Walt Disney Imagineering has shared a behind-the-scenes look at the installation of a giant otter sculpture at Otter Springs, the water play area coming to Disney Lakeshore Lodge. A crane lowered the sculpture, nicknamed Addie, into place this week. Another sculpture named Bonnie will join her in a few weeks. Imagineering also walked through the design and fabrication process in a new video.
Imagineering Installs First Otter Sculpture at Lakeshore Lodge’s Otter Springs
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- How the otter sculptures were designed and installed
- Why the sculptures aren’t actually made of wood
- What’s coming next for the Otter Springs play area
Otter Springs is the wet play area within The Wetlands, the pool and lazy river complex coming to Disney Lakeshore Lodge. Disney named the space after the heron and otter friendship referenced in the Pocahontas song “Colors of the Wind.” Heron Shores, the dry-play counterpart, draws from the same story. Imagineering’s video shows a crane lifting the first of two large otter sculptures into place at the site. An Imagineer walks through how the piece came together.
How Addie and Bonnie Came Together
The design process started with a concept sketch tied directly to the Pocahontas theme, pairing the otter with the herons “just around the riverbend.” Imagineers then took that sketch into 3D modeling software. From there, the team worked with an outside vendor to build the physical piece. Addie’s body started as essentially an upside-down boat shape. The head, arms, and legs came next.
Both sculptures are meant to look like they were carved entirely from wood, right down to visible grain lines and plank seams across the surface. Otter Springs is a wet play space, though, so real wood was never an option. Up close, the material is fiberglass-reinforced plastic, textured and painted in-house to mimic a hand-carved wood finish. Imagineering said the team went through numerous drawings to get the wood look as convincing as possible.
Addie went in first, arriving by crane and settling onto a steel track base at the Otter Springs site. Bonnie will join her at the play area in the coming weeks.
Beyond Otter Springs
Otter Springs is one of several themed elements taking shape ahead of that opening. Heron Shores, the Daydream River lazy river, and the Lakeshore Lagoon and Cypress Point pools round out the rest of the area. Each piece is coming together in stages as Lakeshore Lodge moves closer to its planned opening window.
Keep Reading
- Disney Vacation Club quietly renamed two of the pools within The Wetlands just last month, though Otter Springs kept its original name.
- Get the full breakdown of every themed area within The Wetlands, including a hidden nod to the site’s River Country history.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!