Disney Animation Creating Immersive Experience Highlighting Titles Ranging From ‘Snow White’ to ‘Encanto’
As Disney Animation moves toward its 100th anniversary, the studio is collaborating with the producers of Immersive Van Gogh to create Disney Animation Immersive Experience, set to open this December in Toronto.
“A combination of an art exhibit and movie theater” is how Oscar-winning producer J. Miles Dale (The Shape of Water), who is leading the creative team, describes the walk-thru experience. He says it will incorporate “three-quarters” of the century of Disney titles from early work like Snow White to The Little Mermaid, Frozen and Encanto — along with their classic music — while taking advantage of projection mapping to create a 360-degree experience.
Working with Toronto-based Lighthouse Immersive, Disney Animation plans to open the experience at Lighthouse ArtSpace Toronto and then visit additional cities including Cleveland, Nashville, Detroit, Denver, Boston, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Columbus in early 2023. Anaheim’s Disneyland is in the plans. From there, the team intends to expand to additional cities and countries including Japan.
Lighthouse Immersive’s global creative director David Korins relates that the roughly 47-minute gallery experience will involve a “dream wish trail” that will “reintroduce” guests to the Disney catalog as well as to the artists and the making of these movies “from script to screen” including costuming and storyboarding and process from all periods.
“We are showing these characters all the way back to the earliest sketches,” he said, adding that it will also offer interactive moments. Mexico City-based Cocolab is also working with the Disney creative team to develop the program
Disney Animation is also creating some new animation for the Experience, though the studio didn’t divulge details.
“We can’t wait for audiences around the world, of all ages, to experience the great moments from our legacy of feature films in this incredible way,” said Disney Animation president Clark Spencer.