. To the point that depression fills me up from time to time and I have to learn to actually do the opposite and give myself some me-time ONLY so that I am healthier for my family.

Suzanne, said that she has had to learn to say, “no.” This is a struggle for me…and I am sure many of you could relate. To me, finding help on write here on the blog and find contributors has been really stressful. I am trying to get to the help I need to be able to say, “no.”

SUZANNE’S MOVIES

This summer, Bad Moms, is also coming out. From the outside the movie looks so different from Alice. It looks funny and great but what ARE the similarities in the movie. Here is what we learned:

Relatable Experiences: Moms could relate to the experiences in Alice.
Balance and Redefining Parent: You can see how Alice’s relationship changes with her mom over time.
Feminism Hasn’t Changed: We can get political on this if we really wanted to, but we don’t have to. People are judged and everyone has biases even if it is based on gender.

FAVORITE ALICE SCENE

Suzanne, obviously treasures relationships whether it is with her friends or family. If not, she wouldn’t have put them first in most of the questions we asked her. So her favorite scene/s in the movie are the ones between the Red Queen and the White Queen. You really get to learn who they are and that maybe the Red Queen isn’t all that bad. You also get to see their relationship flourish by learning from the past. Learning from the past is a HUGE theme of the movie.

Photo Credit: Disney –Suzanne’s sister worked on the movie too and she has red hair. There was an ongoing joke that Suzanne was the White Queen and her sister was the Red Queen.

I loved meeting Suzanne. Although she won’t ever remember meeting me if we met again in public, she would remember hanging out with us mom bloggers. I am sure we were much more of a comfortable audience than traditional press.  I LOVED hearing her stories, watching her succeed, and she how great the new Disney movie, Alice Through the Looking Glass, was in regards to family, relationships, and valuing time (Also Time, my new favorite Alice character).

Alice Through the Looking Glass is NOW playing in theaters! Get your tickets TODAY!

In Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” an all-new spectacular adventure featuring the unforgettable characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved stories, Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland to save her friend the Mad Hatter. Directed by James Bobin, who brings a unique vision to the spectacular world Tim Burton created on screen in “Alice in Wonderland,” the film is written by Linda Woolverton based on characters created by Lewis Carroll and produced by Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd and Tim Burton with John G. Scotti serving as executive producer. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” reunites the all-star cast from the worldwide blockbuster phenomenon, including: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Matt Lucas and Helena Bonham Carter along with the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall. We are also introduced to several new characters: Zanik Hightopp (Rhys Ifans), the Mad Hatter’s father and Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen), a peculiar creature who is part human, part clock.

Alice Kingsleigh (Wasikowska) has spent the past three years sailing the high seas. Upon her return to London, she comes across a magical looking glass and returns to the fantastical realm of Underland. Reuniting with her friends the White Rabbit, Absolem, the White Queen and the Cheshire Cat, Alice must save the Hatter and Underland itself, before time runs out. Presented in Digital 3D™, Real D 3D and IMAX® 3D, Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass” opens in U.S. theaters on May 27, 2016.