Several years ago I made a simple 2D display with WS2812B led strings, just daisy chained together for a serial interface. Controlled by an ESP8266, with a number of static images (snowflakes, xmas trees) that scroll or display with various effects (e.g. falling snowflakes). 9 led strings are simply draped over a ~9 ft tall pvc rack in a coarse 2D front and back display. Not that much work to put together and surprisingly nice looking effects are possible.