A temporary window display at Disney California Adventure honors Walt Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot and his many inventions.
Lanny Smoot Display
The window is in the facade next to Mickey’s PhilharMagic in the park’s Hollywood Land. In a Walt Disney Imagineering Instagram Story of Smoot seeing the window for the first time, he described it as a “magnificent mess,” just like his real lab, “but it’s full of creativity.”
The display features engineering tools and replicas of Smoot’s creations. There’s a photo of him and a sign with information about his career.
Smoot has spent 26 years working for The Walt Disney Company. He graduated from Columbia University with Bachelors and Masters degrees in electrical engineering. He has 106 patents to his name, 74 of which are from his Disney work, making him Disney’s most prolific inventor.
Smoot’s work include “Where’s the Fire?” formerly at Innoventions in EPCOT, Haunted Mansion special effects, the extendable lightsaber used at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, virtual and interactive koi ponds at Crystal Lotus Restaurant at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, the Fortress Explorations interactive adventure at Tokyo DisneySea, and “Power City” at Project Tomorrow in EPCOT. His work yet to be featured at an attraction include ride systems and an innovative 3D display that wouldn’t use 3D glasses.
Among the props in the window are a replica and schematics for Smoot’s “HoloTile floor.” Disney revealed this creation in a video last year honoring Smoot’s induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The floor is made up of tiles that would shift and rotate as a user walks on it, designed to help people more realistically walk through VR spaces. Smoot’s video demonstration plays on a screen next to the props.
The other inventions and tools on display include a zoetrope, oscilloscope, and electromagnetic eyes.
Drawings and schematics on a bulletin board represent some of Smoot’s ride tech.
Though the display was originally created for Disney’s “Celebrate Soulfully” Black History Month celebration in February, it will remain through the end of March for guests to see.
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