Disney Fun: A Conversation with Kurt Russell

The Disney film legend pays a visit to the Food & Wine Festival.

IT'S NOT ALL THAT UNUSUAL... to spy a star of a Disney film walking around Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. After all, stroll into Cars Land and you're bound to come across Lightening McQueen as he rolls by his adoring public. Likewise, a visit to the Snow White Grotto might result in you seeing the lady herself, at her famous wishing well, signing autographs and chatting with visitors. There are many luminaries in the Disney's decades-old cinematic universe, however, and one of those legends is not seen quite as often around the theme parks as, say, Snow White and Lightening McQueen: Mr. Kurt Russell. 

THE ACTOR'S LENGTHY LIST... of studio credits includes "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes," "The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit," and "The Strongest Man in the World," and many a film historian would (correctly) argue that Mr. Russell's charming performances helped forge a fresh mini-genre within the classic Walt Disney Company family fare. (Plucky college-aged kid finds himself in a spot of offbeat trouble, thinks creatively, succeeds.) Thus the label of "Disney legend" fits nicely, something fans would readily agree with. And many of those fans will be able to see the acclaimed actor, at Disney California Adventure, when he stops by the Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, April 16 to talk about "his passion for winemaking."

THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT -- admission is separate from park entry, and costs $199 -- and you'll want to secure your spot before you arrive. There'll be a Q&A with Mr. Russell, about both his roles and his vineyard, and a tasting will follow (indeed, you'll be sipping vinos from Gogi Wines, including the Goldie Chardonnay). It's a 21-and-over event, at Stage 17 in Hollywood Land, at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Expect food pairings, too, to go with all of the wine-sipping.

ONCE YOU'RE BACK AT HOME, will you have to break out "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" after hearing him reminisce about his time with Disney and larger career? Well, probably, right? Few actors and eras have as much moxie as Kurt Russell's sweet Disney flicks of the 1960s. That he's returning to the company for a special hello is as charming as smart college kid who has to invent something magical to save the day.

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