Disney Adds AR Magic to Wonder of Friendship Exhibition

As part of its Disney100 celebration, Disney launched Wonder of Friendship: The Experience, a pop-up exhibition with interactive areas themed after classic Disney films and character friendships.

Currently open in London, the Wonder of Friendship experience features four areas themed after movies including Alice in Wonderland and Lilo & Stitch. While the experience has tangible elements for visitors to interact with, Disney also partnered with Snapchat’s Arcadia creative studio to enhance the experience with augmented reality features.

Guests can scan QR codes in each room to unlock themed augmented reality experiences on their smartphones.

For instance, in the Orchestral Oasis area, which is inspired by The Lion King, a Lion King mask and face paint are applied to the visitor’s on-screen appearance through augmented reality. Another AR feature allows Stitch to appear alongside the user on their screen.

“At Disney, we’re always listening to our audiences, and research and insights showed that young adults want immersive experiences in real life that they can share with friends to create magical and lasting memories,” said Nigel Cook, vp of brand commercialization and retail at Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing EMEA.

“For Wonder of Friendship: The Experience, we wanted to choose stories that really embody friendship. Looking at our library of characters, we were drawn to those comedic duos like Lilo & Stitch, Timon and Pumbaa, and also our classic characters Mickey and Minnie,” he added.

Additional partners activating around Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration include Givenchy, Pandora and British retailer Primark.

Wonder of Friendship: The Experience will be on display in London through May 21. It will be in Berlin June 9-18 and Paris June 30-July 9.

“We are excited to partner with Disney to co-create a magical augmented reality experience that celebrates Disney’s iconic stories of friendship,” said Resh Sidhu, Arcadia global director at Snap. “We can’t wait for guests to see the transformative power of Snap AR as they bring Disney characters and stories to life with their friends and family.”