This past weekend, a little bit of Disney Parks magic came to New York City, as Disney held a very special new character experience event in Times Square. Throughout the weekend, Times Square visitors were able to interact with some of their favorite Disney characters virtually, through the use of special state-of-the-art augmented reality technology.
Participants in the event stood on a specific spot near the Times Square Disney Store, and looked up to see themselves on the Disney Store’s 2000 square foot digital sign. Thanks to Disney magic, however, the participants were not alone on screen–they were joined by one (or more, in some cases) of their favorite Disney characters! The characters interacted with the guests on screen before posing for a picture, which was then sent to the participants. In addition, a special projection of Cinderella Castle was shown in Times Square, which displayed some of the guest pictures and gave an extra dose of Disney magic.
While unfortunately this special event only took place this weekend, the Times Square Disney Store also debuted a special augmented reality experience inside the store. Shoppers will be able to download a Disney Store application to their mobile phones and create their own personal virtual character photo opportunity at a select area of the store. Now, without traveling to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, guests can see themselves alongside their favorite Disney characters like never before. This new character experience will continue inside Disney Store throughout 2012.
Check out a video showing more from the exciting Times Square event below, courtesy of the Disney Parks Blog:
