Case Study: Shanghai Disney Resort Fantasia Carousel
Problem: Design an original carousel from scratch, based on Disney's Fantasia IP, by theming an existing turntable and roof structure.
Solution: I worked with the team to narrow down the design story to Fantasia. I designed the pegasus horse and chariot vehicles (all views), rounding boards, roof finials, and color palette. I also created 24 murals for the inner core and rounding boards, chose the placement of the vehicles, and painted the final color boards.
To see other carousel designs, click here.
- 2012-15
- Concept, Design, Painting
- Walt Disney Imagineering
- Project Manager: Doris Woodward, Art Director: Chris Runco
Concept Art
How often does someone get to design an original carousel? Hopefully at least once! I worked with an amazing team of people at Imagineering, who took my designs and brought them to life. Today, it's a favorite gem of Shanghai Disneyland's Gardens of Imagination.
I also got to paint the scene that was used in all the marketing materials for the carousel.
Horse Designs
There were 64 vehicles, so I created 11 different horses and 1 chariot, to be repeated in different sizes and colors, four rows deep. Everyone fell in love with the babies!
Color Boards
Taking inspiration from the original film, I chose a pastel palette for the vehicles, and deeper tones and golds for the rounding boards. The team painted the horses in a beautiful matte finish, an original touch.
Murals
The rounding board murals were taken directly from old movie frames, which I edited and improved in a higher resolution. I created these images for the core of the carousel by collaging images of fairies from different seasons in the movie.
Figurative Touches
What would a Fantasia carousel be without hippos, crocs and flamingos? These were fun to design.
The Result
Doris Woodward headed up a talented team of designers and fabricators to bring this beautiful carousel to life. It was one of my favorite projects ever.
