Disney tour stops in Whitefish
Disney is bringing Christmas in July to Whitefish.
The historic Whitefish train station is one of 40 stops planned on a cross-country train tour to promote Disney's upcoming holiday movie, "A Christmas Carol."
Whitefish City Manager Chuck Stearns said city officials were contacted about two months ago regarding the promotional event. The train tour is expected to stop in Whitefish between July 9 and 12.
The tour kicks off Memorial Day weekend at Union Station in Los Angeles and will travel more than 16,000 miles.
The train will consist of four custom-designed vintage rail cars - driven by Amtrak - full of behind-the-scenes attractions and activities. A 3-D theater tent will let visitors get a sneak preview of the film, according a Disney press release.
Among the attractions will be a digital gallery of the film's characters and their design evolution, interactive games and artifacts from the Charles Dickens Museum in London, including a first edition of the original novel. Guests even will have a chance
to "morph" their faces into one of the film's characters using HP TouchSmart PCs.
Stearns said the city will let Disney use its vacant lot next to the train depot where snow is stored during the winter.
"Disney officials are cautiously optimistic that it might draw 5,000 people during its time here," Stearns said. "We have worked with Disney officials to ensure that the event goes smoothly.
"We are working on a venue agreement, business license, special-events permit and temporary-use permit," he said.
Jan Metzmaker, director of the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau, said a "huge crew" will set up the display and manage the event. Whitefish promoters stand ready to assist, she said, but added she doesn't know yet how much local involvement, if any, Disney expects.
The promotional event will be free to the public.
The movie stars Jim Carrey as Ebeneezer Scrooge, Gary Oldman as his faithful clerk and Colin Firth as his cheery nephew, and is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis. Carrey tackles seven roles, including Scrooge and all of the Christmas spirits.
The remake of the classic Dickens' tale is a high-tech, 3D version due to arrive in theaters on Nov. 6.
The train tour includes mostly big cities, such as Seattle, Chicago, Houston, Denver and New Orleans. Whitefish and Spencer, N.C., are among the smallest cities on the promotional tour, along with Fargo, N.D.
More information about the tour can be found online at www.christmascaroltraintour.com
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com