Overview
A fiendishly funny theatrical stage show featuring over forty LED surfaces, special effects, and live performers. This 17-minute experience is performed an average of sixteen times per day at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
Disney Live Entertainment Visual Media Production animated and composited all digital content for the attraction, and collaborated across Walt Disney Imagineering disciplines to successfully deliver the project.
Disney Live Entertainment Visual Media Production animated and composited all digital content for the attraction, and collaborated across Walt Disney Imagineering disciplines to successfully deliver the project.
Compositing
Visual Effects Design
On-Site Installation
Multi-angle audience recording of Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After by TPMVids
My Role
As a Compositor, I delivered three major chapters of the show, ensuring all assets created in multiple mediums maintained show consistency and quality in the overall composition.
As a Visual Effects Designer, I created visual effects and concepted new ideas to elevate the show using After Effects and 3D tools.
In-venue during show installation, I quickly acted on feedback and modified digital content after key reviews. I collaborated with many aspects of the production pipeline to ensure high quality final delivery.
After show opening, I archived and memorialized project files, assets, and workflows.
As a Visual Effects Designer, I created visual effects and concepted new ideas to elevate the show using After Effects and 3D tools.
In-venue during show installation, I quickly acted on feedback and modified digital content after key reviews. I collaborated with many aspects of the production pipeline to ensure high quality final delivery.
After show opening, I archived and memorialized project files, assets, and workflows.
Diagram of LED screen classifications used in creative process
Design Challenge
Create convincing, dynamic environments using a variety of uniquely shaped LED screens. The mapping of all combined screens needed to fit on two 8k outputs, and four 4k outputs. We needed to composite vast and cohesive environments across the multiple LED layers.
Cruella De Vil's Mansion
Guests experience a transforming set of environments as Cruella steals the show with outfit changes and special effects. We start in Cruella's old, decrepit mansion Hell Hall, revealed through wallpaper rolling from the ceiling. After a "spotty" transition, Guests are transported to a gilded, fantasy manor fit for fashion royalty. The mansion set rolls off to reveal theatrical marquees in a campy, glamorous finale.
Captain Hook's Ship
A paper burn effect reveals the interior of Captain Hook's pirate ship. Ornate portraits come to life as Captain Hook laments how misunderstood he is. As our captain climbs the stairs, Guests are transported to the ship's top level, revealing a vibrant seascape with Neverland and Skull Rock in the distance. Tick Tock the crocodile gets the last laugh and torments Captain Hook off the stage.
Maleficent's Lair
A dragon silhouette soars across the stage revealing the ruins of Maleficent's castle. Maleficent (dragon form) lands with a fiery fury, torching the brambles and rockwork. She transforms and addresses the audience with her magical staff. Through Maleficent's magic, the ruins transform to the inside of her castle lair. She conjures a lightning storm and disappears through a swirling portal.
Top: Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After, Bottom: Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Referencing the Originals
We referenced Disney archival footage to faithfully recreate environments and beloved animated scenes using modern tools.
Diagram of render pipeline improvements to prevent crashing and improve efficiency
Render Optimization
As our scenes grew more complex, we ran up against computational limits. I developed a solution to our render pipeline that rendered out scenes in parts, which didn't overload our render farm and was efficient enough to deliver our content on time.
Result
Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After serves one thousand guests per hour at peak operation. This brings beneficial added capacity to Disney's Hollywood Studios and allows Guests to experience more attractions and lower overall wait times. The show is an ambitious, modern, high-capacity offering and is a successful addition to Walt Disney World's entertainment portfolio.
