“Immersion” has become a popular word in Hollywood today. Most notably it’s been thrown around the world of 3D, with directors like James Cameron talking about using technology to make movie screens windows to wider universes, but it’s become a big part of the film-going experience outside of the theater as well. In the last few years we’ve seen the incredible growth of viral marketing, where fans can be a part of the fiction, joining organizations and companies ranging from Stark Industries from Iron Man to Joker’s crew in The Dark Knight.
But now Disney and Google have teamed up to create a different kind of immersive experience, and they’ve done so with a little inspiration from L. Frank Baum and Sam Raimi’s upcoming feature Oz The Great and Powerful.
The studio and the internet giant have teamed up to launch Find Your Way To Oz , a new interactive software experiment built to function with the Google Chrome browser. Without the need to download any plugins or software, users will be able to navigate both through the circus from the beginning of the new film as well as the giant tornado that transports hero Oscar Diggs (James Franco) and his hot air balloon to the wonderful world of Oz. What’s completed fans will also be treated to an exclusive clip from the movie.
The circus portion of the Chrome Experiment has multiple features and areas to explore, including a carnival photo booth (where you can use your webcam to take cut-out photos of yourself), a music player (where you can orchestrate the score that follows you around from station to station) and more.
Oz The Great and Powerful, which co-stars Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and Zach Braff, will be in theaters on March 8th. For more about the movie, head over to our Blend Film Database.
