# Disney's A Christmas Carol Train Tour on Amtrak



## BaileyRailFans

I just got an email from Disney about a special train tour that they're putting on to promote Disney's new movie, "A Christmas Carol" directed by Robert Zemeckis. The event starts on Memorial Day Weekend, May 22-25 at LAUS and then will be traveling to train stations across the country, ending up at NY's Grand Central Terminal for the movie's premiere in November 2009. See the map at the website below to see if it's going to be coming to your city!

An Amtrak train is being converted to carry several exhibit cars that show the cutting edge technology and magic of movie making, with all kinds of interactive displays for children & adults to enjoy...and it's absolutely free! There will also be a 3-D movie tent where guests will get a free sneak peek of the movie!

Here's the info from the website:

ALL ABOARD FOR “DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL” TRAIN TOUR

FROM SNEAK PEEKS OF EXCLUSIVE 3D FILM FOOTAGE TO SUMMERTIME SNOW –

DISNEY PULLS OUT ALL THE WHISTLE STOPS FOR 40-CITY TRAVELING EXPERIENCE

Departing Los Angeles May 22; Tour to Cover More Than 16,000 Miles

Disney is pulling out all the whistle stops and taking its show on the road with a

spectacular immersive and interactive 40-city train tour including a 3D sneak peek

of film footage from the upcoming movie “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” it was

announced today (05/08/09) by Dick Cook, chairman, The Walt Disney Studios.

Set amidst a snowy backdrop—complete with all of the sights and sounds of

Christmas including carolers, decorations, giveaways and many more surprises in

each of the 40 cities—the Train Tour is being launched with HP on board as the

title and technology sponsor and driven by Amtrak. This family event is for guests

of all ages and is free to the public.

Starring Jim Carrey and directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert

Zemeckis, “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” opens November 6 in theatres, in Disney

Digital 3D™ and in IMAX 3D®.

Commenting on the announcement, Cook said, “‘Disney’s A Christmas Carol’

Train Tour is an incredibly fun way to introduce families across the country to the

wonders and spectacle that is Robert Zemeckis’ unique and spectacular new

holiday film. We are so proud of the movie, and think the 3D footage is so

incredible, we just had to give everyone a chance to see it in Disney Digital 3D.

From Los Angeles to New York, and all points in between, guests are going to

have a fabulous time discovering things about the making of this extraordinary

film, participating in their own festive fantasies, and getting into the holiday spirit

all year round. ‘Disney’s A Christmas Carol’ is great entertainment for

moviegoers of all ages, and this is the perfect introduction to a fun and exciting

new holiday classic.”

Among the highlights of the tour are authentic artifacts on loan from the Charles

Dickens Museum of London; artwork, costumes and props from the film;

demonstrations of performance capture technology; and a chance to morph your

face into one of the film’s characters using HP TouchSmart PCs. At each stop

along the way, a state-of-the-art Disney Digital 3D Theatre will be erected, where

guests can get a sneak peek of “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” and see other

exclusive behind-the-scenes materials from the movie. The latest details about tour

stops and scheduled events are available at www.christmascaroltraintour.com.

Featuring four custom-designed vintage rail cars full of behind-the-scenes

attractions, entertaining demonstrations, and fun activities, the tour will have its

inaugural stop at Los Angeles’ Union Station over Memorial Day Weekend, from

May 22nd through May 25th. During the next 24 weeks, the train will make 40

stops in 36 states, as it travels its way across more than 16,000 miles of track. The

tour will finish at New York’s Grand Central Terminal over the weekend of

October 30th through November 1st.

At every tour stop, Radio Disney will invite kids to enter for a chance to become a

Movie Surfer representing their hometown. Each Hometown Movie Surfer will get

a chance to appear on Disney Channel by filming their very own Movie Surfer’s

segment! They’ll also receive a prize package of exclusive Movie Surfer and

"Disney’s A Christmas Carol” gear.

ABC television stations across the country will run local promotions. At each stop,

guests will have the chance to win an HP TouchSmart PC and an HP Photosmart

wireless printer. Additionally, Disney is working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of

America organization to provide an early Christmas experience to kids across the

country. Disney will present the organization with a donation in the amount of

$100,000 at the May 21st launch in Los Angeles to further the organization’s

efforts of helping kids grow up to be great and will invite Boys & Girls Club kids

to be part of the tour when it comes to their town. Boys & Girls Clubs throughout

the nation are impacting the lives of 4.8 million young people each year with afterschool

programs that emphasize education, career exploration, community service, technology

skills, financial literacy, the arts and more to help them reach their full potential as

productive, caring citizens.

A variety of innovative HP technologies helped to make the Train Tour possible.

HP ProLiant servers and HP ProCurve switches will provide Disney with the

computing power that will allow guests to collect and upload photos. Throughout

the train exhibits, Disney is using HP TouchSmart PCs to run an interactive face

morph application and HP monitors to showcase performance capture technology

as well as images and digital effects from the film. Additionally, each train car will

be wrapped with Disney’s Train Tour logo using the versatility of HP Scitex

printers.

“For decades HP and Disney have joined together to captivate audiences through

technology innovation and digital entertainment,” said Michael Mendenhall, senior

vice president and chief marketing officer, HP. “HP technology used in the making

of ‘Disney’s A Christmas Carol’ has enabled Disney to push the boundaries in

performance capture technology. The Train Tour offers an innovative way for

guests to interact with HP’s latest technology and experience the magic behind the

film.”

Amtrak locomotives and engineers will lead the four-car Train Tour (plus a private

car), across the US, with stops ranging from 1-3 days along the way. Each train

station will be themed with holiday decorations, and feature artwork from the film,

Christmas Carolers, fun activities for the entire family, and snow!

“Rail travel continues to influence the way people connect with each other and

celebrating the release of a true classic is a perfect way to further that connection,”

said Emmett Fremaux, Vice President Marketing and Product Management,

Amtrak. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be teaming up with Walt Disney Studios

for this 40 city tour to help educate Americans about the benefit of rail travel.”

Dolby Laboratories will be supplying its Dolby® 3D Digital Cinema solution for

the traveling Digital 3D theater, and Barco is providing the DP2000 digital

projectors. Panasonic provides some of the latest high resolution large screen

technology available to consumers today throughout the train cars. And, the

Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is

encouraging guests traveling to and from the train to Buckle Up, Every Trip, Every

Time!

Check out this website for more info: www.christmascaroltraintour.com

What a great way to invite people to come out to the train station and bring more ineterest to train travel! Post your thoughts on Disney's idea to use Amtrak to promote their newest movie. I think it's an awesome idea!


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## MrFSS

We have a thread about this going in MISC RAIL and I'll move this over there as it really isn'y Amtrak.


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