Since this is my first posting on here, I wanted to write about something special – something you’d find at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World (not to mention the international Disney parks), and something about Walt. The first thing that came to mind is the statue of “Partners.” That’s the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse that you see at the end of Main Street. If you take a close look at Walt’s face, it’s really phenomenally realistic, and that’s thanks to sculptor Blaine Gibson. Blaine started his career as an animator, but Walt, with his uncanny knack to place people where they would be best suited, decided Blaine’s gifts were best used in sculpting rather than animating.  Blaine’s sculptures of pirates, ghosts and presidents are just a small sampling of his art that can be found in some of the most beloved attractions. Blaine told me whenever he was to sculpt somebody he would do great research to learn about the person. He feels getting to know someone helps in his work. But he didn’t have to do any research for Walt. He knew Walt and was so fond of him. So when you see the “Partners” statue, you now know that it is not done by just anybody, but truly sculpted from the heart, by the hands of Blaine Gibson.