Report on TRAIN Promotion for film: DISNEY’S “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” in 3-D (TRAIN TOUR) – Get ON BOARD while this event is around! =

Report on TRAIN Promotion for film:  DISNEY’S “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” in 3-D (TRAIN TOUR)  –  

                          Get ON BOARD while this event is around!  =

                                           Rating:  9 of 10 stars.

[In the second half of 2009], Disney set up a TRAIN TOUR to promote their upcoming Robert Zemeckis-directed “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” to be released in 3-D (& IMAX) on November 6, 2009…

…  A specially-designed tour covering 40 cities around the U.S. stopped at Chicago’s Union Station on July 24th (where it will be thru 7-26).  It will visit various Central, Midwest, East Coast & Southern cities thru early November (including DALLAS on August 18-19, DETROIT on September 4-6, & NEW YORK CITY on Oct. 30 – Nov. 1).

… Besides live performers (including jugglers, carolers, etc.), there were booths where you could sign up to try to win an HP PC & printer, movie-related prizes, etc.  An inflatable theater was set up inside the station & it showed a 10-minute Digital 3D TRAILER of the film…

…  Using the stop-motion technique Zemeckis pioneered with Tom Hanks in “POLAR EXPRESS”, this film expands on the concept using Jim Carrey in a serious role as Scrooge, + Colin Firth as Fred, Robin Wright Penn as Belle, Bob Hoskins, et al. The depth and action achieved by the 3-D & special effects techniques look marvelous, & I expect it’ll be fabulous in IMAX!

…  I then waited in line (for like an hour) to walk thru the multi-car specially-outfitted TRAIN itself. It held loads of impressive concept art (often shown on individual screens on the walls), costumes from the film, models & maquettes of various characters and architecture (such as Big Ben Tower), information showing how the stop-action MOTION-CAPTURE system works, etc.

…  In one section, there were various glass cases showing original CHARLES DICKENS artifacts from a London museum dedicated to him— original letters, books, etc.

…  At the end, they had a special area in which you could take photos of your face & “MORPH” it into various characters from the film— which will later be available for you to DOWNLOAD.  (To use it, you must input your birth-date --  be sure to use double characters for the month & day, as that’s not clearly explained! -- & your e-mail address)…

…  After the photo is taken (by lining up your eyes in 2 holes on a mask; be sure you get a proper-height STEP-stool if you need that!), you drag symbols onto your face to line-up with the basic face outlines of the film characters. 

… There are numerous places you might want to take PHOTOS in the train (including the very end which has a fireplace “from” the film + a “Christmas Dinner” setting looking “out” onto a street scene with Scrooge’s store)…

… The whole thing is FASCINATING & exceptionally WELL-DONE.  As a friend commented to me, she wishes they had the Train there for like 5 days, so she had time to go back & see it a SECOND time!… 

(As you leave, be sure to take the literature they’re offering--  because one of them gives you 50% off  an AMTRAK fare for a companion ticket, good (with certain restrictions) thru 12-4-09… 

...  This promotional event is HIGHLY recommended for a visit!

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