Augmented Reality and the Themed Entertainment Industry
This past summer, I wrote about the use of virtual reality in the themed entertainment industry. Virtual reality isn’t the only emerging technology being leveraged in themed experiences, however. Themed entertainment companies have recently started incorporating augmented reality into guests’ visits to themed destinations. Here are a few recent examples:
- Disney + Snapchat Filters — To celebrate Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, Disney partnered with Snapchat to create AR filters for Walt Disney World guests. Character meet and greets were closed during the COVID pandemic, but these AR filters enabled guests to take selfies with AR-projected characters in the Snapchat app. Additionally, guests could view how Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle has changed over the years through an AR filter as they pointed their phones toward the physical castle.
- LEGOLAND Mythica AR Experience — At the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort in Windsor, England, guests can scan a QR code at AR activation points throughout the park to see digital versions of physical LEGO statues come to life in AR.
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge — One of the newest rides at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is a traditional dark ride enhanced with AR technology. On the ride, guests wear AR headsets that project digital versions of other Mario Kart characters racing alongside the physical ride vehicle.
- The Battle for Cedar Point — Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio, has gamified its guests’ experience through “The Battle for Cedar Point” app. Guests can join one of five “clans” at the start of their day and scan target images in the park to play interactive AR games on their phones throughout their visit. At the end of each day, the winning team is announced at the park’s nighttime show, subsequently encouraging guests to spend their entire day at the park.
Even before the advent of augmented reality, theme parks have strived for the effect of projecting three-dimensional objects into a physical space. Perhaps the earliest (and most notable) example of this is seen at the Haunted Mansion attraction in Disneyland. Utilizing a technique known as the Pepper’s Ghost Effect, the reflections of a three-dimensional object could be “projected” into a physical space and appear to guests as if the actual object itself were in the scene.
Moving forward, the themed entertainment industry appears eager to continue incorporating augmented reality into theme parks. Universal filed a patent in 2019 for an “augmented reality system for an amusement ride” that could project AR graphics and animations accompanying a guest’s movement. In 2021, both Disney and Universal filed similar patents for new technology that would enable guests to see projected 3D images and scenery in physical spaces without the need for any wearable glasses or headsets — a modern-day Pepper’s Ghost Effect.
Financial problems, however, could prevent many AR experiences from ever coming to life. The costs are often too high for many themed entertainment organizations to invest in new, innovative applications of AR, with the exception of huge companies like Disney and Universal. Even then, the costs can still be too much — Disney created a metaverse division in 2022 but shut it down a year later as part of a larger attempt to cut company expenses.
Financial issues aren’t the only challenge that comes with the use of augmented reality. Creatives often have to walk a fine line regarding the extent to which AR might play a role in an attraction or experience. Themed entertainment companies don’t want to spend lots of money developing AR technology just for it to be an optional add-on to an experience — if few guests will ever actually end up utilizing the AR component of an experience, then why spend lots of money and time to create it in the first place?
On the other hand, many creatives are hesitant to create AR experiences centered around a guest staring at their phones. The major draw of theme parks is the fact that they offer real, tangible experiences. Theme park guests already spend hours each day on their phones at home — if they’ve spent thousands of dollars to physically visit a theme park, then why create experiences for which they could’ve stayed home?
Regardless, augmented reality still has the potential to enhance the theme park experience. With AR, themed entertainment designers can satisfy and exceed the expectations guests have developed for more interactive and personalized experiences. Here at UNC Blue Sky Innovations, we are also continuously striving to do the same — leverage emerging technologies like augmented reality to create more interactive, personalized experiences for our clients.
