If you are visiting the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival in Walt Disney World, you might have noticed that some of the topiary displays are a step above what you might have seen in the past. Incredible details have been added to bring characters such as Asha from Wish and Groot and Guardians of the Galaxy to life. However, those aren’t the only two unique features of this year’s event, with Walt DInsye Imagineering bringing an all-new technology to the table in 2024.
In Mexico, guests who attend the festival will get to see the first-ever topiary that has been enhanced with special projection effects. The display will feature Miguel from the Pixar Animation Studios film Coco, with the story behind the project quite impressive. I’ll let the experts give you the details:
“With the bright and vibrant colors we see from this realm in ‘Coco,’ it seemed like an obvious choice when Josh and Brittany proposed the idea of using projection mapping technology to enhance Dante’s look during the evening hours,” added Steven Montalvo, Industrial Designer with Disney Live Entertainment.
Brittany Smith, Production Designer for Senior Specialty Design with Walt Disney Imagineering, explained, “Once we decided to create Dante, I immediately began testing glowing materials, like solar-charged paint, and various effects to portray his ethereal glow. During the day, Dante looks like the rest of the topiary family. As the sun begins to set, guests should start to see hints of the solar-charged paint beginning to glow. At night, Dante’s glow will shine even brighter through the use of projection-mapping technology. Pushing contrast between day and night allows us to incorporate more lifelike elements into these characters, providing guests with an unexpected element of surprise in the evening.”
It takes a talented team of people coming together from various disciplines to bring these topiaries to life. “The collaboration between the teams has made it possible to push the envelope of creativity that allows us to produce these new innovative topiaries and help give that little added magical touch that we are known for,” Josh Harrison, Senior Illusion Integrator with Walt Disney Imagineering, highlighted.
Disney Parks Blog
Zoë Wood is a travel writer from Sydney, Australia. Since her first visit to Disneyland at the age of 6, she has spent her years frequently visiting Disney Parks and traveling around the world.
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