What fascinates me about Disney is how much it is woven into people’s lives. I didn’t grow up with Disney and in fact was raised in an anti-Disney household. It blows my mind a little how much people are attached to their Disney songs, characters and movies. People of all ages, raced, genders, and backgrounds escape into their Disney selves when they enter Disney Animation: Immersive Experience. It is fascinating to witness whether they are in a corner singing and gesturing their hearts out alone or sharing a moment with their toddler.
I can write out detailed descriptions of the four-walled floor-to-ceiling screen room, and toss out numbers like the 105,000,000 pixels that are used, but until you are in the room, surrounded by the people, experiencing the music and images you cannot fully grasp the fairy dust that is the magic of the Disney Animation Immersive Experience. I didn’t even mention the smoke-filled bubbles yet.
Feet planted firmly on the ground, here is what you CAN expect. It is a space where even your youngest child can have some freedom to be. Children run, dance, touch the walls, sit down in the middle of the floor, roll around, or snuggle with a parent on benches placed around the room and it is all a totally acceptable part of the experience. Fathers waltz around the room with toddlers on their shoulders singing At Last I See The Light. Older teens could be seen in a corner of the room lost in I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors) having a moment of pure joy, power and escape from their every day teen lives. The show is 45 minutes but the whole experience is closer to 2 hours including getting in, exploring the hallway exhibits and a few post show activities such as photo opps and trying your hand at drawing some characters.
These immersive experiences are a fun outing with friends or family, but as the lights go down and the music starts, images flash across the screens and magical projections trail your steps, it becomes therapeutic. It is an escape. It is a connection between children and adults who share a common love. It is a taste of nostalgia. It is a sensation of wonderment. Disney Animation: Immersive Experience was created collaboratively with Lighthouse Immersive and Disney Animation, which makes the experience as a whole seamless with each party bringing their expertise to the show. The Disney Animation: Immersive Experience is in Boston from now through May. Tickets are available here and start at $36 per person.
