Walt Disney Animation Studios will debut its groundbreaking new VR short, “Myth: A Frozen Tale,” at the November 7th World Premiere of “Frozen 2” at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Directed by Jeff Gipson (Disney Animation’s “Cycles”), “Myth: A Frozen Tale” explores the world of “Frozen 2” in an immersive way using the latest advances in VR technology, an original music score, and stylized art direction to deliver a unique virtual and visceral experience. “Myth: A Frozen Tale” is the first Disney Animation VR short inspired by one of its feature films. Gipson had previously helmed Disney’s first-ever VR short, “Cycles,” which debuted at SIGGRAPH in 2018, won The Advanced Imaging Society’s 2019 Lumiere Award for “Best Animated VR Experience,” and received 2 VES nominations.
Premiere guests will be able to view “Myth: A Frozen Tale” on the latest generation of the Positron Voyager® Chair, which provides a cinematic VR experience showcasing Positron’s unique motion and multi-sensory capabilities which brings the audience into a deeper level of immersion and emotional connection to the story. [Users sit comfortably in a virtual reality motion chair while rotating 360 degrees horizontally, as well as 35-degrees backwards and forwards. The chairs are being provided under a special arrangement with Positron.]
“Myth: A Frozen Tale” was produced by Nicholas Russell who also helped oversee Disney Animation’s Short Circuit experimental film program. Jose Luis Gomez Diaz served as VR Technology Supervisor on the film. Both worked on the award-winning “Cycles” with Gipson. “Frozen” and “Frozen 2” visual development artist Brittney Lee is the production designer.
Commenting on the announcement, Clark Spencer, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, said, “’Frozen 2’ takes place in such an incredibly rich and exciting cinematic environment, and ‘Myth: A Frozen Tale’ allows viewers to explore and experience this world in a whole new way. Jeff Gipson is one of the leading pioneers in the world of VR, and he found a way to immerse viewers in this world that wouldn’t have been possible any other way. We are so excited to share this amazing VR film with audiences everywhere.”
Gipson added, “The idea for ‘Myth: A Frozen Tale’ came from a personal place for me, and was inspired by my family’s tradition of telling bedtime stories. This led me to start thinking about what the world of ‘Frozen’ and some of the film’s new elemental characters would look like in VR. ‘Myth: A Frozen Tale’ is set in a forest outside of Arendelle as a family sits down for a bedtime story. As the mother reads, the audience is transported to a mystical and enchanted forest where the elemental spirits come to life and the myths of their past and future is revealed. With breathtaking production design by Brittney Lee, and a brilliant musical score by Joseph Trapanese, this film follows in the ‘Fantasia’ legacy of using imagery and music together in an experimental way, using the latest advances in virtual reality to achieve that.”
Jeffrey Travis, CEO of Positron, said, “We’re thrilled to see Disney Animation embracing cinematic VR as a story-telling medium, and Positron is excited to have partnered with the filmmakers of ‘Myth: A Frozen Tale’ to bring a deeper level of immersion with motion and haptics in our award-winning Voyager® chair. Audiences are going to love this film.”
Russell noted, “The Positron Voyager chair allows the viewer to truly immerse themselves into the storytelling. As a tool for experiencing cinematic VR, the Positron Voyager chair is unrivaled.”
The partnership between Positron and Walt Disney Animation Studios to enhance the VR film was secured by StudioLAB. StudioLAB’s strategy is to continuously innovate new ways to experience content and assist Studio creatives in pushing the limits on advance technology.
Additional screenings of “Myth: A Frozen Tale” will take place at the “Frozen 2” press junket for media. Announcements on where VR and Frozen fans can view the short to come.
About Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios is a filmmaker-driven animation studio responsible for creating some of the most beloved films ever made. Located in Burbank, WDAS continues to build on its rich legacy of innovation and creativity, from the first fully-animated feature film, 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to 2013’s Academy Award®-winning Frozen, the biggest animated film of all time. Among the studio’s timeless creations are Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia.
About Positron
Positron is a studio focused on immersive storytelling. Based in Los Angeles, the team includes filmmakers, mechatronics engineers, designers, software developers and artists who collaborate together to create premium VR experiences and products. Positron works with companies such as Universal Studios, Disney, Dreamworks, Verizon, Intel, and many more to deliver cinematic VR experiences on Voyager®, its award-winning, full-motion VR chair platform that has been called “the future of movies”. Integrating beautiful design and high-end engineering, the chair reflects a passion for VR storytelling. Voyager® delivers a completely new level of immersion in VR by providing a comfortable, fully integrated personal VR theater that incorporates whisper-quiet motion, audio-driven haptic feedback, scent dispensing, cabin lighting and specialized seating. Voyager® VR cinemas are available now for cinemas, museums, and other locations that desire to provide audiences with premium VR experiences.