Brian Gaughan : The Walt Disney Company

"Disney's A Christmas Carol" train begins nationwide promotional tour

Brian Gaughan — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:05:00 GMT

Let’s say you have a big picture planned for the 2009 holiday season. One that not launches a brand-new hi-tech production arm at your studio but also renews your company’s relationship with one of Hollywood’s top hitmakers.

You’d need something big to signify an event like that, right? Something of size. Like – say – a train.

Photo by Brian Gaughan

So this past Thursday, that’s exactly what The Walt Disney Company did. On Track 12 at LA's Union Station, they rolled out “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” Train Tour. Which will spend the next six months rolling around the country, visiting 36 states as it spreads the word about this all-new 3D version of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale.

This press event got off to a suitably festive start, as carolers strolled the train platform singing holiday favorite and jugglers in period garb performed.

Photo by Brian Gaughan

Eventually Dick Cook – Chairman of Walt Disney Studios – took to the stage and thanked members of the media for turning out.

Photo by Brian Gaughan

Cook then introduced the talent behind “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis and human cartoon Jim Carrey.

Photo by Brian T. Gaughan

After some banter involving a charitable donation that The Walt Disney Company was going to present to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (Before this over-sized check for $100 thousand dollars could actually be turned around and revealed to the press, Carrey loudly exclaimed that the amount that Disney was about to give was $100 million. “Oh my gosh, Dick,” Jim said. “That’s incredibly generous.” To which Cook replied “That’s okay, Jim. We’ll just deduct that amount from your pay”), these three then sat down and began fielding questions from reporters.

Photo by Brian Gaughan

Perhaps the funniest exchange in this press conference came when Jenni Smart of Jenniradio.com – after pointing out that Carrey had now played two holiday icons (i.e. The Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge) – asked what it was about projects this that appealed to the performer. Jim growled in response, “I hate Christmas.”

Photo by Brian Gaughan

When asked if the world really needed yet another big screen version of “A Christmas Carol,” Zemeckis responded that – thanks to the state-of-the-art performance capture system that ImageMoversDigital uses – for the first time ever, Dickens’ classic holiday tale can finally be told the way that he actually wrote it. “Dickens was an incredibly cinematic writer. And we now have the tools that we needed in order to really do justice to this story.”

Photo by Brian Gaughan

Which quickly came apparent as the press filed into the inflatable theater that was set up on site there at Union Station to scope out some scenes from “Disney’s A Christmas Carol.”

Photo by Brian Gaughan

The sequences that were screened for the media should be familiar to any fan of this holiday tale. They showed that moment from early on in the story where Scrooge’s nephew Fred visits his uncle at the counting house. We also to see Ebenezer’s frightful encounter with the Ghost of Jacob Marley. And while I was not exactly a fan of Zemeckis’ earlier performance capture projects (I thought that “The Polar Express” looked stiff & creepy, while “Beowulf” was just plain creepy), I have to admit that I was won over by “Disney’s A Christmas Carol.” This time around, though this picture is clearly CG animation, the performance is purely human.

Afterwards, I toured the four cars that will be taking part in the “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” Train Tour and checked out all of the exhibits. And I have to admit that there was some pretty neat stuff on display here. Everything from props & costumes that were used in the making of this movie to genuine artifacts from the Charles Dickens Museum of London (Which The Walt Disney Company has on loan for the length of this six-months-long promotional tour).

All in all, I thought that the “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” Train Tour was a great take-in. And film fans around LA seem to have agreed with me. Given that – this past weekend – some people stood in line at Union Station for upwards of 3 hours in order to get the chance to experience this traveling exhibit.

Photo by Brian Gaughan

And speaking of traveling … The “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” Train Tour rolled out of Los Angeles this morning. It’s now en route to Arizona, where it will then set up shop for three days at Williams Depot near the rim of the Grand Canyon from May 29 – 31st. From there, the train makes a single day stop in Santa Fe on June 2nd before then chugging onward to Albuquerque. Where this exhibit will do a three stand at the Amtrak Station June 5 – 7th.

If you’d like to know if “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” Train Tour is coming through your neck of the woods as this traveling exhibit makes its 16,000+ trip around the country, be sure and check out the official website. Which lists all 40 stops that this tour will make now through November 1st.

Share this Article email it! | del.ici.ous! | digg it! | reddit!

Subscribe in a reader (RSS)

Disney honors its own at the 2007 Legends induction ceremony

Brian Gaughan — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:00:00 GMT

In a town that's known for its glitz & glamor (as well as for giving out far too many awards to people who really don't deserve recognition), the Disney Legends is a really nice change of pace.

Photo by Brian Gaughan

Held three weeks ago today, this year's induction ceremony was such a low key, classy affair. Held in the Courtyard of the Legends on the Burbank lot, more than 100 attendees and guests attended this late afternoon event. Where -- as those giant dwarfs that hold up the Michael D. Eisner building looked on -- 12 truly deserving individuals were dubbed Disney Legends.

The courtyard was fully engulfed in shade by the time Disney CEO Robert Iger finally took the stage and welcomed everyone to the event. Iger then presented this year's first Disney Legends award to his old mentor at ABC/Cap Cities, Capital Cities founder Tom Murphy. As he accepted this statuette, Murphy made a point of mentioning how proud he was of Iger.

Disney CEO Robert Iger welcomes everyone to this year's induction ceremony.
Photo by Brian Gaughan

The next Disney Legend award was presented to posthumously to Roone Arledge, that television visionary who helped drive the expansion of ABC News & Sports. His statuette was graciously accepted by his son, Roone Arledge, Jr.

The next and probably most emotional award at this year's ceremony was given to executive secretary Lucille Martin, who started with Walt and became an assistant to everyone who followed him up to Michael Eisner.

Iger presentd the Disney Legends Award to longtime studio employee Lucille Martin.
Photo by Brian Gaughan

Iger then introduced Roy E. Disney, who gave the more surprising awards at this year's Ceremony. The first went to animation legend and JHM contributor Floyd Norman, who accepted this award with his usual humor and grace. Then -- while presenting a posthumous Disney Legend award to animation pioneer Art Babbit -- Roy called Art a "troublemaker, which isn't unwarranted." Which was a somewhat veiled reference to Babbit's involvement in the infamous Disney animators strike of 1941.

Roy E. Disney, Floyd Norman, Chip & Dale.
Photo by Brian Gaughan

As a few people in the courtyard area chuckled at Roy's comment, he remarked "Ah, someone remembered." Art's wife, Barbara Babbit, then accepted the Disney Legends award in her late husband's stead.

Disney then presented another posthumous Disney Legend award to animator/writer Dick Huemer. This particular award was accepted by Dick's son, Dr. Richard Huemer.

Dr. Richard Huemer accepts a Disney Legends award on behalf of his late father.
Photo by Brian Gaughan

The next recipient was dance legend Marge Champion. Who -- as a teenager -- was the live-action reference model of Snow White among other classic Disney characters. She accepted, telling a story that -- because she was a teenage -- she had to refer to Walt Disney as "Uncle Walt."

Marty Sklar was next up to present the awards to the Disney Legends from Imagineering. The first went to past President of Imagineering Carl Bongirno.

The next honoree was Ron Logan. Who -- throughout his career-- was Musical & Entertainment Director at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. As Ron accepted his statuette, he told the crowd how he had been the first trumpet playing "Toy Soldiers" in the Disneyland Christmas Parade.

Bob Schiffer applying make-up to Dean Jones during the production of "The Shaggy DA."
Photo by Brian Gaughan

Dick Cook was next up to present awards to Disney's Entertainment Legends. These included archivist Dave Smith as well as Bob Schiffer, the make-up genius behind such Disney favorites of the 1970s & 1980s as "Tron," "The Shaggy DA," "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and "Frankenweenie." Schiffer's son accepted this posthumous award.

Last up was the real entertainment of this year's event, Academy Award winner Randy Newman. As he was cheered on by his proud Pixar partner, John Lasseter, Newman talked about his longtime connection with Walt Disney Studios. With one tongue-in-cheek highlight being the moment when Randy turned to the Woody & Buzz Lightyear walkaround characters that had joined him on stage and said "I'm sorry that we had to cut your love scene" out of "Toy Story."

Randy Newman apologizes to Buzz & Woody. Oh, well ... There's always "Toy Story 3."
Photo by Brian Gaughan

After Newman serenaded the crowd with a rendition of "You've Got a Friend in Me," the honorees all gathered together. First to have a group photo taken, then to place their handprints & signatures in cement.

You know what really struck me about this event? The fact that Bob Iger didn't act like your usual Hollywood bigwig. Rather than hogging the limelight, Iger seemed quite content to stand on the sidelines and just enjoy the day. With his arms folded in front of him, looking on like a proud papa at his kid's birthday.

This year's crop of Disney Legends gather for a group photo.
Photo by Brian Gaughan

After all the awards were given out, it was fun to watch this year's Disney Legends rub elbows with such past honorees as Art Linkletter, Richard M. Sherman and Wally Boag.

All in all, maybe a hundred people attend the 2007 Disney Legends induction ceremony. Which may not have been long on glitz & glamor. But -- man -- was it magical !

Share this Article email it! | del.ici.ous! | digg it! | reddit!

Subscribe in a reader (RSS)