Greetings all from a "recovering from the flu" Geek Labs
Saw this tid bit of news today regarding the work gone into the Nemo additions to the Living seas.
I must give kudos to WDI they did a good job. I cant wait to see what the rest of the rehab turns out to look like.
Walt Disney Imagineers recently transformed several areas in and around The Living Seas at Epcot into exhibits inspired by Finding Nemo, the hit Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film.
Kathy Mangum, Vice President/Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said her team felt The Living Seas was the perfect location to educate Guests about the sea creatures found in Finding Nemo.
"We saw The Living Seas as a place where we could really showcase the film, while at the same time enhancing the pavilion with a character overlay," Kathy said. "We tried to find a way to blend the characters in the film with the storytelling that we already do at The Living Seas. The Living Seas is all about exploring the undersea world and the animals inhabit it, and how to conserve their environment. We worked very strongly at making the two pieces tie together so that the characters tell the story.
"In the 'Nemo and Friends' exhibit, the story comes through the characters who share facts about themselves while showcasing the real fish they represent. In the clownfish tank, which we've called 'Can you find Nemo?,' the graphics at the base of that tank have a picture of Nemo next to a photograph of a real clownfish, with all the fun facts and information you wants kids and parents to know about clownfish."
Another new feature, located just outside The Living Seas building, is a garden area featuring eight sculptures of Finding Nemo characters, displayed with nautical music, aquatic rockwork and live plants. Kathy said Imagineers worked with Pixar Animation Studios on the creative elements of the garden in order to ensure character integrity.
"We've got some of the best sculptors in the world," Kathy said. "In the movie, you're looking at a flat character. Translating that character and interpreting it into a 3D version needs to fit with what you know about the character.
"The plant material [in the garden] was carefully chosen to simulate an underwater environment. We planted some unique, succulent plants … There are little details in the planting that are just phenomenal."
Marilyn Waters, Director of Walt Disney Imagineering Media Relations, said bringing animated characters into the theme parks is important to our Guests.
"One of the missions of Walt Disney Imagineering is that we're constantly looking for new ways for the Guests to experience the characters," Marilyn said. "That is, taking a 2D character (any character appearing onscreen is considered a 2D character) and bringing it to life in a unique 3D way. It takes incredible attention to detail, and we know our Guests who love Nemo are going to take the time to discover these details.
"We have over 140 different types of professions here at Walt Disney Imagineering -- everything from Engineers to Sculptors to Project Managers to Landscape Architects. It's pretty complex, and working together lets us create these types of experiences for our Guests."
Saw this tid bit of news today regarding the work gone into the Nemo additions to the Living seas.
I must give kudos to WDI they did a good job. I cant wait to see what the rest of the rehab turns out to look like.
Walt Disney Imagineers recently transformed several areas in and around The Living Seas at Epcot into exhibits inspired by Finding Nemo, the hit Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film.
Kathy Mangum, Vice President/Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said her team felt The Living Seas was the perfect location to educate Guests about the sea creatures found in Finding Nemo.
"We saw The Living Seas as a place where we could really showcase the film, while at the same time enhancing the pavilion with a character overlay," Kathy said. "We tried to find a way to blend the characters in the film with the storytelling that we already do at The Living Seas. The Living Seas is all about exploring the undersea world and the animals inhabit it, and how to conserve their environment. We worked very strongly at making the two pieces tie together so that the characters tell the story.
"In the 'Nemo and Friends' exhibit, the story comes through the characters who share facts about themselves while showcasing the real fish they represent. In the clownfish tank, which we've called 'Can you find Nemo?,' the graphics at the base of that tank have a picture of Nemo next to a photograph of a real clownfish, with all the fun facts and information you wants kids and parents to know about clownfish."
Another new feature, located just outside The Living Seas building, is a garden area featuring eight sculptures of Finding Nemo characters, displayed with nautical music, aquatic rockwork and live plants. Kathy said Imagineers worked with Pixar Animation Studios on the creative elements of the garden in order to ensure character integrity.
"We've got some of the best sculptors in the world," Kathy said. "In the movie, you're looking at a flat character. Translating that character and interpreting it into a 3D version needs to fit with what you know about the character.
"The plant material [in the garden] was carefully chosen to simulate an underwater environment. We planted some unique, succulent plants … There are little details in the planting that are just phenomenal."
Marilyn Waters, Director of Walt Disney Imagineering Media Relations, said bringing animated characters into the theme parks is important to our Guests.
"One of the missions of Walt Disney Imagineering is that we're constantly looking for new ways for the Guests to experience the characters," Marilyn said. "That is, taking a 2D character (any character appearing onscreen is considered a 2D character) and bringing it to life in a unique 3D way. It takes incredible attention to detail, and we know our Guests who love Nemo are going to take the time to discover these details.
"We have over 140 different types of professions here at Walt Disney Imagineering -- everything from Engineers to Sculptors to Project Managers to Landscape Architects. It's pretty complex, and working together lets us create these types of experiences for our Guests."