Film is often credited for the way it can be an "immersive" experience, making you feel like you're no longer sitting in a theater but actually part of the story. However, a new deal from Disney and London based Secret Cinema plans to take that immersion to a new level, creating unique movie based experiences from some of the House of Mouse's biggest franchises.
Disney and the UK-based Secret Cinema have signed a deal which, according to THR, will result in multiple Disney titles being transformed into these movie-based experienced that will combine the film with elements of live music, art, theater and dance. The company has previously produced these experiences for projects like Moulin Rouge!, Blade Runner, Casablanca, Grand Budapest Hotel, Shawshank Redemption, Stranger Things and Alien. Star Wars was also done by Secret Cinema under a previous deal.
Exactly which Disney films will be given this treatment have not yet been decided, but one has to assume that movies like Star Wars franchise, and something in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be at the top of the list. Walt Disney Animation Studios movies also feel like they'd be a perfect fit for something like this.
Secret Cinema is located in London, so this will primarily be a British affair, but there are also plans to bring Secret Cinema to New York and Los Angeles, and possibly beyond, so those of us in the U.S. won't be completely left out.
Giving a look at what Secret Cinema actually looks like, it appears to look like what a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show might be like if the live cast actually had money to spend on the experience and were taking it all a bit more seriously.
As somebody who loves the immersive experience of something like Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, I can totally get behind this idea. For any fan who loves a particular film, adding something new so that you can experience it in a fresh way sounds exciting. Going to a screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl where you're surrounded by actual pirates or watching your favorite animated Disney movie with live performances of the songs, just isn't the sort of thing you're going to get anyplace else.
It looks so interesting that it's only frustrating that it's an experience you'll have to live in a few key cities in order to experience. Though, if you find yourself visiting a place where Secret Cinema is an option, it may be worth adding that to the list of things to check out.
When we'll see the first of the film experiences from this new deal remains to be seen, based on the detail involved in the costumes and props in the video above, this is clearly something that takes time.
