Banderas and Hayek walked a soggy red carpet on an upper deck during a damp day at Port Everglades but—as the TV crews gushed—nothing could cloud the star power of the actors who voice the roles of the swashbuckling Puss in Boots and his romantic interest, Kitty Softpaws, in a 3-D film that will first hit landside theaters on Oct. 28.
The stars, along with director Chris Miller and DreamWorks ceo Jeffrey Katzenberg, seemed to get a kick out of being on the world’s largest cruise ship. They philosophized, joked, conversed in Spanish and English and, in Hayek’s case, even danced a few salsa moves with a reporter.
On hand were more than 40 media outlets including ‘Entertainment Tonight,’ People magazine, CNN en español, Miami’s NBC and CBS affiliates and Nickelodeon.
Katzenberg said it was great to stage the premiere on Allure of the Seas, a ship that has ‘everything in the world you would want to do under one roof,’ adding: ‘The theater here beats anything you’d see on Broadway.’
Royal Caribbean International president Adam Goldstein, escorting on the red carpet swimmer Dara Torres, 12-time Olympic medalist and one of the seven godmothers for Allure’s sister, Oasis of the Seas, told Seatrade Insider how successful the DreamWorks affiliation is proving.
He described the ‘unbelievable media attendance’ for an event in Shanghai on Tuesday to announce the extension of the DreamWorks Experience to a fifth vessel, Voyager of the Seas, which will become the largest cruise ship to homeport in Australasia next year.
‘It was crazy,’ Goldstein said. ‘They are totally into the DreamWorks experience.’ China, he noted, was the largest grossing country for ‘Kung Fu Panda.’ DreamWorks is ‘a huge phenomenon, whether you’re here in the US or in China,’ he added. ‘It’s a great credit to DreamWorks. Everyone loves the the characters, all ages, adults included.’
Allure Capt. Hernan Zini, who escorted his wife Anja on the red carpet, is no stranger to the movie business. He has a cameo role in ‘Jack and Jill,’ the Adam Sandler-Katie Holmes feature filmed on board during the the ship’s inaugural. That movie will be out soon.
Some broadcasters told Seatrade Insider they were drawn to the ‘Puss in Boots’ premiere by the stars, but the fact the event was on a cruise ship gave added zing.
‘The whole experience is more unique than if it was at an ordinary venue. It’s a full-package day,’ said Brooke Burgstahler of UMTV.
Nancy Banner of Palm Beach, Fla., was among the 300 winners of radio station promotions that gave away tickets to the premiere. The Antonio Banderas fan sat in a wheelchair under an umbrella with a big smile on her face.
‘I injured my knee last Sunday and I should be home in bed but I wasn’t going to miss this,’ she said. Banner and her husband brought their children, ages 6 and 9. The family are avid Royal Caribbean cruisers who’ve sailed the Freedom-class ships.
‘We’re dying to go on the Allure,’ Banner said. ‘It’s heaven on water for kids and there’s a lot for adults, too, so we intend to sail on it in the future.’
In the Amber Theater, before putting on their 3-D glasses as the world’s first audience for ‘Puss in Boots,’ the crowd roared when cruise director Ken Rush brought Banderas, Hayek, Miller and Katzenberg to the stage.
‘Hello,’ Hayek purred, in her Kitty Softpaws character. ‘Hello, all you kids of all ages. It’s ironic to be here since we are cats and usually we don’t like the water, but you guys are so special, we decided to make an exception.’
