I have to admit, after our first experience in Atlanta, I swore I'd never step foot in the city again. Well, I know the Lord has a sense of humor, because it wasn't long before my husband’s job led us back to the very place I intended to avoid for the rest of my life. Though I wasn't initially excited, a friend challenged me to make the best of our visit by finding five really cool attractions to visit. Well, that was a challenge I was up for and when we returned, not only did I find some really awesome outings to go on with my family, but I also discovered some reasons to return ... again ... and again ... and again....
This past week, we were drawn back to the metropolis to see Disney’s Christmas Carol Train. The once-in-a-lifetime event was held at the Southeastern Railroad Museum in Duluth, a suburb of Atlanta. I don't know who was more excited, my daughter, or me. We'd been planning to attend since we first heard Disney’s announcement and intentions to transform an Amtrak train into a museum on rails, to tour the country and stop in 40 select cities. After watching just a brief preview of the train on TV, we knew it would be well worth seeing. Not only had Disney spared no expense on the exhibit, they also teamed up with the technology of HP to provide a state of the art, cutting edge experience for all who attended this free, over the top publicity stint to promote the upcoming, soon to be released Dickens holiday classic, remade Disney style.
Anticipating a large crowd, we arrived an hour early and were surprised to see very few cars in the parking lot. Instead, we mainly saw volunteers milling around the grounds. We waited in our car for a bit and when we could stand it no more, we decided we'd take a sneak peak at things. I'm so glad we did because we were given a ticket and permitted passage to the train cars with the volunteers and local news crew. The absence of long lines meant we were able to go through at our leisure and really look things over without feeling crowded or rushed.
The first two train cars contained the 'portraits' of the movies characters along with the complete outfits that the performers wear in the animation, and the highlight for me- books and other materials on loan from the Charles Dickens Museum in London.
In the Model Car we were shown all the minute details that truly went into the animating process as each page from Charles Dickens book came alive down to the last detail. There was no need to waste time scouring England for the props needed, they just created them.
Two train cars were devoted to giving us a behind the scenes look at the technology that was used to make the movie come alive through animation.
If we were forced to choose a favorite aspect of the train, it may possibly be the interactive morphing stations where our own face was photographed and transformed into Scrooge, Marley, Belle and Tiny Tim before our very eyes.
The final car provides a perfect backdrop for a photo op before exiting the train; a roaring fireplace at one end to stand beside and a table laden with festive decorations and foods at the other, while through the windows you'll see a beautiful Dickens Christmas Scene.
But the fun doesn’t end when you step off the train, because Disney couldn’t send us away without giving us a sneak peak of the movie, even though production is not yet complete. To do this, a portable miniature theater was set up on the grounds, with seating for 100. Wearing our special 3-D glasses, we watched clips of interviews with the actors, producers and director before sitting mesmerized at the final preview of the featured film. Having just re-read The Christmas Carol so it would be fresh in our minds, the kids and I were amazed at the attention to detail. The animation is both spine-tingling and spellbinding. We can’t wait to watch what is sure to become a Disney classic on November 6th!
© 2009 Tonya Prater/Live the Adventure