Among the swath of announcements made at Oculus Connect 3, one of the fleeting but important pieces of content-related news is that Walt Disney Studios is working with Oculus to create a series of VR experiences based on iconic characters and franchises.
We’ve already seen some pieces of content from Disney in the modern VR space, such as the Disney Movies VR app currently on Steam, but that initial half-hearted attempt doesn’t offer the kind of value you might expect from a Disney production.
Now that Oculus is working with Disney, we may see something more impressive, maybe on the level of Henry, an early Oculus Studios animated VR film that recently won an Emmy. Oculus at least has boldly claimed that the collaboration would lead to high production content.
“Oculus technology mixed in with the magic and creativity of Disney is going to set a higher bar for VR,” said Yelena Rachitsky, Creative Producer at Oculus.
The first fruits of that collaboration will arrive later this year, she said, and will focus on Disney’s “most beloved characters.”
Outside of producing its own VR content, Disney has been getting more involved in VR in the last few years. We recently saw the company lead a $65 million investment in VR film studio Jaunt. Disney child-company Lucasfilm has also begun delving into the VR space with several VR projects built upon the Star Wars franchise, like Trials on Tatooine and the forthcoming Star Wars: Battlefront X-Wing VR Mission.
Disney was also once an early pioneer of virtual reality in the era passed, having applied early VR technology to some of its theme park attractions, though much of the technology is now out of date compared to the latest wave of VR.