LP Lotion: 2009 Flower and Garden Festival Kick-Off
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Saturday marked the official opening of the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden at Epcot’s 16th Annual Flower and Garden Festival. I was there as part of the press event to cover the ribbon cutting ceremony, and had the opportunity to talk with filmmakers from the upcoming movie, “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” as well as Eric Darden, Horticulture Manager for the Festival.

The Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden is a beautifully designed area full of flowers, pixie topiaries, and activiites for children. Following the synergy that Walt Disney was so famous for, Disney has not one - but two - movies promoted at the Festival this year. “Earth”, which is part of the Disneynature film label, and the aforementioned “Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure”.

The day started with the ribbon cutting ceremony, which was attended by Tinkerbell and her fairy friends Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta and Silvermist. With a little bit of pixie dust and a few words from speakers like Mother Nature, Mr. Green Thumb and Epcot Vice President Dan Cockerell (who recently took the helm), the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden was officially opened.

Director Klay Hall and producer Sean Lurie of “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” also spoke at the ceremony. Later in the day, I was able to sit down with them for a few minutes to talk about their upcoming film, which will be a straight-to-DVD release. I asked if they felt any pressure in bringing an enduring and classic character like Tinkerbell to life in a contemporary film. Hall’s response was direct from what John Lasseter drilled into them, to remember that “Tinker Bell is timeless”. Pixar was mentioned briefly, and I sequed that into a question on whether the film was directed more for kids or if it would be layered with something for everyone. Both agree that it is very much a family film, with lots of adventure (but Hall says “not scary, because of the tone, the color, the music and all that”). Look for "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure" to release this fall.

Later in the day, Festival Horticultural Manager Eric Darden spoke enthusiastically to our gathering in the American Adventure VIP lounge. After a few words from Epcot Vice President Dan Cockerell, Eric took to the floor to discuss the process that it takes to bring this signature event to life.

"The Flower and Garden Festival has to appeal to a large group of people", Darden explained, "because a lot of people come to Epcot and they all want different things". Hence, 3 play areas for kids this year (and more play equipment than ever before) - including the new Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden, as well as the Pirates Adventure Zone. On the flip side, it also has to appeal to serious gardeners - who will admire 300,000 bedding plants across the park. Three hundred horticulturists worked through the night to transform Epcot into a celebration of color.

One commented that drew laughter had to do with the arch to the Sculpture Garden, neither of which is part of the Festival this year. "One of my goals coming into this role was to get rid of that arch", said Darden. Dissenting opinion was, "but we've always had that arch!" Dardens response? "Okay... we used to have E-ticket rides too, but we don't have those anymore". Dardens idea was to put the resources into more character topiaries - there are more topiaries this year than anytime since 2001.

Darden made it a point to mention the sponsors who helped out so much with this years event. Instead of cutting back, sponsors like ForeverLawn stepped up to give more than ever, making this Festival bigger and better than ever.

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival runs until May 31st. You can enjoy Flower Power concerts in the American Gardens Theater and seminars at the Garden Town Festival Center every Friday, Saturday and Sunday - as well as other special event throughout the duration of the Festival.

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