Disney, Universal Studios theme parks embrace the metaverse with plans for rides and attractions enhanced by the use of augmented reality
- Augmented reality hasn’t gone much beyond video games and phone apps, but theme parks plan to take it to the next level to create metaverse experiences
- From a proposed Mario Kart AR ride to virtual Disney characters and the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel, the aim is to combine the physical and the digital
The promise of augmented reality (AR) so far has largely been just that – promises of a future seen through filters for our mobile phone apps or simple games that place characters with little movement on our camera screens. But if this whole metaverse thing – the concept of a persistent, evolving online world that we don’t log into as much as live inside – is ever going to take off, we’re going to need more.
Our theme parks, which increasingly revolve around the concepts of games and play, may offer a glimpse of where the future is heading.
In the not-too-distant future Universal Studios Hollywood will import a “Mario Kart”- themed ride from Japan that is centred on augmented reality, an attraction designed to create the illusion that we’re interacting with virtual objects and characters. Unlike most AR-enhanced mobile phone apps, where the images are tailored to an individual’s screen, the use of visor-like glasses will allow guests on the ride to engage with the digital creations in real time.
And earlier this month, Walt Disney quietly announced that it is “in conversations” with Illumix, a California-based AR firm that has been rooted in games (Five Nights at Freddy’s AR: Special Delivery) and e-commerce, but is quickly expanding into physical realms. Illumix tech offers a range of experiences, including entertainment that merges physical and digital effects as well as more personally grounded character interactions.
One of the demos previewed by Illumix as part of the experimental tech mentorship programme Disney Accelerator just happened to show some over-the-top, vintage- cartoon-inspired interactions in Mickey’s Toontown, an area of Disneyland that the company would later announce would be reimagined with more green space and a number of interactive, play-focused activities.