Disney is transforming its theme parks from a physical experience into a theme park Metaverse, a union of in-person and practical entertainment with data-driven virtual experiences.
Metaverse provides an experience that is physical and digital converged, perennial, personalized and social, in-park and beyond-the-berm, and fresh and evolving. Whether we’re experiencing the Metaverse in the parks or at home.
The Technological Evolution of Disney Theme Parks
When Disneyland opened in 1955, it combined the elements of circuses and carnivals with Walt's unique storytelling technique, resulting in rides, cruises, carousels, and shows. Over the years, the television and film industry changed how we entertain ourselves. During the period of the Disney Renaissance, which lasted from 1989 to 1999, Disney theme parks incorporated film-based attractions and more technically advanced ride systems and show effects.
Going into the 21st century, the theme park audience coming to the parks had a very different relationship with entertainment media than visitors to Disneyland had in the middle of the 20th century. People rely on technology products for their pastimes, such as watching movies or playing games on the Internet. To remain relevant to modern audiences, Disney needed new ideas and elements to attract customers in the new era, so Disney launched interactive rides, such as Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters themed after Pixar's Toy Story.
Nowadays, as technology evolved, the ways we can access new technologies are significantly diversified. Disney has looked for ways to keep up by making interactivity more immersive inside the parks. And thus, the desire to create the Metaverse — the union of practical and virtual experiences that would keep a generation raised on mobile interactivity wanting to come to the parks.
Disney‘s Metaverse Theme Park
In this new chapter, Disneyland uses virtual technology combined with physical theme park attractions to allow generation Z to experience the magical magic as much as their parents and grandparents did.
In 2018, Disney launched the Play Disney Parks app which allows park visitors to interact with the different areas of the park with trivia, music, and mini-games while actually exploring the park. This app is only the beginning of the Metaverse. In 2019, Disney opened Star Wars: Galaxy Edge, the most innovative and immersive land inspired by the Star Wars franchise.
Star Wars: Galaxy Edge makes park visitors feel like they are part of that universe. You become a participant and it’s all systemically integrated to create a personalized and synergized experience. The immersive experience allows you to choose your role and have a unique memory. When you leave Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, you can still watch the shows on Disney+ and play related video games.
Disney even further implemented The Mandalorian’s helmet in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge before the show premiered on Disney+. That makes Disney’s films very valuable. When you are hooked to The Mandalorian, it means that you won't want to miss walking around the immersive universe in Star Wars: Edge of the Galaxy. This can also be applied to the Marvel Universe. Avengers: Endgame not only brought Disney a whopping $3 billion but also served as a 3-hour commercial for the newly released Avengers Campus land in 2021.
When you think about how tightly knit these synergies are becoming — and they’re only going further, wait until we can stay in the Star Wars universe on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
The upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World will be the world's first immersive theme hotel, which will provide a whole new personalized entertainment experience, Guests will turn themselves into “Star Wars” avatars in a cruise-like experience.
Disney’s Metaverse Plan Started Before the Term ‘Metaverse’ Went Viral
In 2013, Disney combined wearable device technology and cloud technology and launched MagicBand in Walt Disney World. It allows parks visitors to use the band to enter hotel rooms, charge their accounts for food and services, and serve as tickets to enter various theme parks.
In September 2021, Disney announced the next generation of MagicBand called MagicBand+, set for release in 2022. It will provide the wearer with haptic feedback, gesture recognition, and LED indicator lights.
The Magicband+ further combines Disney’s virtual and physical worlds, making the real-world environments in the theme parks seem more immersive.
In a Walt Disney World Resort press release, Disney says the MagicBand+ will allow its wearers to play a “bounty hunter in a galaxy far, far away and find virtual bounties throughout Black Spire Outpost in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge,” amongst other interactive experiences.
Disney always has the magic power to make the jaw drop. Through the Metaverse and its advanced technology, we may one day find ourselves interacting with AI characters in the park. These may all sound like illusions, but if you think about it, we can now fight the First Order with the Resistance, or team up with the Avengers to save the world.
In the future, there may be more personalized story experiences, such as princess stories or pirate stories, that we thought could not happen in the past. At this moment, Disney has proved to the world that these are not just a dream. Disney's ingenious and magical efforts have created the mysterious and infinite Metaverse world that people dream of.