30 Years of Innovation: Topiaries at EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

For 30 years, the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival has brought Disney characters to life in topiary form in new and innovative ways. Disney Imagineers work hand in hand with Disney horticulture to design and create topiaries at EPCOT that are not only impressive floral feats but also authentically represent some of Disney’s most beloved characters known worldwide.

Harnessing the latest advances in technology, Imagineers set out each year to expand the level of detail and storytelling possible in a topiary by seamlessly fusing creative and technical elements within the organic medium of plants. This process of constant innovation fuels our desire for creativity.  

Let’s take a look behind the scenes to see how Imagineers and horticulture cast members have been pushing the bounds of topiary innovation.  

If you take a close look at Beast’s face, you will see that it is made of organic dried plant material. While this dried plant material perfectly forms his chestnut-colored fur, Imagineers needed a new method to recreate Belle’s intricate facial features. Clay was the solution.  

“We began sculpting with clay to create even more detailed facial features that would not have been possible using only natural plant material,” said Senior Production Designer Chris Nawara. “For Princess Belle, our sculpting artist created a traditional clay sculpt of her face using the character reference model from Walt Disney Animation Studios to complete the character’s iconic silhouette.” 

The introduction of hand-sculpted elements to create character faces significantly expanded the level of detail that could be represented in our topiaries. However, this is no tale as old as time, as Imagineers are constantly creating new methods to expand the possibilities of storytelling. 

Princess Tiana was one of our first topiaries to incorporate 3D printed elements, paving the way for us to add even greater depth and detail to our characters. “The medium of 3D printing introduced the digital component to topiary production, allowing us to create more complex geometries and intricate features,” shared Senior Industrial Designer Steven Montalvo.  

Another example of this technology in use is Maui’s fishhook – the largest 3D printed element ever incorporated into an EPCOT topiary. 

The printed product is then hand-textured using traditional clay and sculpting elements to further enhance each character’s specific details and features. “The fusion of authentic character representation with the natural horticultural elements is what really brings our topiaries to life,” Art Director Brittany Smith explained. “The charming part about sculpting within the horticultural medium is that the topiaries are allowed to be beautifully textured and uniquely irregular, just as plants are in nature, making them unlike any other icons across the property.”  

Just as topiary technology has evolved throughout the years from traditional planted faces to hand-sculpting and 3D printing, Imagineers have also added impressive special effects to some of our newer topiaries, such as Cogsworth’s swinging pendulum, the Norway troll’s glowing lantern, and Star’s glistening celestial dust. Disney horticulture has also elevated the show by testing new plant species that provide us with a variety of colors and textures that bring our topiaries to life.  

And new to this year’s festival are Moana and Maui complete with their glowing oar and fishhook, just like in Disney Animation’s Moana 2.  

“We work closely with our horticulture partners from the very beginning to lean into similar effects that you might see in the character’s movie,” explained Senior Special Effects Designer Josh Harrison. “It’s all about adding that dynamic component to make the characters come to life, and the special effects provide that ‘wow factor’ to make this possible.”  

Across three decades, Disney horticulture and Walt Disney Imagineering have worked together to weave art, technology, and nature to create the impressive topiary displays seen throughout the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, now through June 2.