Wearing a Disneyland Paris 30th anniversary t-shirt and a pair of brand new Mickey sneakers, Vincent Rebeyrol has just returned from a weekend in paradise, his paradise. The eyes still sparkle. The words are imbued with enthusiasm, euphoria at the mention of the amusement park.
He was 6 years old in 1981 when, on August 18, for the first time, he discovered Disney magic in Orlando, Florida. “That day, I fell into it,” says the professional pastry chef turned cook. Mickey, the “great Walt” and the magic of a universe that he made his own allowed him, during all these years, to overcome the trials of life as well as to spice up happy events.
It was at Disneyland Paris that he asked for Carole’s hand and where they go to celebrate their union every year. It’s still there that he goes as soon as he feels down, as soon as he has an event to celebrate. There are also his habits, his regulars, “friends” who are part of the big Disney family and whom he knows, with supporting photos.
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A single table
At home, in Thionville, Mickey and his friends are at home, everywhere, on the shelves, the walls, the furniture, even in the basket of his dog, a cocker spaniel “like Walt Disney’s” – whom he called Sven ( the reindeer of the Snow Queen, Editor’s note).
Hundreds of castings and various objects are exhibited, stored and tell of his immoderate passion for the Disney universe. Commercial pieces but also numbered pieces, made in limited series, posters, Mickey chairs that he had made by a carpenter, a bronze bust of the brilliant creator, figurines from the 1930s belonging to his uncle, and a unique painting arrived by boat from the United States and which represents a color sketch of an attraction that never saw the light of day.
“This painting, Walt Disney saw it. Maybe he even touched it”, ignites the collector who admits not to look at the expense when it comes to objects “collectors”.
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800 pieces
He now has 800 pieces, some of which are in boxes for lack of space, such as his pair of high-top sneakers with Mickey’s head that he reserves for his stays at the Disney park.
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