TV5 chairman Manny V. Pangilinan (left) with TV5 chief entertainment content officer Wilma Galvante on the set of Wattpad Presents: The Magic In You at Hong Kong Disneyland
When TV5, the Happy Network, was invited to shoot inside the “happiest place on Earth, Disneyland,” we knew that it was an engagement that was wrapped in magic. The more than one-week sojourn in Hong Kong Disneyland has been a memorable, and to say the least, magical, experience for the TV5 staff and production people as they shot the special rom-com episode of Wattpad Presents last month.
The Magic in You, which is based on the Wattpad novel originally written by marielicious, ushers in the much-anticipated return of the sought-after love team of Artista Academy alumni Mark Neumann and Shaira Mae as they give life to the well-loved characters of Basti Rivera and Princess Anne Dimla. This special Wattpad Presents episode tells the story of Princess (Shaira Mae) who, like every girl, grew up with a certain fondness for Disney characters. Like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella and Mulan, she, too, believes in the magic of love that comes to all the princesses. As if the universe granted her heart’s desire, Princess finally gets her wish when she gets to fly to the happiest place on earth, Hong Kong Disneyland. Her adventure through the world-class entertainment-cum-resort is virtually a personal tour of Disneyland’s major attractions and the warmth and creativity of its creators.
What made the TV5 crew’s experience in this outing more memorable was the personal visit made to the set by TV5 chairman Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) who was in Hong Kong at that time. MVP made it a point to watch the production set-up and actual shoot in Disneyland Hotel where the ballroom sequence for The Magic in You was shot in its entirety. According to director Mac Alejandre, “MVP came as I was setting up the scene where Shaira has been transformed into a Disney Princess and there was Mark as Prince Charming looking up to her as she strode from the top of the grand staircase to the ballroom floor to meet him. It was a scene that will remind you of the animated film, Beauty and the Beast. We were doing it live and in action complete with the actual ballroom grandeur — with glistening walls and floors; the feeling actually was one of magic or your kilig factor.
MVP, who stayed for more than an hour, saw and felt the sense of magic and wonder, which were palpable in the air. Everyone was feeling “magical” and even MVP, according to direk Mac, “had a wide smile as if touched by the magic of the moment.” One staff even overheard MVP saying, “Masaya pala dito,” referring to Disneyland. I later learned that it was his first time to set foot in Hong Kong Disneyland despite having lived and worked in Hong Kong for so many years.
So tomorrow, April 13, be ready to experience the magic of love and be enthralled as TV5 virtually brings you the happiest place on earth in Wattpad Presents: The Magic in You at 9 p.m. And as direk Mac succinctly said, “One can be five (years old); 10, 30 or even a senior citizen but once immersed in that fairy tale atmosphere that is Disneyland, you can feel the giddiness and you become a child once again.”
