Pouring on the Details

This planter outside the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant at Disney's Hollywood Studios features an impressive topiary creation of Mickey Mouse in his role as the Sorcerer's Apprentice from Fantasia. It's a fun scene to be sure, made even more delightful when you consider a couple of details.

First of all, Fantasia was released in 1940. A reference to this film in the classic Hollywood section of the park fits right in with the time period. It also, along with the giant Sorcerer's Hat icon, helps provide a transition in this area of the Studios from a story set in the past to one which takes place in the here and now.

Second, look more closely at the statues of the brooms which surround Mickey. The buckets they're carrying are actually pots of soil, filled with blue-flowering plants arranged to look as if they're pouring over the edge. The same plant material is then continued in waves along the edge of the hillside, creating the impression that the brooms are flooding the area. When the little blue flowers are in full bloom, the effect is a scene straight out of the movie.