CARLSBAD, Calif. (Nov. 30, 2015) – Golden Globe award winner Jenna Elfman and her family joined in the winter tradition at LEGOLAND® California Resort and helped Santa pull the switch lighting the 30-foot tall LEGO® Christmas tree during the 13th annual tree lighting ceremony in Carlsbad, California.
Elfman is popularly known for her starring role as free spirit Dharma Finkelstein Montgomery in the hit series “Dharma & Greg” and is currently starring as Iva Lou Wade in the romantic comedy “Big Stone Gap” currently playing in theaters.
Guests at tonight’s tree lighting got an exclusive first look at an image from “The LEGO Movie 4D A New Adventure” and viewed special LEGO ornaments created by Master Model Builders that were inspired by the Park’s new animated attraction premiering Feb. 6 at LEGOLAND California. Emmet and Wyldstyle costume characters joined Elfman and her sons Story(8) and Easton(5) and, of course, Santa, on stage to help pull a magical switch that set off thousands of lights and a twinkling LEGO star, followed by snow showering Park guests and a fireworks show.
At the ceremony, LEGOLAND California Resort donated $10,000 on Elfman’s behalf to Youth for Human Rights International, a Los Angeles based charity aimed at teaching youth about human rights, specifically the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and inspires them to become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace. “For us parents, in the world today, we see what’s going on and we all in our heart of hearts wish for peace on earth, truly. I feel the way we are going to accomplish that on a larger scale is through education of human rights,” said Elfman. “I think we’d all like to see peace and harmony.”
“Human Rights are the rights that every kid and adult, all girls and boys have and without them it is hard to live a happy and successful life,” said Executive Director of Youth for Human Rights International Ruslan Khusainov. “Our organization, like LEGOLAND California, is dedicated to bringing joy and happiness to people. We do it through education around the world and with this generous donation we will be able to continue doing it on a bigger scale!”
Guests at tonight’s ceremony were also treated to new animated footage of NINJAGO The Ride coming to LEGOLAND California in the spring of 2016. The new dark ride features cutting edge technology enabling guests to act like ninja warriors blasting animated fireballs, lightning, shockwaves and ice as they go into battle.
Towering over the theme park’s Fun Town winter wonderland, the LEGO Christmas tree stands 30-foot tall, is created out of more than 245,000 green DUPLO® bricks, features more than 400 LEGO ornaments and sparkles with more than 11,000 LED lights. The tree lighting ceremony is part of LEGOLAND California Resort’s coolest holiday celebration ever, Holiday Snow Days and Winter Nights. Now through January 3, 2015, the Park transforms into a winter wonderland featuring real snow for kids to build snow balls and throw at LEGO targets, decorate a snowman with LEGO accessories or make a snow angel. Guests can enjoy festive entertainment plus nightly fireworks Dec. 26 through 31 and the celebration concludes with San Diego’s biggest Kids’ New Year’s Eve Party on Dec. 31. All Holiday Snow Days and Winter Nights activities located inside the Park are included with regular Park admission.
LEGOLAND® California Resort includes LEGOLAND® California, SEA LIFE® Aquarium, LEGOLAND Water Park and LEGOLAND Hotel. All are geared for families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. At LEGOLAND California, you’ll find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including LEGO® Star Wars™ Miniland Model Display, Pirate Reef and LEGO Legends of Chima Water Park presented by Cartoon Network. New this year is the LEGO Star Wars™ Miniland Death Star Model Display and LEGO Heartlake City where guests can meet the five LEGO Friends in person, build a LEGO horse or ride Mia’s Carousel. SEA LIFE Aquarium is home to more than 5,000 living creatures and incorporates LEGO® models into a child’s voyage to the depths of the ocean featuring play zones, fun facts and quiz trails. LEGOLAND Water Park features more than seven slides, sandy beaches and the unique Build-A-Raft River. The nation’s first LEGOLAND Hotel features 250 rooms, all themed either as pirate, adventure, or kingdom plus more than 3,500 LEGO models throughout the three-story hotel. For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO (5346).
MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe’s number one and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 111 attractions, 12 hotels/4 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 63 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and approximately 26,000 employees (peak season).
Merlin has twenty five attractions and two hotels in North America – including two stunning LEGOLAND Resorts – LEGOLAND Florida Resort with its theme park, water park and hotel; and LEGOLAND California Resort with its theme park, two water parks, SEA LIFE Aquarium and themed hotel; The Orlando Eye; Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attractions in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas, NV; Hollywood, CA; Orlando, FL and San Francisco, CA; LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in Chicago, IL; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Kansas City, MO; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Westchester, NY; Toronto, Canada; a Dungeon in San Francisco; and SEA LIFE Aquariums in Phoenix, AZ; Kansas City, MO; Auburn Hills, MI; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; the Mall of America in Minneapolis, MN; Orlando, FL and Charlotte/Concord, NC – underlining the company’s position as the world’s biggest global aquarium operator. Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.
Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2001. Its purpose is to inspire youth to become advocates for tolerance and peace through education on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. YHRI has carried out 12 International Human Rights Summits at the United Nations bringing together youth from around the world. Additionally it has over 100 chapters, while their human rights educational materials are translated into 27 languages, thereby bringing the message of human rights to 195 nations. www.youthforhumanrights.org
