Disney and Google Launch Stunning Immersive Chrome Project

Google and Disney have teamed with UK app and Web developer Unit 9 to launch a Chrome Experiment to promote Disney’s upcoming film, “Oz the Great and Powerful.” Wired describes it as “Hollywood marketing machine meets tech evangelism in the future of online storytelling.” The project illustrates “the sort of immersive experiences possible when using Web technologies such as WebGL, CSS3, WebAudio, WebRTC, and other HTML5 tools.”

“It’s a really cool, very emotional experience,” said Alex Komoroske, a Chrome product manager. “And for us, this is really about inspiring people. Even a couple years ago, or a year ago, this type of experience wouldn’t have even been possible on a Web platform.”

“While Google has built plenty of Chrome Experiments to show off creative ways to use new Web tech — most notably an interactive collaboration with Arcade Fire — none of its past projects have been so gorgeously detailed,” suggests Wired. “Navigating around the Kansas circus, you see tents with different attractions. One lets you create your own pipe organ circus tune, which follows you on your trip, fading in and out as you move closer and further from the music’s source. Another tent uses the front-facing camera on your computer or smartphone to snap your photo, which is used in stop-motion video.”

The reviewer was particularly impressed with the experience at the the end of the circus involving a hot-air balloon and tornado. “Silver-screen inspired lens flares, and rain droplets head your way as your hot air balloon lifts up into the air. It’s your job to move the balloon out of the tornado’s path. But, as anyone who’s seen the classic ‘Wizard of Oz’ (or the trailers for the new film) knows, it’s a whipping Kansas tornado that’s the gateway to the Land of Oz.”

While “Find Your Way to Oz” is Google’s first time teaming with a film studio, it’s likely to happen again. According to T.J. Marchetti, Disney’s senior VP of digital marketing, the company’s future marketing efforts will likely involve such interactive experiences.

“Our focus is digital storytelling,” explains Marchetti. “How do you create marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing? How do you integrate Oz into an environment that people can interact with, that people can enjoy, without it being just another advertisement?”

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