Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Walt Disney Toonfest in Marceline, Mo.



This is a photo of me in Walt Disney's childhood bedroom in Missouri. I just got back from a wonderful adventure in Marceline, Mr. Disney's boyhood home. What a wonderful week we all had there! The guests of the town's annual Toonfest were all my heroes: Lynn Johnston (For Better of For Worse), Mike Peters (Mother Goose & Grimm), Pete Docter (Toy Story, Monsters, Inc. and Cars) and Dan Piraro (Bizarro). The five of us gave talks and made presentations, the Disney family and Andrews and McMeel sponsored wonderful events. We visited Walter Disney's Dreaming Tree, a giant, beautiful tree on the Disney farm. We signed our names in the old Disney barn, planted new trees on the property and most amazingly, visited Walt's actual bedroom, where he dreamt his first dreams of travel and adventure.

Marceline is a magical town filled with delightful and memorable people. It seems oddly familiar as if you've walked it's streets before- and you have! It is the town that Walt Disney based MAIN STREET in Disneyland on, building for building and brick for brick, the train station, the bank, the soda shop, the theater. We slept upstairs at the Uptown Theater Bed and Breakfast. It was like stepping back a hundred years in time and absolutely WONDERFUL. More of this soon. But if you hanker for the good old days or need some magic in your soul, consider this town!

Best, Chris

1 comment:

sammie96 said...

Hi Chris. Your friend Barbara (actually on PriusChat she is barbaram)sent me your blog site after viewing my avatar. I used my my son-in-law's art. He has a real world job but currently has a children's book into S&S for consideration.
I loved the story on Marceline. I would love to see "Main Street" in the real sense.
Your audio piece about turning toward children's books is so cool too. I am sure that Greg will enjoy visiting here.
Thanks and continue entertaining us with Hagar and his adventures (I don't p/u Playboy much....)
Deb Colomb
San Diego