Disney Patent Could Turn Smoke and Fog Into Moving Projection Screens in the Parks

Disney Imagineering may be looking to the skies for the next evolution of nighttime spectacular technology. A newly published Disney patent describes a system that could project characters, animations, and other imagery onto moving smoke, fog, fireworks residue, and even low-lying clouds, with the visuals changing in real time as the surface shifts.

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The patent application, titled “Opportunistic Projection Onto Dynamic Light Reflective Material,” was published on August 20, 2026, after being filed in February 2025. Rather than relying on a traditional fixed projection surface like Cinderella Castle or a water screen, the system would use cameras and light sources to detect the size, shape, density, and location of floating material. A controller could then reshape the projected image to fit whatever canvas happens to be available at that moment.

That could lead to some pretty wild effects. The patent describes images following clouds of smoke as they drift, stretch, split apart, or merge together. In one example, a character projected inside a cloud could actually separate into multiple pieces when the smoke splits, then change again as the material moves. The system could potentially use generative AI to modify imagery on the fly based on the changing shape of the projection surface. Disney also describes possible uses involving tethered balloons, suspended screens, flexible fabrics, mist, particles in water, and multiple floating surfaces working together as an “air train.”

Nighttime spectaculars are one obvious possibility. Disney specifically describes using leftover smoke after fireworks as a projection surface, potentially allowing a show to continue after the final shell has burst. The technology could also respond to guest actions such as a hand gesture or wand movement, or adjust an image based on where a guest is viewing it from. It takes concepts Disney has already used with water screens in shows like Fantasmic! and pushes them into much less predictable territory. Instead of fighting the wind, the system would theoretically adapt to it.

The patent lists Disney Research Fellow Lanny Smoot among its inventors. Smoot has more than 100 patents to his name and became the first Imagineer inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2024. His recent work has also included Disney’s HoloTile Floor, an omnidirectional surface designed to let people move in different directions while remaining within a limited area.

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Of course, a patent is not a promise that this technology will ever appear at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or any other Disney destination. Imagineering regularly patents concepts that never make the jump from paper to the parks. Still, the idea of turning the lingering smoke from a fireworks finale into one last animated surprise certainly gives us plenty to imagine.

If future Disney nighttime spectaculars are already floating into your vacation plans, contact our partners at Get Away Today to help plan your next Walt Disney World getaway.