Can an interactive spatial computing experience where you control the story with Marvel heroes bring more people to VR?
What happens when you take a beloved if mind-bending animated series and drop the viewer inside — and I mean fully inside — its animated world? To be honest, I don’t know. But we’ll find out on May 30. And I can’t wait.
Marvel fans may be familiar with the Disney+ animated series What…If?. It’s based on a fascinating premise: what if the events of the Marvel multiverse occurred differently? What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord? What If… the Avengers Assembled in 1602?
You get the idea. It’s an alternate history and alternate imagining of elements of the Marvel universe. I mean, cool, right?
Now Disney, Marvel, and the legendary special effects house ILM are announcing today that they’re releasing an hour-long immersive version of What…If? exclusively for the Apple Vision Pro.
According to executive producer Shereif M. Fattouh, „What If…? – An Immersive Story“ is the result of what can happen when you bring together the incredible talent at ILM Immersive, Marvel Studios, and Disney+ to push the boundaries of technology in the service of telling our stories in new and exciting ways.“
The possibilities are intriguing. We’ve seen some of the promise of fully immersive entertainment with Apple’s immersive video demos and how the Disney+ implementation on the Vision Pro makes watching 3D movies an absolutely stand-out experience.
But what if you can combine the story-telling talents of Disney and Marvel, with the reality-bending special effects talent of ILM to create a fully immersive, fully interactive story? Keep in mind that ILM’s core expertise has been to use available technology to warp perceptions and create imagery and effects that were otherwise impossible.
