Disney

Disney goes to Auburn

By Joel Reese

Shunned by residents of Point Reyes Station, Disney studios last week chose the foothill town of Auburn as the site to film its movie, Phenomenon.

The decision has delighted many of the 11,500 residents of the city, who see the movie as a way to boost their flagging tourism industry.

Will Wong, Auburn city planner, this week told The Light that the city wants attract more visitors and hopes Phenomenon will do the trick.

"It's a little different here than in Point Reyes, because you get tourists all the time," he said. "We want to attract tourists. We want to bring them here. We see long-term benefits."

Jennifer Jasper, film liaison for the Placer County Visitor Information Center, said the film could bring "millions" of dollars of new business to the area.

Shoot delayed Filming will take about ten days starting Nov. 6 -- a month later than the scheduled Point Reyes Station shoot. A pre-production crew will start working on a set within the next two weeks.

Planner Wong explained that the work will not disrupt Auburn's day-to-day activities since most of the city's businesses are not located near the shoot site, Auburn's Old Town.

"People can avoid the filming because main roads don't go through [Old Town]," he said. "It's a part of town that you don't have to drive through every day."

Wong added that Auburn was a backdrop for a mid-80s Goldie Hawn movie titled Protocol, and that the town has nothing but fond memories of that filming.

Auburn comes cheap The city is not seeking any financial compensation from Disney for shooting there, although the media giant will reimburse businesses that must close down for the filming.

By contrast, the Point Reyes Station Village Association had mentioned $100,000 as a price for using the town, with the money to go to local non-profits.

Also, Chris Giacomini, manager of Toby's Feed Barn, had asked Disney for $50,000 to rent a lot next to his barn and another $50,000 for non-profits.

Meanwhile, a hotelier in Petaluma expressed disappointment that the filming would not be done in West Marin, since the Phenomenon crew had been scheduled to stay in Petaluma.

Petaluma inns lose out Kirk Lok, the owner of Quality Inn, said he may have lost some business because of the move, but added that he doesn't harbor any grudge against Point Reyes Station.

He did, however, suggest that Point Reyes Station re-evaluate its seemingly anti-tourist stance.

"You have some nice restaurants and nice accommodations, and the question is, would you have those nice services if there weren't the visitors there to support them?" Lok asked. "The answer is probably no...

"If you're not careful, you'll end up in a vicious black hole and you'll lose their business."

Chamber woos films London Roberts, features editor at the Auburn Journal, noted the town's Chamber of Commerce has a separate committee whose sole purpose is to bring production companies to the area.

"This town has been working feverishly to draw films to the town and surrounding area, so I'm sure they're quite happy about [the Disney film]," she said. "You get [Phenomenon star John] Travolta and [co-star] Robert Duvall there, and it's going to bring more people there -- heck that's good for everybody."

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