Disney Granted Patent for Real-Time Projection Onto Smoke and Firework Residue
Disney has been granted a patent covering real-time projection onto surfaces that never hold still — smoke, fog, low-lying cloud and even firework residue. The patent drawings show Chernabog and Madame Leota appearing in the haze.
A newly granted Disney patent describes a projection mapping system capable of placing imagery on constantly shifting surfaces, firework residue and smoke among them. Filed on February 20, 2025 and granted on August 20, 2026, the document is registered as US-20260246909-A1.
The setup described runs on several linked components. A camera captures an image of a light-reflective material in a given area. A controller reads that image, identifies the dynamic characteristics of the material and works out what content should be projected onto it. A light source emits nonvisible light across the same area, while a sensor reads the material's characteristics from how that light reflects back. When those characteristics change, the controller adjusts the content accordingly, and a projector places the resulting image onto the moving surface.
The wider description lists the kinds of materials the system is designed for. Alongside smoke, it names fog, mist, low-lying clouds and the residue left behind by fireworks. In each case the controller is meant to track how the material is moving and decide how best to render and update the imagery on it.
The patent illustrations make the concept concrete. One figure demonstrates Chernabog projected onto smoke, showing how the image would hold up as the surface shifts beneath it. Another depicts Madame Leota's face, pointing to the possibility of projecting her directly onto smoke.
None of this amounts to a confirmed park installation. A filed and approved patent is not a schedule, and the technology may be some way off — or may never appear in a Disney park at all.
Written by DPM-VIDS · August 20, 2026, 15:57