Theme Park Scope

Disney Imagineers may have found a new way to make projection screens practically disappear…

…and the possibilities for future attractions are pretty wild.

A recently published patent from Disney Enterprises describes a 3-D extendable projection surface designed to physically appear when needed, transform into different shapes, display projected imagery, and then retract completely out of sight.

In other words, instead of permanently installing a big projection screen within an attraction, Disney could potentially make the screen itself materialize as part of the show effect, and then make it disappear again.

How Would Disney’s New Projection Technology Work?

According to the patent, the system uses a flexible projection material supported by a mechanical framework, including a series of rings.

Motors, or actuators, would manipulate that material, allowing the projection surface to extend outward and take on different three-dimensional shapes.

Those shapes could include forms resembling a:

• Cone
• Funnel
• Pyramid

Once the show scene is finished, the structure could collapse and the flexible material could fold flat, removing the projection surface from guests’ view.

That disappearing act is a particularly interesting part of the technology.

Traditional projection mapping generally requires a physical surface to remain in the scene whether projections are being displayed or not. Disney’s system could potentially allow Imagineers to hide that infrastructure completely until the exact moment it’s needed.

Disney Could Create Some Pretty Impressive Effects

And this is where things get REALLY interesting.

Disney’s patent provides several examples of effects that could potentially be created using the technology.

The projection surface could be used to simulate things like terrain or a mountain rising, a fountain or geyser appearing, a tornado forming and descending toward the ground, or a tree limb or plant growing.

The patent even describes the possibility of creating an effect in which a character’s arm appears to reach outward from within the projection surface.

Because the screen itself physically changes shape, the projected imagery could work alongside an actual three-dimensional form rather than simply appearing on a flat screen.

External projectors would illuminate the surface, while additional lighting elements could be positioned within the structure to create effects including shadows and strobing light.

The Effects Could Even React to Guests

Perhaps one of the most interesting details is that Disney’s patent doesn’t limit the technology to predetermined show scenes.

The system could operate as part of a pre-programmed sequence, but the patent also describes the possibility of interactive applications using devices such as:

• Cameras
• Microphones
• RFID readers

That opens the door for effects that could potentially respond to a guest or something associated with them, such as RFID-enabled technology similar to a MagicBand.

The projection surfaces could also potentially be designed to work from multiple viewing angles, which would make the technology particularly useful in environments where guests aren’t necessarily viewing an effect from one fixed position.

Is This Coming to a Disney World Attraction?

Here’s where we need to pump the brakes just a little. Disney has not announced that this technology will be used in any specific attraction.

The existence of a patent doesn’t guarantee Disney will ever implement the technology in its theme parks, and Disney frequently patents concepts that may evolve substantially, or never make it into a finished attraction at all.

That said, the timing is certainly interesting.

Walt Disney Imagineering currently has an enormous pipeline of new attractions and lands in development, including Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land at Magic Kingdom, and Monstropolis at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

It’s easy to imagine how effects like dynamically appearing terrain, tornadoes, growing plants, or other three-dimensional projected environments could fit into Disney’s next generation of attractions.

But for now, any connection between this patent and those projects is purely speculation.

Keep checking back with Theme Park Scope for the latest Walt Disney Imagineering patents, Disney World construction updates, new attraction technology, and everything coming to the Disney Parks.