Disney has filed a patent for a new method of large-scale projection mapping. Filed in December 2024 and published June 4 of this year, patent US 2026/0153748 A1 describes a large-scale projection mapping system with an extendable surface.
Specifically, the patent is for a system with “a computing platform having a hardware processor and a system memory storing software code, as well as a projection unit controlled by the computing platform, the projection unit including a three-dimensional (3-D) extendable projection surface having an extending end and a non-extending end.”
This means instead of a static projection surface, Disney intends to use a system that allows the projection surface to automatically extend when needed, and hide away when not in use. The patent specifically mentions a surface that can extend in a cone, pyramid, or funnel shape.
This surface would deploy automatically when triggered by specific actions, or set on a predetermined schedule. In the filing, Disney describes potential applications that include the illusion of a forming tornado, a plant growing, a fountain, or rising mountain.
