Virtual Experiences in Early Development for Disney+
The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek chatted with DEADLINE at D23 Expo 2022 about transforming Disney+ into a “next-gen storytelling” platform. By adding Metaverse-like capabilities, Disney+ could include theme park-like experiences.
We call it next-gen storytelling. We tend not to use the M word too often, because it has a lot of hair on it. But yes, Disney+ will not just be a movie-service platform, but it’s going to become an experiential lifestyle platform. A platform for the whole company to embody both the physical things that you might be able to experience in a theme park, but also the digital experiences that you can get through media.
Chapek mentioned that he wants to expand the reach of Disney Parks by integrating those experiences into Disney+. He wants guests to be able to ride attractions virtually and even explore how they work.
We wish every person would have the opportunity to come to our parks, but we realize that’s not a reality for some people. In order to reach the 90% of people that will never ever be able to get to a Disney park, we have before us an opportunity to turn what was a movie-service platform to an experiential platform and give them the ability to ride Haunted Mansion from a virtual standpoint.
Disney+ would also potentially allow theme park guests to build upon their experience when they return home. Since Disney (if you permit them) knows exactly what attractions guests went on, where they stayed, and where they ate, Disney+ could offer content or experiences to expand on what they saw.
According to Chapek, the next-gen storytelling platform is in the early stages of development.
We are in the very embryonic beginnings of this. I would say it’s akin to lab experiments that do proof of concept. When I talked to you about being in an attraction and being able to get off and check things out like that animatronic figure that looks like Jack Sparrow. Let’s go check them out from 360 degrees interact with Jack Sparrow. That’s the ultimate expression. Today, we’re working towards that.
