A recent effort to complete the world’s largest Disney puzzle drew more than 150 people to White Rock Baptist Church Nov. 20.
And while all the pieces – 40,320 of them, to be exact – didn’t quite come together as hoped, organizers say the day was a success nonetheless.
“The event was a success for us because of the community building that happened but not so much a success in terms of completing a puzzle,” Pastor Hannah Juras said.
“It was fun for us to get to know people in the community and watch different people in our own church community get to know other people in the church and community.”
The church hosted the event on Nov. 20, and invited anyone interested to come out and help piece together Ravensburger’s ‘Memorable Disney Moments’ puzzle.
Information at ravensburger.us notes it has been confirmed by Guinness World Records as “the largest commercially made puzzle in the world.” Highlighting 10 Disney movies, it measures just over six feet by 22 feet once completed, weighs approximately 44 lbs and takes around 600 hours to put together, the website adds.
As well, a Mickey Mouse symbol is hidden within each hand-drawn scene.
Juras told Peace Arch News ahead of the event that the whole idea came about quite randomly.
READ MORE: Puzzling event to unfold at White Rock Baptist Church
A friend who attends the church saw the puzzle for sale on Facebook Marketplace earlier this year. Being “a bit of a Disney nerd and a bit of a puzzle nerd,” he told Juras, “I really want a reason to do this,” she said.
The puzzle was essentially brand-new, as the seller had never had the space to put it together.
At the church, the task was divvied up into the 10 movie panels, each of which came packaged separately. Attendees were welcome to stay for as long or as short a time as they liked, and Juras said that range varied from 30 minutes to “hours.”
“People definitely underestimated how big it was (including me!),” she told PAN by email.
Plans for the day also included other Disney-themed fun, such as trivia, prizes and movies.
By day’s end, The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan scenes had the most work done, Juras said.
Finishing the entire puzzle is not off the table, Juras added. She said another community event may be planned for the new year to tackle the task anew. Until then, “we might slowly work on one scene at a time… or we might attempt a bigger effort for a weekend event.”
“We’ll see what 2022 brings,” she said.
tholmes@peacearchnews.com
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