How Disney's Magic Mirror Works | Enchanted Tales with Belle

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A look at the magic mirror illusion from Disney’s Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction.
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Footage of the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction by Map the Magic
/ @magication
Video Attributions:
“Aerial View Down Main Street USA Magic Kingdom Omnibus Bus” by Paging Mr. Morrow
“Rope Drop Disneyland With A View At The Hub” by Dland SMK
“A Magic Kingdom Kind of Day” by Paging Mr. Morrow
“2019 Full Ride Experience 4k The Haunted Mansion Disneyland California As Good As Being There” by billisa
“WALT DISNEY WORLD EPCOT DAY 4” by TheChelleBelleLife
“Space Mountain Nightvision On ride Complete HD Experience Magic Kingdom WDW” by Disney World
“Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway Opening Day Ride POV and Merch - Was it Opening Day Insanity” by Bob & Ashley
Music from Epidemic Sound
#DisneyWorld #Themeparks #ArtofEngineering

[@ArtofEngineering]

The topic for this video was suggested by one of my followers on Twitter (Thanks Michael!) What attractions would you like to see next?

[@bradycabral1069]

Art of Engineering can you do Peter Pan. I’ve always wondered if it’s a a track underneath the boat (ride vehicle) or is it hanging?

[@mortimerplay2383]

Floorball Nation it’s hanging

[@willd9122]

I would like to see Soarin

[@AMagicProduction]

Rise of the Resistance

[@carlsaganlives5112]

How to make a ventilator or masks with random parts laying around the house,ala' Apollo 13.

[@L00PdeL00P]

That’s actually even cooler when you know how it works

[@rulliantheskunk2091]

it is. I was thinking of building on like that for my own home, but the costs... and I have don't have an engineering degree. but mostly the costs...

[@Crazy4Beyonce]

@@rulliantheskunk2091 why u want a magic mirror in your house

[@disneylandguy10]

This attraction turns 8 years old this year, but I think this effect is still one of the most impressive Disney has ever pulled off

[@tridevil9846]

_beaugood there’s that light saber effect that they used on rise of the resistance

[@TheBaldr]

I was an adult and still blew me away, it is an amazing effect.

[@philollenberg]

The really cool part is that you get to go THROUGH it, unlike most Disney Parks attractions where you just go by it or near it. You're literally going through a portal that appeared in front of you.

[@KettouRyuujin]

_beaugood it’s that old? Holy... I thought it was younger with how impressive the effect was! Heck I’ve debated seeing just this scene (given my utter lack of interest in the storytelling part), but hey - this video works too!

[@rulliantheskunk2091]

I agree. it's so seemless and surreal, I got light headed from it, knowing how it works, and watching it on a video.

[@trey1531]

That mechanism also needs to be incredibly reliable. It's being used over and over all day every day.

[@ManabiLT]

Disney's got a lot of experience at building reliable mechanisms, the stretching rooms in the Haunted Mansion's been in operation for decades now.

[@theboyscout0156]

I would assume they do maintenance at night

[@tanimation7289]

Manabi Don’t forget that they have back up plans in case the effects don’t work.

[@rainbowskunkdash756]

@@tanimation7289 What are the backup plans? Do you have a video of that happening or know where I can find one on KZbin?

[@uncaboat2399]

EVERY mechanism at EVERY theme park needs to be incredibly reliable for the same reason.

[@DanteYewToob]

I dated an engineering student once when I lived in Claremont (Orlando. I lived 5 mins from Disney.) and she loved Disney more than the kids did. For her, Disney was a literal land of magic and mystery, of wonderous discoveries and beautiful fantasy. She would geek out over trams, rides, forced perspective and she would use a selfie stick she made that stretched to like 8 feet long to peek into construction zones with her gopro. Honestly, going to a theme park with her was like all of the best parts about going with a small child, and none of the bad parts. All of the joy and excitement and pure childlike wonder, and none of the whining or crying or begging for stuff. She loved waiting on lines.. she would use the time to investigate stuff, go through her camera and phone and look at photos and video clips and delete stuff to take another 5 million pictures of cool garbage cans or a wierd bolt she found. Instead of telling me all about the characters and cartoons like a kid, she would instead "Oooh oooh! Babe! Look! It's goofy! Hi goofy, stand still. Ok. Babe, did you know under this suit he has a really cool fluid cooling vest system that pumps water through......" and on and on. "Oh! Wow! You hear that cool clicking noise that ride is making? Those are the safety latches on the..." "Oooooh! Look! Electromagnetic induction coils in the ground! That's how the rides slow down so they don't collide with eachother! Did you know that..." and so on... she would drop cool facts and fun tidbits all day long. Even after 8 hours in the sun she never got tired of it, and neither did I. She taught me a very important lesson about life. There is always beauty to be found, and sometimes things that look obviously interesting or beautiful can have another, deeper layer making them even more interesting. Knowing how things works can give you a deeper appreciation for it! Knowing that thousands of explosions per minute move your car along, or that lava lamps encrypt some of the most important information on the internet can make you appreciate them more! A ride or attraction like this is awesome at a surface level, but absolutely incredible once you know how it works!

[@Violianom]

Great story. Thanks for sharing!

[@kazoo437]

bro go get your wife what are u doing

[@orange_turtle3412]

Sounds like me every time I went (my mom was probably REALLY tired of my rants). The inner workings of the attractions is by far the coolest part of the park

[@TheDrexxus]

I like how the glass seam is moved to the center to coincide with a wall corner on the projected image so its almost impossible to see it slide across there because its hidden by that corner. So clutch.

[@traincrossing9]

I loved working at Enchanted Tales with Belle! Fun fact, to hide the movement of the lower wall they project fake cracks in addition to the green magic around the frame. The mirror surprised so many guests, it’s truly magical!

[@bagofgroceries]

Wanna hear something i noticed? When the glass panels begin to move, the animation also moves with the mirror, furthering the effect.

[@addisonzucker1532]

Yeah my mom made me go through it when i was super young when it first open and at first I thought it was a girls thing and didn’t wanna go but then I realized it was super cool

[@jasonchiu272]

It is clever to use the dark parts of the animation to hide the groove between the sliding glass doors.

[@ai_is_a_great_place]

I probably would have skipped over that attraction but wow that needs to be experienced in person it's so cool

[@badideabearcub2747]

Johnpnw Yes you would think that is only a meet and greet, but has two of the coolest animatronics as well, one of them interactive, I think. Ok, is more like an over-glorified meet and greet, but is worth checking anyway.

[@themed_entertainment]

I'm always excited when i see a disney's engineering breakdown video please make more!

[@billyz90]

I got my family to go through Enchanted Tales With Belle for the first time on a whim. It was still a relatively new attraction at the time, so we thought it might be cool to see something we hadn't before. The mirror effect was the most mind-boggling thing I'd ever experienced at a Disney park for a *very* long time!

[@StinaStudios]

That was really cool! I've never had a chance to go through Enchanted Tales, but the next time I make it to Disney I really want to check it out!

[@mashellepatrick5567]

I have gone through this four times. I also got to play the wardrobe two times.

[@Yukihoon11031998]

My engineering side immediately came out when I was at the attraction and saw the mirror opening up to a door! However, even through my careful observation (while also being in awe), I could not figure out how did the mirror work and it bothered me a lot even after I left the attraction. I'm so happy to FINALLY know how it works! Thank you for your awesome videos! :)

[@christopherscrews1717]

Great job on the video! You always do a wonderful job explaining complex and technical topics in a way that makes sense to everyone.

[@Wiiguy1606]

I've been to Disney World and saw this attraction back in 2018. and I've been wondering how it worked because I was totally blown away like it was actual Magic. First time I saw it my jaw hit the floor. I always considered myself wanted to know how they did it but that doesn't spoil the magic. If anything it makes me even more appreciative of all the hard work gone into the this illusion. Thank you so much for today's lesson

[@unrellated]

4:41 To hide the seam between the glass panels moving into position, the camera in the animation moves sideways before coming to rest on the wooden door. The movement of the panels is timed so that the seam follows the seam between the two halves of the projected door.

[@mikosoft]

That is absolutely genius. It wasn't difficult to guess the expanding frame on the first sight but the rest was quite surprising, especially the sliding doors since there was no indication whatsoever that there was a seam. Really clever attraction.

[@xbox07]

The amount of genius this must have required to make is completely astounding. Bravo, Imagineers!

[@katieling5688]

i've wondered about the details of how this works since i went to disney world in 2016. this is the best explanation i've found so far. thanks so much for making this!

[@lumityislife8987]

For some learning how the magic works ruins it for them but for others which includes myself it makes it even more fun and interesting

[@AmusementLabs]

Good job man. I knew you'd figure it out. 🙂

[@ketchupfilms]

Excellent video!! I wasn’t even aware of this effect let alone how it worked, so thank you for enlightening me!

[@RSpudieD]

Love seeing stuff like this broken down! Also, that's a pretty impressive illusion!

[@memethyst]

practical effects are so cool... the amount of work that goes into making sure this always looks perfect and seamless is amazing

[@angelojohnson9441]

Thank you. I was on the right track with the frame, but I had been up close and not seen a slit or even line in the mirror until it opened and it baffled me until now how they could have hid that center seam. Even now that I understand it, I still have the appreciation of how well it still looks.

[@theindyguyjc]

I’m gonna be honest, I never knew that this attraction existed (I generally don’t go to character meet-and-greets anymore), but now I wanna go just to see that effect.

[@ralfoide]

Fantastic explanation, very clear, and so many details on your graphics. Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@scottrousseau496]

Wow! An amazing feat of engineering, yet so simple. This was so cool. Thanks!

[@sallyoquinn]

I've watched this magic trick in person at least 3 or 4 times, and it never ceases to amaze me!

[@CBHAppleConsulting]

Great video! I always enjoy these and love the Disney ones. Also wanted to note that I just saw your video on the Top Videos list on Digg. Good work!

[@brianorozco1074]

That effect was pretty cool

[@shannond7437]

Clever! Using the film wipe technique with the edge to move in the actual door for guests! They truly are imagineers!

[@AviationAustin]

Great explanation! I love breaking down the mechanics of rides like this. I made a few videos myself focused on breaking down the science behind a disney attraction! Except my explanations were all aerospace based explanations of Mission Space.

[@aaronmiller7095]

We got to experience a soft opening of New Fantasyland in the fall of 2012. Having heard nothing about the newly added attractions we were able to experience them (mine ride wasn't ready yet) without any preconception. The mirror effect was so stunning and gave me a Disney magic experience normally reserved for the kids. Even when I went back through the attraction and was able to watch for it I couldn't tell how they did it. Well done Imagineers!

[@unknownchancellor]

Loving these theme part insight videos 👍

[@ianmalsbury]

This is my Favorite video so far on your channel, followed by the tower of terror and the floating mountains. I would love it if you could break down more theme park Illusions. Keep up the great work.

[@AMagicProduction]

Once again an unbelievably well done video, keep it up!!

[@joebenzz]

Also the door projection opening coupled with the mirror door sliding open gives an illusionary perspective of actual doors opening :O

[@matoflynn]

Your explanations are always unparalleled 🙏

[@Berkana]

I am amazed at the amount of engineering and illusion design that went into this attraction.

[@satisfactuals]

One thing I was hoping you'd mention (sorry if you did and I missed it!) is that the bottom half of the wall (the part that moves) has marbling projected on it to make it look similar to the way the upper part of the wall is painted. When the wall moves, the marbling is static to help keep the illusion that the wall is not actually moving. I always felt like that was a key part of what helps to confuse the eye about what is actually happening here. Didn't see anyone mention it in the comments so I wanted to point it out! (Source: I used to work there)

[@monkeybiscuits78]

This effect, and little Lumiere blew my mind when I first saw them. They nailed em!

[@memethyst]

lumiere is kind of controlled like a puppet, since his arms are so skinny they made them flexible and the mechanisms are behind the curtain controlling him on rods. it's really cool technology and pretty fascinating to watch

[@mbettner7368]

thats mind-blowing

[@lofianddesign]

The illustrations are really useful! Thanks!

[@DisneyMarkUK]

You explain things so well, thank you

[@thatponighoul4823]

I always thought this was the most magical effect and wondered how on Earth it worked!!! So cool to know! 💖💖💖

[@JT-nn8nj]

It’s actually crazy to look at the mirror when it’s small, bordered on all sides by a wall, and think “that’s my way in to the ride and it somehow becomes a door.” That’s nuts bro

[@aidey8mph605]

I love these videos! My family is really into Disney and I showed pretty much everyone that video of the tower of terror. Keep up the great videos!

[@IsaBella-ir4rf]

Aidey8 mph? I see what you did there!

[@aidey8mph605]

@@IsaBella-ir4rf yeah my name is Aidan and my sister calls me Aidey8 sometimes. Then I just thought I should do a whole back to the future profile picture with that.

[@Ryan-cm5rm]

Super cool and very well explained

[@jonathanrocha5274]

THIS IS AMAZING!!!

[@bobbyprivate]

Brilliant video. Thank you for sharing 💎💎💎

[@GaryMeolaJr]

Great illustrations and explanation. Awesome video !!

[@99Davidcool]

6:24 good effect that the doors seem to open normally but you can see the reflection

[@Emisop]

I go to this attraction all the time despite not having any kids and not having any children family members with me on my Disney trips. Because I love this affect and Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney film of all time. I know it's for the kids, but I just love it too much!

[@fucksampleclearance2106]

I'll watch all your "how x works" videos. AoE, you are very thorough. Satisfies my OCD for having things explained to me in a very detailed manner. SUBBED

[@disneydreaming0210]

I have never done this but now I have to check it out

[@beeyorebob]

That’s awesome! Thank you 😊

[@cherylhale5755]

That is AMAZING!!!

[@emmybourgouin9405]

Your Disney video are amazing!! I hope too see more soon!

[@aeryn6275]

Ahhh this is incredible!

[@mdsarttutorialclassesbypaw6060]

You explained one of the most mysterious thing.

[@SpritualTechniques]

I still don’t understand after this video just goes to show how amazing Disney engineers are!

[@Raniaska0306]

This is so cool!

[@DavidMcCoul]

Wow, amazing!

[@otiagomarques]

Amazing!

[@Meli_Mel_619]

I went to WDW for the first time last January. I never heard of this attraction before so I've never seen any images or videos of it. So when I saw this effect in person for the first time, my mind was blown to say the least lol

[@s.knaturegirl9895]

I love this thank you

[@brandon910999]

I hope he does more Disney videos!

[@JustCallMeElle]

Oh please do more Theme Park themed videos. Pretty please? Love the animation too. Thank you for such amazing content. Keep it up!!!

[@masterimbecile]

That's some voodoo magic stuff right there.

[@nicolaschartier3715]

Great video!

[@SaturnCanuck]

Awesome

[@tommclean9208]

Great video

[@whitethunder9064]

Man, seeing this makes me want to go back to Disney so bad! I never went to the Enchanted Tales thing.

[@cgoldborn]

Hey Art of Engineering, could you do a video based on how the new ride at Galaxy’s Edge in Disney Hollywood Studio works? It’s a real masterpiece of immersive engineering, and I think it’d be a really interesting video! Btw great video, I’ve been looking to be an imagineer, and these videos have greatly made me more aware of everything the engineering word has to offer.

[@dentonhighfield]

The channel “Amusement Labs” made a video on this not to long ago

[@AnotherSwissYoutubeUser]

Can you do a video on ,How Maxx Force works‘ (Specifically the Air powered launch)

[@orange_turtle3412]

This attraction is too slept on man. The wardrobe animatronic is extremely impressive

[@nikki2596]

Omg I know every cast member that was shown ! I miss working at ETWB .

[@DjMikeWatt]

I'd just like to know how you know so much about how all these attractions work.

[@asterisks3062]

You should make a how the Tower of Terror at Disneysea preshow works

[@thirafinajwan]

I've never been to disneyland and i know it's a cool place and all but, damn man, this is above my expectations.

[@thomasmills9314]

Do a space mountain one and rock n roller coaster, please.😳

[@deud.]

this is genius, thanks for the explanation!

[@-Christoph]

Neat. I want that at home. :-)

[@EugenioAngueira]

Fantastic. I wondered how this worked since I first saw it!

[@depressedknight369]

damn .. i didn't even know that exists.. nice video budd.. keep it up

[@veryhairylarry1036]

nice

[@mashy712]

Nice video. I’ll make sure to hit that “BELLE” for future videos.

[@VillePuolitaival]

This. Guy. Is. Awesome.

[@VillePuolitaival]

Subscribed for sure. Please make more videos like this :)

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Well this is interesting, wasn’t expecting this. I love the Disney Parks. Their Imagineers are amazing, wow

[@princesspixel3151]

Just imagine the kids trying to figure out how this works... Their minds would definitely be blown!

[@Withgreatpowercomesnofuture]

If possible can you talk about the Lumiere animatronic and how it works?

[@toasteroven8341]

Hi, what tools do you use to make your animations? Great video!

[@ArtofEngineering]

Thanks! I draw all the graphics in Inkscape, and then I animate them using Adobe Premiere Pro (and sometimes After Effects).

[@sierra671]

I am pretty sure that’s me and my sister in the mirror!! When was the footage taken?

[@tach-uq5tw]

Love your videos!

[@armondo22]

Never new this existed.... just thought it was a meet and greet with a story time....

[@njdotson]

How does the texture on the wall not move when the wall moves down?

[@ArtofEngineering]

Good question! The bottom wall panel is painted a solid color and the texture is projected onto it so the wall appears stationary.

[@BobBunch-ownyourlife]

Great vid, we've been wondering how it worked since our trip this last November. Just Sub'd. Can't wait to see more Disney videos. We love collabing with Disney content creators like you.

[@depressedknight369]

also... can you or someone tell me what's the background soundtrack used in the first part of the video.

[@samsabeeble3431]

I'm gonna put one of these in my house istg