Disney+ Unveils Fifth Apple Vision Pro Immersive Environment

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have made it possible for users to view and experience the world without having to get off their couch.

AR/VR devices such as the Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest and other VR headsets enable users to leverage media platforms to explore various parts of the world, heritage sites, video games, popular destinations, virtual environments other planets and even fictional virtual worlds.

These immersive experiences can serve as entertainment or help users learn as well. This is what The Walt Disney Company, through its video-on-demand and streaming media service platform Disney+ aims to do through its collaboration with National Geographic (which is owned by Disney Entertainment and National Geographic Partners).

So, what new experiences are the two companies bringing to their users? Let’s explore!
 

What Is The New Disney+ Immersive Environment About?

 

• As per a news release published on its website, Disney+ announced that it is bringing a new immersive environment from National Geographic, exclusively for its Disney+ subscribers.

• Called Iceland, the immersive environment will allow users to explore and experience the breathtaking natural beauty of Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park.

• Users can access the service using the Disney+ app on Apple Vision Pro devices.

• The experience is powered by a team of National Geographic photographers, which captured this UNESCO world heritage site, enables viewers to watch Disney+ content set to a backdrop of spectacular nighttime auroras.

• Furthermore, National Geographic worked with Disney Studio Technology and ESPN Technology to help create, develop and produce the environment from high-resolution 3D models captured on-site using photogrammetry and gigapixel panoramas.

• “The new National Geographic environment will transport Disney+ subscribers on Apple Vision Pro to the unique rocky terrain of Thingvellir National Park on a snowy winter day, allowing them to explore their surroundings via interactive elements and sounds that make the space come to life.”

• Disney launched its immersive environments in January 2024, to magically transform users’ spaces into landscapes from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.

• The other four immersive environments include the Disney+ Theater (inspired by the historic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood), the Scare Floor (from Pixar’s Monsters Inc.), Marvel’s Avengers Tower (which overlooks downtown Manhattan) and Tatooine (seen from the cockpit of Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder, facing a binary sunset on the planet Tatooine from the Star Wars galaxy).

• Ahead of this, the company is also bringing its subscribers four additional 3D films from Marvel Studios to its Vision Pro app; Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp.

• The services are currently available only to Disney+ subscribers on Apple Vision Pro. 

 

What Did National Geographic And Disney Executives Say?

 

• David Miller, Executive Vice President, National Geographic And The Walt Disney Company, said, “Since its inception, National Geographic has been at the forefront of photography and has led the way in using groundbreaking technology to tell stories that inspire a deeper connection to the natural world.”

• “Creating this immersive environment was a natural next step for us to take to build on that legacy and to continue enabling audiences to experience the beauty of our natural world and see places they may never go to otherwise.”

• At the time of launching Disney’s immersive environments, Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said, “At Disney, we’re constantly searching for new ways to entertain, inform, and inspire by combining exceptional creativity with groundbreaking technology to create truly remarkable experiences.”

• “Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary platform that will bring our fans closer to the characters and stories they love while immersing them more deeply in all that Disney has to offer. We’re proud to once again be partnering with Apple to bring extraordinary new Disney experiences to people around the world.”

Do you think this move will increase the interest levels of young viewers to engage more with National Geographic content? Do you think this collaboration between Disney+ and National Geographic will inspire other content creators to enable similar VR experiences?

Let us know in the comments below!