Walt Disney Imagineering shared the creation process behind the Year of the Horse version of Disney California Adventure’s Lunar New Year water short Hurry Home, which utilizes both experimental capture technology and traditional animation.
“Hurry Home” Short for Year of the Horse
Hurry Home is a Lunar New Year-themed pre-show performed before World of Color Happiness! on the same water screen. With the overlap of the Year of the Horse and Disneyland’s 70th anniversary, Imagineers saw a unique opportunity to honor an important part of the park’s legacy: its horses, which have been part of Disneyland since its opening day in 1955.
Imagineers visited the Circle D Ranch in Norco, California, where the Disneyland Resort horses reside when they’re not on park duty, to capture a horse named Rogue for this year’s featured animation.
To do so, they used experimental capture technology that didn’t require any physical trackers to be placed on Rogue, so he could move unimpeded both on a long line and freely around the area. Meanwhile, the Imagineers drove around the arena with capture cameras.
Their footage was then digitally overlaid onto a skeletal wireframe designed exactly to Rogue’s proportions. This keeps the animation fluid and realistic even as it’s projected onto World of Color’s dynamic mist screen.
The resulting Hurry Home animation is a special recognition of Disneyland’s unsung equestrian heroes for 70 years and counting.
Disney Live Entertainment is utilizing experimental capture techniques and traditional animation for the water short “Hurry Home — A Lunar New Year Celebration,” which you can enjoy now through Feb. 22 as part of Lunar New Year at California Adventure at @Disneyland Resort
Watch our video of this year’s performance of Hurry Home:
Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure
Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure runs through February 22, so you have only a few more days to catch Hurry Home before World of Color Happiness! Check out our full guide to this year’s festivities so you don’t miss anything in its final week.
Have you celebrated the Year of the Horse at California Adventure yet? Let us know on social media.
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