Climb Aboard A New Disney Gallery Exhibit in Main Street, Disneyland

[Wendy]

Starting November 12th the Disney Gallery on Main Street will feature a new exhibit! ”All Aboard…A Grand Circle Tour of the Trains of Disney” will replace the current “Art of Mary Blair, celebrating 45 years of it’s a small world” exhibit.

Walt Disney’s fascination with steam trains is deep in the roots of Disneyland, and it’s one of the foundations for the theme park. Walt Disney’s interest in trains started when he was a young boy working as a newspaper salesman on a railroad in Marcelline, Missouri, the town which Main Street USA is fashioned after. Walt Disney actually had working steam train models in his backyard years before he built Disneyland. In describing the un-built Disneyland, Walt was quoted as saying, “It [Disneyland] should look like nothing else in the world, and the whole thing should be surrounded by a train.”

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Walt Disney was never alone in his enthusiasm for trains. In fact, his fascination with rolling stock was shared by a number of his studio employees, most notably Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston, two of his “Nine Old Men” in animation, and Roger Broggie, a machinist who would later go on to become a vice president at WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering). These kindred spirits encouraged Walt to pursue his passion. In the same way, Walt has inspired generations of people to develop an interest in trains, primarily through the ones found in Disney parks (which may be the first time some people have ever ridden on a railroad).

Among those inspired by Walt are 11 artists who have created personal, distinctive pieces of art that reflect their reverence for both Walt and his railroads. These works capture fond memories of travels on Disney’s trains and provide new and interesting takes on those experiences.

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The Exhibit will launch on Saturday, November 12, 2011 and a special artist signing will be available from 9am – 11am featuring Steve Adams, Jeremy Fulton, Jeff Granito, Larry Nikolai, Noah, Olszewski, Maggie Parr and Yakovetic.

Some amazing artwork will also be for sale including photographs, paintings of Walt and his trains, schematics of the railroad stock, coins and more. Visit the Disney Gallery page for more information.

[Tink]

OH wow, how nice is that?!