First-ever projection mapped topiary comes to EPCOT Flower & Garden
This year’s EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival features something new, the first-ever topiary enhanced with special projection effects.
The topiary, based in Mexico, features Miguel from “Coco” in his mariachi attire with his great-great grandfather’s guitar and Dante, in his alebrije form, flying over a marigold bridge.
The bright and vibrant colors seemed like an obvious choice when Josh Harrison, Senior Illusion Integrator with Walt Disney Imagineering and aid Brittany Smith, Production Designer for Senior Specialty Design with Walt Disney Imagineering proposed the idea of using projection mapping.
According to Disney, “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,” Smith explained.
