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

Burbank, Calif. (May 8, 2009) — Disney is pulling out all the whistle stops and taking its show on the road with a spectacular impressive 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 in theatres November 6 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 after-school 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! ABOUT THE MOVIE “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking, performance-capture 3D motion picture event.  Ebeneezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) begins the holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (Gary Oldman) and his cheery nephew (Colin Firth).  But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey, revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.  Through the magic of performance-capture technology, Jim Carrey tackles seven roles, including Scrooge and all of the Christmas spirits. “DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL” TRAIN TOUR SCHEDULE

Stop #	Market	Date	Site	Address	City	State	Zip
1	Los Angeles	May 22-25	Los Angeles Union Station	800 N. Alameda St.	Los Angeles	CA	90012
2	Grand Canyon	May 29-31	Williams Depot	233 North Grand Canyon Blvd	Williams	AZ	86046
3	Santa Fe	June 2	Santa Fe Depot	410 S Guadalupe St	Santa Fe	NM	87501
4	Albuquerque	June 5-7	Albuquerque Amtrak Station	214 First Street Southwest	Albuquerque	NM	87102
5	Denver	June 12-14	Denver Union Station	1701 Wynkoop St	Denver	CO	80202
6	Salt Lake City	June 16	Ogden Union Station	2501 Wall Avenue	Ogden	UT	84401
7	Sacramento	June 19-21	California State Rail Road Museum	111 I Street	Sacramento	CA	95814
8	San Francisco	June 26-28	Port of Redwood City	675 Seaport Blvd.	Redwood City	CA	94063
9	Portland	July 1	Portland Union Station	800 Northwest 6th Avenue	Portland	OR	97209
10	Seattle	July 3-5	King Street Station	303 South Jackson Street	Seattle	WA	98104
11	Spokane	July 7	Spokane Amtrak Station	221 W. 1st Avenue	Spokane	WA	99201
12	Whitefish	July 10-11	Whitefish Amtrak Station	500 Depot St	Whitefish	MT	59937
13	Fargo	July 15	North Dakota State University	1301 12th Avenue North	Fargo	ND	58102
14	St. Paul	July 17-19	Amtrak Midway Station	730 Transfer Road	St. Paul	MN	55114
15	Chicago	July 24-26	Chicago Union Station	225 South Canal Street	Chicago	IL	60606
16	St. Louis	July 31- August 2	St. Louis Union Station	550 South 16th Street	Saint Louis	MO	63103
17	Memphis	August 4	Memphis Central Station	545 South Main Street	Memphis	TN	38103
18	New Orleans	August 7-9	Riverview in Audubon Park	6500 Magazine Street	New Orleans	LA	70118
19	Houston	August 11	Houston Amtrak Station	902 Washington Avenue	Houston	TX	77002
20	San Antonio	August 14-16	San Antonio Amtrak Station	350 Hoefgen Street	San Antonio	TX	78205
21	Dallas	August 18-19	Dallas Union Station	401 South Houston St	Dallas	TX	75202
22	Oklahoma City	August 21-23	Oklahoma City Santa Fe Depot	100 South E. K.Gaylord Blvd	Oklahoma City	OK	73102
23	Kansas City	August 25	Kansas City Union Station	30 W. Pershing Road	Kansas City	MO	64108
24	Omaha	August 28-30	Durham Museum	801 South 10th Street	Omaha	NE	68108
25	Detroit	September 4-6	Henry Ford Museum  Greenfield Village	20900 Oakwood Blvd	Dearborn	MI	48124
26	Indianapolis	September 9	Downtown Bargersville	24 North Main Street	Bargersville	IN	46106
27	Louisville	September 11-13	Louisville Union Station	1000 W. Broadway	Louisville	KY	40203
28	Cleveland	September 18-19	Cleveland Brown’s Lot	1085 W Third St	Cleveland	OH	44114
29	Albany	September 22	Albany Rensselaer Rail Station	525 East Street	Rensselaer	NY	12144
30	Boston	September 25-27	South Station	2 South Station	Boston	MA	2110
31	Baltimore	September 30	B & O Railroad Museum	901 W Pratt St	Baltimore	MD	21223
32	Washington	October 2-4	Union Station	50 Massachusetts Ave. NE	Washington	DC	20002
33	Atlanta	October 6	Southeastern Railway Museum	3595 Peachtree Rd	Duluth	GA	30096
34	Spencer	October 9-11	NC Transportation Museum	411 S. Salisbury Ave	Spencer	NC	28159
35	Savannah	October 13	Savannah Amtrak Station	2611 Seaboard Coastline Dr	Savannah	GA	31415
36	Miami	October 16-18	Gold Coast Railroad Museum	12450  SW 152nd St	Miami	FL	33177
37	Jacksonville	October 20	Jacksonville Amtrak  Station	3570 Clifford Lane	Jacksonville	FL	32209
38	Charleston	October 23-25	Ansonborough Field	Washington and Concord Streets	Charleston	SC	29401
39	Philadelphia	October 27	30th Street Station	2955 Market Street	Philadelphia	PA	19104
40	New York	October 30 – November 1	Grand Central Terminal	42nd Street and Park Avenue	New York	NY	10017

CONTACT:

Heidi Trotta Senior Vice President, Studio Communications The Walt Disney Studios 818-560-7280

Jasmine Madatian Senior Vice President, Publicity Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Burbank 818-560-5610

 

 

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.   BE THERE WHEN THE TRAIN ARRIVES IN WILLIAMS, ARIZONA ON MAY 29TH – MAY 31ST!

“Disney’s A Christmas Carol” TRAIN TOUR FACT SHEET

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

This summer, visitors of all ages from cities coast to coast will experience for free the magic behind “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” in this once-in-a-lifetime attraction. “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” is a thrilling, multi-sensory movie directed by Robert Zemeckis that takes the classic Dickens tale to the big screen like never before. The movie opens nationwide November 6, 2009. ABOUT THE TOUR

• 16,000 MILES – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” Train Tour, sponsored by Hewlett Packard and Driven by Amtrak, kicks off Memorial Day Weekend 2009 at Union Station in Los Angeles, traveling across the country with stops in 40 cities big and small along the route, culminating in November at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.  Traveling more than 16,000 miles, the train will pass through 36 states, hitting cities like Chicago, Ill., Albuquerque, N.M., Portland, Ore., Fargo, N.D., Sacramento, Calif., Houston, Texas, Kansas City, Mo., Louisville, Ky., Jacksonville, Fla., Philadelphia, Pa., Albany, N.Y., and Charleston, S.C. (A complete list can be found at Disney.com/christmascaroltraintour).
• SNEAK PEEK — Visitors will be the first to see an exclusive sneak peek of “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” in Disney Digital 3D inside a state-of-the-art 48-foot-wide, 3D theatre—the first inflatable 3D theatre ever to go across the country—which will be erected onsite in each city.  Dolby laboratories will be supplying Dolby Digital 3D equipment for the travelling 3D theatre.
• WINTER WONDERLAND — Snow will “fall” in each of the 40 cities throughout this summertime event.  The winter wonderland will be complete with holiday décor and Christmas carolers.
• BEHIND THE SCENES — Visitors will be treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the magic, the spectacle and the cutting-edge technology of “Disney’s A Christmas Carol.”  Four train cars will showcase immersive and interactive experiences, including:
• A first glimpse at the character development and character design of “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
• Artifacts from the Charles Dickens Museum in London, England, including a first edition of “A Christmas Carol,” a portrait of Charles Dickens, his original writing tools and original letters written by Charles Dickens from his visits to the United States
• An inside look at the cutting-edge performance capture technique used to create the film
• Interactive kiosks where guests can explore Dicken’s London and morph their face into characters from the movie using HP TouchSmart PCs and get the image via email
• FREE FOR YOU AND ME — This family event is fun for guests of all ages – and totally FREE!
• HOMETOWN MOVIE SURFERS SWEEPSTAKES – 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.

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• BOYS & GIRLS CLUB – To launch the event, Disney will present a check for $100,000 to Boys and Girls Club of America.  Additionally, Boys and Girls Club kids from each city will take part in special activities.
• LOCAL TALENT — Disney will hire locally in every stop to support the tour, fulfilling positions such as guest control, carolers and docents.
• A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS — HP is the title sponsor and will be giving guests the chance to interact with the new HP TouchSmart PCs.  Hundreds of the PCs will be used throughout the tour, and local ABC television stations will run promotions giving away an HP TouchSmart computer and an HP Photosmart wireless printer along the tour route. The train will be driven by AMTRAK which will coordinate the route and access to the rails.  The engines are AMTRAK P42 Diesels. The 3D glasses and media playback server will be provided by Dolby.  Panasonic is providing the latest high resolution large screen technology available to consumers today. And, the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is encouraging guests travelling to and from the train to Buckle Up, Every Trip, Every Time!

  ABOUT THE MOVIE DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking 3D motion picture event.  Ebenezer Scrooge (JIM CARREY) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (GARY OLDMAN) and his cheery nephew (COLIN FIRTH).  But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.  The movie opens nationwide November 6, 2009.