CMU School of Drama


Friday, October 03, 2014

Disney Wedding Cake Animation Image Mapping

Disney Parks Blog: We recently unveiled new technology at our Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings Showcase this past Saturday- and I couldn’t wait to share it with you! A wedding cake is probably the most significant confection you’ll ever eat (and buy) – so why not turn it into a living piece of art?

14 comments:

Katie Pyne said...

I mean, this isn't crazy amazing technology. I really do admire the idea behind it though. A cake is an iconic part of any wedding and what better way to personalize it than project on it. Being here at school, where we basically project on anything we can get our hands on, this type of technology can be passed off. For "normal" people who are getting married at Disney, though, this might make or break the wedding. This is that special kick that makes it.

Jess Bergson said...

While I agree with Katie that this technology isn't anything new, I think it amazing to see that technology we use every day in our industry is starting to be used and appreciated in different settings. For someone who wants to have their wedding at Disney, this is the perfect way to really make the day special and unique. I wonder if there are other practices that we take for granted that could enhance a couple's wedding day experience. This video also really made me think about what other fields our work applies directly to. I think one of the clearest connections is to event management and production. This industry goes far beyond weddings. I think that our line of work really can prepare us for countless fields, and we are lucky to be exposed to so many broad skills. Even though it may seem like all we do is theatre, we are actually gaining skills that will allow us to succeed in almost any field we choose, which is a comforting idea.

Sarah Keller said...

It's kind of funny how she keeps emphasizing that the cake is still edible- they're clearly marketing towards people they believe don't understand projections at all! It's funny because we use them so much that we assume that everyone understands media and projection mapping as much as we do, but I guess there are people out there that would be worried about things like that. This is a really cute idea- I know next to nothing about Disney but I've seen videos of some really cool projection mapping on one of the castles in one of the parks, and this reminds me of that. I think this would be even cooler if this cake was more like that- if instead of being basically a flat white canvas, it had designs and patterns built into it that the projections could highlight and interact with. People make amazing cakes that are almost like sculptures- it would be great to see a combination of these two art forms, and it could make a wedding really special.

Grace McCarthy said...

the idea of projections is nota new idea, but this way of using them add an additional sense of magic it Disney. After reading looking at this I realized just how much theme parks use theatrical aspects. In Disney they uses set designers to create the theme parks, actors to work in the parks to bring us into another work, lighting designers to set out mood, and directors to think of concepts. Disney over all is a theatrical production that set us in another space right down to the kind of paper towels in the bathroom. The idea of projecting on cakes for weddings just makes Disney an even more theatrical experience because projections are becoming more and more popular in the theatrical world today.

Trent Taylor said...

I want to start by saying that I think this is a cool idea to integrate the technology like this, but as others have pointed out, this isnt anything that incredible. Its projection mapping. I also think that the introduction of this technology unleashes a whole other realm of tech problems. What if the room is too light? where are the projectors? does the cake look boring/stupid without the projection on it? I think these are the same questions that theatre artists started asking themselves when media first started being highly integrated into shows. I look forward to seeing where this technology goes!

Carolyn Mazuca said...

Maybe it's because in the School of Drama projection mapping isn't such a foreign concept, but the idea of projection mapping on a cake seems so simple! Part of me wants to say it's an obvious solution to "decorate" a cake but at the same time, Disney using it is the first case of cake projection mapping I've heard about. It's pretty hilarious that the spokesperson also mentions that the cake is still edible. That also seems obvious, but again, maybe that is because I've been around projection mapping on a day to day basis.

Unknown said...

Ok, I know that being in a School of Drama makes most of us feel like this is something that we see every-single-day (Oh, yeah....), but hey, I personally really think this is cute! And I can say this without worrying that someone will be shaking their head disagree with me but I think I will considered this projection mapping wedding cake idea for my wedding! I'm not saying that it must be disney, I just think it's really cute and fascinating for people who live their lives outside Purnell and not used to this kind of technology. I'm sure it will turn out to be a fascinating and trendy wedding party.

Albert Cisneros said...

As much as I love Disney, I think projection mapping on a wedding cake takes away from one of the most important parts of a wedding. I love the artistry that comes with ordering and designing a wedding cake. Each layer of icing is intricately drawn and made into a work of art. The idea that a wedding cake would just be a blank canvas for some fancy media takes away the novelty of the experience. Normally I would be excited how media could influence an object or space, but beautifully decorated wedding cakes are such a special tradition that I feel should be left untouched by Disney.

Nikki Baltzer said...

I find the fact that disney seems to be the driving force in using a wedding cake as a blank canvas and projecting a show on it hilarious. A wedding cake is a symbol of the celebration aspect of someones wedding and that it's supposed to be something the couple picked out together to represent their new found unity. With the idea of playing movies on your cake seems right for the time period we exist in and I'm sure in real time it is stunningly beautiful. It just make a photographers job of capturing the beauty of the cake in a single image that much harder because now only a party of the story of the cake is photographed. Easiest solution is now couple's will need to buy a video of the video played on their cake that of course 10 years after the wedding with 2 kids just starting early grade school none of the fancy details that were picked for the wedding will matter. All this really is is for the rich couples who want to show off how incredible and memorable their wedding is to their friends.

Unknown said...

But is it edible????! I guess I understand that Disney is catering to a market that isn't generally exposed to projections and geometry mapping on a regular basis, but the spokesperson seemed to go a little too far in explaining what feels to me like a fairly simple concept. At any rate, I appreciate the novelty of applying projections to non-traditional surfaces. I think that having a photo slideshow or video play on your cake might look pretty cool, in addition to any custom content you might want somebody to make to tell the story of your wedding. But it's not like Disney is pioneering some new amazing technology. There are plenty of qualified people besides Disney who can projection map onto a cake...

Kat Landry said...

This is a really sweet idea! Pun completely intended.
No, the technology isn't cutting-edge, as others have stated, but I think it's so cool that projection is being used in such a different way. I personally love when stories are told through unconventional methods, so this is very interesting to me. My only issue with it, sort of along the lines of Albert's comment, is that it is just a plain white cake. Cake decoration is such a beautiful staple of the "big wedding" and it's a shame that guests will have only a plain white slice on their plates after it's been cut.
Though that last part kind of stinks, you can sign me up for a Tinkerbell wedding cake.

Tom Kelly said...

I saw a video of this the other day and was reminded of how cool the idea was so i decided to read this article. It is so awesome that we are able to use projections on not only theatre but also into every single aspect of an event, in this case a cake at a party. I think that if they added different aspects to the cake to not make it look so plain it would really add to the experience. i have a feeling that this was just a basic cake to show off and test what projections on a cake could do. I think that disney will keep innovating with this and make it amazing. I can imagine them using projections on lots of other types of food types as well to add magic and movement to the food.

jcmertz said...

While I don't anticipate shelling out money to Disney to build my wedding cake, I really really like the idea of projection mapping on food. It is neat to see how the projections can be used to bring an otherwise plain cake to life, and I see no reason this couldn't be used for other types of food to. Art exhibits with calorie counts projected on Big Macs comes to mind, but also cupcakes with dancing sprites on top. I love food and I love projections, so the combination of the two is really neat to see!

Unknown said...

I've fallen in love with projection mapping over the past couple of years. There's such such beauty and majestic essence to it. The first time I saw this video was on Facebook and I was amazed that two of my favorite these were put together; Disney and projection mapping. Disney just blows my mind with all of their technological advances. I think one of my favorite projection mapping experiences was the How to Train your Dragon experience where the whole production was in a black box theatre and the projections were the set. Obviously, I'm obsessed with mapping and I going to spend the next hour or so just watching more mapping projects.