EPCOT hosts the Flower and Garden Festival at Walt Disney World every year. There are always topiaries in the celebration that highlight certain Disney characters. In addition to being beautiful works of horticulture art, these living statues continuously enhance the magic of a day at the parks.
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The Topiary and the Frog
This year, for the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, Cast Members have created an extraordinary topiary featuring Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog (2009). Crafted by Cast Member Brittany Smith, the plan to create a Princess Tiana topiary began in 2022.
Smith studied every detail of the animated film to assess how best to transform the iconic princess into a three-dimensional living sculpture. She knew her details had to be as precise as possible to do the character justice–including her facial features, expression, and of course, her princess dress.
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“I’ve always dreamed of working on a Princess Tiana topiary because, as a Black woman, she means so much to me and our community,” said Smith. “I want children to see her confidence and courage and realize they can be a princess, too!”
A Princess Tiana topiary is all-new this year at EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival, and it’s a dream come true! Meet the talented cast members Antoinette and Brittany, who are the root of this terrific topiary creation: https://t.co/Www0TQ54vC 💚 🌷 #DisneyCastLife #WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/8pbxUyUBnl
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) June 3, 2023
In addition, Smith sought the assistance of Planned Work Specialist Antoinette Valentin to create a fully floral scene that encircled the princess. The project took over eight months, and a team of Cast Members helped plant, feed, water, and prune the show-stopping creation for its Disney Park debut.
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The addition of a Princess Tiana topiary at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival is likely an attempt by Disney to gin up more excitement over the upcoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction opening next year at the Magic Kingdom. Since many hardcore Walt Disney World fans deeply love Splash Mountain, Disney must do everything it can to win them (and everyone else) over on the newly themed ride before it opens.
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