The 2023 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival begins on March 1, but a number of character topiaries have already sprung up ahead of next week’s festival kickoff. Today, we spotted Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Chip ‘N Dale, Goofy, “The Lion King” and “The Muppets” topiaries.
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Chip, and Dale Topiaries
Along the walkway to World Showcase from World Celebration, Mickey and Minnie Mouse can be seen on a picnic with their pals Chip ‘N Dale and their dog Pluto.
Disney horticulturalists and Imagineers have hand-crafted these topiary sculptures of the beloved Disney characters ahead of this year’s International Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT. As the longest-running annual festival at EPCOT, guests will have until July 5 to take in their favorite characters in topiary form.
Mickey Mouse can be seen holding a bouquet of yellow and orange flowers. His signature white gloves certainly stand out as he raises his opposite arm to greet guests.
Minnie Mouse’s red bow and dress certainly stand out as she lies in a bed of wildflowers near the picnic basket.
Chip and Dale can be seen wandering within the flowers at the front of this topiary display. Dale’s red nose distinguishes him from Chip as the two take in the flora in front of the wicker picnic basket.
Pluto is perhaps the most excited Disney topiary in this scene, as he seemingly leans down to take a playful dog bow. Pluto’s black ears are perked up and his pinkish tongue sticks out from his mouth, so we think he might be pretty excited for the picnic with his friends.
From the opposite side, Pluto is sporting a wiry black tail that curls straight up.
Goofy Topiary
Goofy stands proud at the entrance to World Showcase. Goofy looks similar to his topiary from last year, but holds a bouquet of flowers rather than the towering 50th Anniversary cake he sported for the 2022 International Flower and Garden Festival.
Goofy’s vest and hat have also been upgraded from last year’s character topiary, now featuring dark reds in place of greens.
The Lion King Topiaries
Rafiki raises Simba to the skies in this iconic reimagining of everyone’s favorite scene from “The Lion King”. Mufasa and Sarabi stand on either side looking proud of their pride. This scene is identical to last year and is even located in the same spot, between Imagination! and The Land Pavilion.
Hakuna Matata! Timon and Pumba can be spotted nearby. Pumba seems to be coming out from the thicker brush, while Timon appears to be mid-explanation as he stands on top of a rock so as not to get lost in the bed of flowers.
Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy Topiaries
If it’s not easy being green, you wouldn’t know it from looking at this topiary. Kermit the Frog waves as he rides his bike with baskets of flowers in tow. Miss Piggy waves back nearby as she sits atop a pile of pink and purple suitcases.
The Kermit the Frog topiary looks very similar to previous festivals, but Miss Piggy has gotten major upgrades ahead of the 2023 International Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT.
While “The Muppets” have been featured at the festival for nearly a decade, Miss Piggy has received a bit of an upgrade this year, now sporting her signature pinkish hue ahead of the celebration. Last year, all but her purple gloves were green.
Many character topiaries can be found throughout the park during the festival. So far, we’ve spotted the likes of the Three Caballeros near the Mexico Pavilion, Buzz Lightyear, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, and more beloved Disney characters. While most topiaries have appeared at previous festivals, new “Encanto” and “The Princess and the Frog” topiaries will appear this year.
The 2023 International Flower and Garden Festival will run from March 1 through July 5 at EPCOT. Let us know if you’ll be getting a closer look at any of these character topiary sculptures as part of this year’s festivities in the comments below.
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