Behind-the-Scenes: Topiaries at ‘it’s a small world’

Here are some additional fun facts about topiaries:

• There were 24 original Disneyland Park topiaries premiering in 1963. They included a waltzing hippo, a poodle, a pig, bears, elephants, seals, and giraffes. In 1966, they were permanently planted at “it’s a small world.”
• Growing a typical shrub Character Topiary can take from 3-10 years for completion, depending on the size and complexity of the shape.
• Walt Disney got the idea of creating “living” topiaries by seeing traditional topiary gardening in Europe. He asked his film animators and Disneyland landscape team to work together to create the first living sculptures for Disneyland in 1963. They came up with several and one of those included Dumbo making his debut in Fantasyland.

Time-Lapse Video: Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

posted at the Official Disney Parks blog on March 8th, 2010 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks

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It takes 24,000 cast member hours to make the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival happen. But that’s just a number until you’re able to actually see the work behind it all — so, how about an exclusive peek? Take a look at overnight time-lapse video featuring the creation of an area containing three of the more than 70 Disney character topiaries in the park this year. Notice how many hands touch it.

Every year, I learn something new to take home at the Festival and you can too. In fact, there are nearly 200 hands-on gardening demonstrations and seminars being presented in the upcoming weeks.

Take a look at: http://marciodisney.blogspot.com/2011/03/epcot-international-flower-garden.html