Beginning this week, Disney+ subscribers in the U.S. can find a new place on their mobile app to discover stories with Verts, marking the first phase of bringing vertical video content to the platform. This new dynamic feed on Disney+ helps users quickly find their next favorite watch and is just the start of what will be an ongoing evolution of Verts.

Learn more about what fans can look forward to in the future as part of this new mobile-first experience:

What is Verts on Disney+?

First announced at Disney’s 2026 Global Tech & Data Showcase, vertical video on Disney+ opens up an entirely new way for fans to connect with the stories they love. With a tap of the new Verts icon in the navigation bar on mobile, users enter a vertical video feed and can swipe through a stream of scenes and moments from movies and shows on Disney+, and seamlessly add to their Watchlist or jump directly into playback.

With the latest streaming hits and an incredible catalog spanning more than 100 years of storytelling, we’re making it easier for fans to discover what to watch next. Verts offers a fun, fast way to explore that catalog right from the moment users open the app. It brings the magic of Disney’s storytelling into a format that feels modern, engaging, and tailor-made for how fans already enjoy discovering video on mobile devices.

What kind of user engagement are you seeing with Verts to date?

In both early experiments on Disney+ as well as since launch on ESPN in August, Verts has driven additional engagement.

Much of this can be attributed to our new advanced algorithm that powers the recommendation engine for the experience to ensure that Verts feels uniquely relevant and personalized to each individual user.

What’s next for Verts on Disney+?

This launch is just the beginning — the first scene of the first episode in a multi-season series. What fans see today on Verts was built with user utility and scale in mind. Already, though, the team is exploring and experimenting with ways to expand far beyond content discovery.

Over time, Verts will play a key role in fans’ everyday experience on Disney+. At launch, this includes driving discoverability across Disney’s entertainment catalog, with opportunities in the future to add content from creators that reflects our fandoms, plus other storytelling formats, content types, and personalized experiences.

Six months into ESPN’s direct-to-consumer journey, the focus is firmly on meeting fans where they are — and redefining how they experience sports along the way.

In this Q&A, John Lasker, SVP, ESPN Direct-to-Consumer, shares how delivering broader access, launching an enhanced ESPN App, and unifying ESPN’s DTC strategy are setting the foundation for long-term growth, deeper engagement, and greater value across The Walt Disney Company’s streaming ecosystem.

Six months in, what are the milestones you’re most proud of, and why do those matter for ESPN’s long-term growth?

The biggest milestone is that we delivered on something fans have been asking for — access to ESPN in more ways than ever before — while launching an enhanced app experience that truly elevates how fans engage with sports. The launch itself went incredibly smoothly thanks to the work of thousands of people across ESPN and The Walt Disney Company, and we’ve seen strong validation in how fans are showing up and engaging.

Just as important, we’ve proven that one unified direct-to-consumer strategy with two plan options (Unlimited and Select) gives fans optionality without losing the core ESPN experience. That foundation is critical for our long-term growth because it allows us to keep evolving the product while staying focused on serving sports fans anytime, anywhere.

How are you defining “success” at this stage: reach, engagement, retention, customer satisfaction, or something else — and which leading indicators are you watching most closely right now?

Success isn’t one single metric — it’s a combination of many including reach, engagement, and how often fans come back to the product. We’re looking closely at how fans are activating their access, how frequently they’re using the app across devices, and how they move from one sport or season to the next.

What’s encouraging is that we’re seeing strong engagement across live events, features, and adoption of the Bundle with the ESPN Unlimited Bundle plan, Disney+ and Hulu. The strategy is resonating, and the goal right now is to continue building habits so that fans see ESPN as a year-round destination, not just something tied to one specific season or event.

The enhanced ESPN App introduced more personalization and new viewing experiences. Which features have fans responded to most strongly so far, and what feedback has surprised you?

Live events are still at the heart of everything, but the way fans experience those events has really evolved. Multiview has been incredibly popular, and fans are leaning into features like stats, key plays, fantasy and betting integrations, and personalized content experiences like SC For You and Verts that make using the app more interactive.

It’s exciting to see fans adopt the broader feature set as part of their routine. It’s not just one feature; it’s the ecosystem working together. That’s also opened the door for us to keep innovating around the game itself — things like deeper personalization and new experiences that only make sense inside the ESPN App environment.

What unique role does ESPN play alongside Disney+ and Hulu in driving value for the whole company?

Sports bring a different kind of energy and urgency — they’re live, they’re communal, and they drive consistent engagement throughout the year. With ESPN alongside Disney+ and Hulu, you’re creating a bundle that delivers sports, entertainment, and family programming in one place, which is incredibly compelling for fans and for the company. In fact, roughly 80% of subscribers to the ESPN Unlimited plan access the service through a bundle, which reinforces how important that ecosystem approach has been from the start.

We’ve seen that combination resonate because it gives consumers flexibility and expanded value while strengthening the overall Disney ecosystem. ESPN helps bring fans in more frequently, and together the three services create a more complete offering than any single product could deliver on its own.

Looking ahead, what most excites you for the next chapter for ESPN DTC?

What excites me most is how much runway we still have. We’re continuing to bring new programming, new features, and new distribution opportunities into the product — from innovations in the app experience to upcoming additions like NFL Network and deeper personalization.

We’re also focused on making sure more fans can access ESPN the way they want, whether that’s through direct subscriptions, bundles, or authentication with partners. Every step forward gives us another opportunity to learn, evolve, and continue building something that serves sports fans even better.

At the one-year mark, what do you hope we will be talking about in relation to ESPN DTC?

I hope we’re talking about how the product has continued to mature with more fans activated in the ESPN app, that personalization feels even more seamless, and that the value of the ESPN Unlimited plan is clearer than ever.

We’ll also continue to listen to fan feedback and expand what they can do inside the app — whether that’s new features, new content opportunities, or deeper integrations that make ESPN the best place to watch and engage with sports.

A version of this article was originally posted on ESPN’s Press Room.

ESPN is set to host its 5th annual ESPN Edge Innovation Conference on Thursday, Nov. 13. The one-night event features some of the brightest minds across sports, business and technology, coming together to discuss how they’re pushing the boundaries of advanced technology and creative sports storytelling.

The conference has evolved from virtual to in-person, and now it’s officially taking place inside The Walt Disney Company’s headquarters in New York City at 7 Hudson Square.

Leaders from ESPN Edge Innovation Partners – including Accenture, Microsoft, Meta, WSC Sports and a soon-to-be-announced fifth partner – along with other industry experts, will speak at the conference.

Kevin Lopes, VP of Business Development & Innovation, talked about how this conference has scaled so quickly in only four years and what to expect at this year’s event.

Can you talk about how this has evolved from year 1 to now?

What started as a virtual experiment on Zoom has now grown into an in-person event, complete with live demos, networking opportunities and panels featuring industry leaders sharing what’s next in sports and technology.

What should fans watching expect during this year’s conference?

We’re proud that our event has become a place to see what’s next – from exciting demos to first looks at the innovative work happening across ESPN, The Walt Disney Company and our amazing innovation partners.

Is there anything you can share from this year’s agenda?

I’m excited about our entire agenda this year, but I have to say, a couple segments really stick out. One is ESPN’s XR (extended reality) panel featuring visionaries from Lucasfilm, Meta, Disney and ESPN. I’m also incredibly proud of the work our creative studio and production teams have done to turn animated telecasts into must-see family entertainment using Disney’s iconic IP – it’s amazing to see.

Anything else to share?
ESPN has always championed innovation; it’s part of our storied legacy as a company. ESPN Edge has the privilege of contributing to that legacy. We’re constantly thinking 5-10+ years down the road on how we can continue delivering best-in-class experiences for fans, and the ESPN Edge Innovation Conference offers a great look at how we’re doing that alongside our partners.

View the full agenda and watch the live stream for free at espnedge.com/conference.

A version of this article was originally posted on ESPN’s Press Room.

Sports fans know the struggle: too many games, not enough screens. This is especially true ahead of a huge Thanksgiving weekend full of live sports. The solution: the Multiview feature on the ESPN App, which lets you watch up to four live events simultaneously.

But Multiview isn’t just for the big screen anymore. Starting today, Multiview is rolling out to mobile and tablet devices, so you can take this simultaneous sports-watching experience wherever you go.

Since its launch, Multiview has quickly become a fan favorite feature on the ESPN App. More than 2 million ESPN App users have experienced the feature, enjoying more than 3,000 uniquely curated Multiview combinations in just the first two months alone! Here’s how to get in on the action:

What is Multiview?

Multiview on the ESPN App allows you to watch up to four games at once on your screen. Combinations are curated by ESPN and available to both ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited subscribers.

Where can I use it?

In addition to the current launch on mobile and tablet devices, Multiview is already available on most major connected TVs, including Android TV, Samsung, and Roku. See this list for supported devices. Getting started is easy:

• Open the ESPN app or visit ESPN.com.
• Head to the “Watch” section and look for the Top Live rows.
• Spot the quad-screen/Multiview tile, tap or click, and you’re in.

What can I watch this weekend with Multiview?

ESPN has an incredible lineup of sports over Thanksgiving weekend, and Multiview is there to serve fans so that they don’t miss a single moment. Mark your calendars!

• Thursday, November 27: Men’s college basketball, including the Marriott Bonvoy Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, as a part of Feast Week
• Friday, November 28: College football featuring No. 13 Utah vs Kansas and No. 7 Ole Miss vs Mississippi State as they battle to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff
• Saturday, November 29: Two of the biggest sporting events of the day at once with WWE’s Survivor Series: WarGames and the Iron Bowl featuring Alabama vs Auburn
• Sunday, November 30: All of the F1 action, all in one screen as the season nears its end with the Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix
• Monday, December 1: Monday Night Football featuring the Giants vs Patriots and the ManningCast with Peyton and Eli

Download the ESPN App today and never miss a moment of the action with Multiview, now coming to mobile and tablet devices.

From theme‑park-scale storytelling realms developed with Haddy to playful miniature universes crafted with the LEGO Group, Disney showcases innovation at every scale.

For a century, The Walt Disney Company has built a business model around one idea: turning imagined worlds into real experiences across every part of the company. From early Mickey Mouse merchandise to the debut of Disneyland in 1955, the company has continuously pushed storytelling beyond the screen.

At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Disney reaffirmed its leadership in immersive innovation, showcasing how storied brands like the LEGO Group and emerging collaborators like Haddy help fuel its creative ecosystem, highlighting how Disney creates worlds at every scale, from the epic to the delightfully small.

LEGO® Smart Play: Star Wars Comes Alive

Fans discover Disney in countless ways, and for many, that journey begins with toys, books, apparel — products that offer a first doorway into Disney’s worlds.

The LEGO Group, Lucasfilm and Disney Consumer Products have a decades-long relationship that’s delivered the adventure of the Star Wars galaxy to fans over 25 years. So, when the LEGO Group unveiled its most significant innovation since the minifigure at CES last week — LEGO SMART PLAY — it only made sense for Star Wars to be the inaugural partner launching this incredible innovation in play.

“Our teams work hand-in-hand with best-in-class licensees to bring technology and innovation to products that continue our storytelling in new and unexpected ways,” said Paul Gitter, Executive Vice President of Global Brand Commercialization at Disney Consumer Products. “This milestone in our long-time collaboration with the LEGO Group adds a new dimension to this legacy, continuing to help fans express their creativity and imagination by extending the Star Wars story through play.”

Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at the LEGO Group, echoed that sentiment, saying, “With LEGO Smart Play, legendary stories and characters of the Star Wars galaxy will come to life like never before.”

The LEGO Group’s new SMART system boasts more than 20 patented world-firsts in its technology. The system includes SMART bricks, SMART tags and SMART minifigures allowing fans to build Star Wars creations that interact and respond to their actions in real-time. The product line also features sensors, wireless charging, and audio integration, representing a distinctive breakthrough in blending physical and digital play. On March 1, LEGO Star Wars SMART PLAY will debut with three all-in-one sets inspired by the original trilogy of films.

With the combination of the LEGO Group’s new innovative system and Lucasfilm’s rich storytelling, fans will have the tools they need to unlock endless creativity and tell their own Star Wars stories at home like never before.

Accelerating Innovation with Haddy

Also at CES, Disney spotlighted its growing relationship with Haddy, an AI-driven 3D printing pioneer and member of the Disney Accelerator class of 2025. Haddy’s MicroFactory enables theme-park-scale fabrication, helping Imagineers iterate faster and bring ideas to life more efficiently.

“In the last three years, Haddy has been on a steady march to create the platform, the MicroFactory, which can print the world,” John B. Rogers, Haddy Founder & CEO, explained. “We have now arrived.”

Case in point: Walt Disney Imagineering recently worked with Haddy to 3D print a new outrigger canoe for the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland park, marking the first time a prop was permanently 3D printed for a Disney park attraction. Using a photo of the original 1960s boat, the team ensured authenticity while leveraging advanced fabrication techniques.

Bonnie Rosen, General Manager of Disney Accelerator, emphasized the impact, noting how, “Haddy’s innovative fabrication approach gives Disney creators a faster, more flexible method for building imaginative new worlds from the ground up.”

Haddy’s Microfactory is harboring the power of technology to enhance and empower human creativity to create new worlds, with the outrigger canoe being the first test case for potential future uses throughout Disney’s live experiences.

“Haddy’s 3D printing factory pairs advanced manufacturing methods with bespoke human-powered design, helping us build, reconfigure, and reuse materials so that ideas can be refined and brought to life again and again,” Rosen added.

This collaboration illustrates how Disney leverages robotics, advanced materials, and additive manufacturing to redefine immersive experiences.

The Disney Story Engine In Motion

From LEGO Smart Play to Haddy’s fabrication breakthroughs, Disney is uniting storytelling and technology to deliver world‑building experiences at every scale — from miniature interactive play to full‑size immersive environments.

Across the company, this creative momentum moves seamlessly from one team to the next.

Disney Consumer Products invites fans to build their own worlds at home, the Disney Accelerator supports emerging innovators, Walt Disney Imagineering brings imaginative and technical expertise to new frontiers, and iconic franchises like Star Wars help anchor it all.

Together, these collaborations show how Disney meets fans wherever they are — in parks, in products, and in the stories they create themselves — ensuring that the magic of world‑building keeps growing, evolving, and inspiring the next generation.

Live from CES, Disney revealed how its latest technology and data capabilities are powering stronger outcomes for brands across the most scaled portfolio of live sports and streaming. At the Sixth Annual Global Tech & Data Showcase, the Company showed how AI, insights, and automation — paired with premium content — are driving real impact for marketers.

“Advertisers are raising the bar for both accountability and innovation, seeking impactful ways to align with quality storytelling and data-led solutions that drive meaningful business results,” said Rita Ferro, President, Global Advertising, The Walt Disney Company. “Disney brings together world-class storytelling and the technology that connects brands with fans at scale across the world’s most premium live sports and entertainment experiences.”

Disney’s latest advancements turn insights into impact for advertisers, all while sitting at the intersection of iconic storytelling and live cultural moments.

Creative — Better Versions, Not Just More Versions

• A new video generation tool designed for advertising allows brands to create high-quality, CTV-ready commercials using existing brand assets and guidelines.
• It supports creative versioning by audience, context, and placement and is informed by performance signals within the spot.
• The focus is on helping creative work harder inside Disney environments, while at the same time providing safeguards and building with human oversight and imagination throughout the process.
• Known and Instinct Pet Food are among the first to collaborate with Disney to test the new video generation tool and develop proof of concept creative.

Planning — Faster, Easier, Smarter Alignment

• With a new AI-powered internal tool, the planning process with Disney is made faster and easier.
• The tool captures objectives, audience intent, timing, and constraints to focus on strategy and collaboration, rather than setup.

Connected Measurement — From Reporting to Learning

• Disney Compass, launched last year, brings together planning, data collaboration, and measurement into a single, connected experience — now supporting campaigns across the U.S. and LATAM, with EMEA coming up next.
• Expanding into the Disney Compass Brand Portal, the tool provides a unified view of brand performance across campaigns and platforms, with category benchmarks and AI-powered summaries.
• Soon, Disney Compass will include AI-powered summaries that will highlight key learnings and identify new opportunities for advertisers.

• Synthesizing attention, brand health, search, and attribution, the new Disney Advertising Brand Impact Metric allows brands to see what’s working, understand why, and optimize while campaigns are live.
• For instance, brands can measure the impact of attention and search activity on outcomes.

User Experience — Building Around Fan Behavior

• Disney is bringing vertical video to Disney+ in the U.S. this year, which follows the successful launch of “Verts” on the ESPN app.
• The experience will evolve as it expands across news and entertainment and delivers a more personalized, dynamic experience that reinforces Disney+ as a must-visit daily destination.

Key takeaways from Disney executives:

• Dana McGraw, SVP, Data and Measurement Science: “Being a leader in this space means that performance isn’t just checking a box — it’s an always-on evaluation of success. It’s how we are proving the value of aligning with Disney content and Disney fans everyday – empowering you to innovate faster.”
• Erin Teague, EVP, Product Management: “As we unify the Disney+ and Hulu experience, we’re doing so on a foundation of bolder and more dynamic personalization. We’re driving content discovery that complements each unique fan and exposes everyone to the full depth and breadth of our one-of-a-kind library.”
• Jamie Power, SVP, Addressable Sales: “It’s clear we are no longer ‘media planning.’ We are now experience-level planning — SAME goals, NEW tools, LIMITLESS possibilities. From planning, to creative, to measurement you can use Disney end to end or seamlessly plug our data into the tools you already love.”
• Tony Donohoe, EVP, Advertising Platforms: “These are tools and technology we’re bringing to advertisers because we believe they solve actual problems and drive actual value for you. It’s a blend of technical depth and storytelling sensibility that very few companies can deliver.”

• As part of this three-year licensing agreement, Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that can be viewed and shared by fans, drawing on more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters.
• Agreement will make a selection of these fan-inspired Sora short form videos available to stream on Disney+.
• Disney and OpenAI affirm a shared commitment to responsible use of AI that protects the safety of users and the rights of creators.
• Alongside the licensing agreement, Disney will become a major customer of OpenAI, using its APIs to build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+, and deploying ChatGPT for its employees. 
• As part of the agreement, Disney will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI, and receive warrants to purchase additional equity.

The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI have reached an agreement for Disney to become the first major content licensing partner on Sora, OpenAI’s short-form generative AI video platform, bringing these leaders in creativity and innovation together to unlock new possibilities in imaginative storytelling.

As part of this new, three-year licensing agreement, Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that can be viewed and shared by fans, drawing from a set of more than 200 animated, masked and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, including costumes, props, vehicles, and iconic environments. In addition, ChatGPT Images will be able to turn a few words by the user into fully generated images in seconds, drawing from the same intellectual property. The agreement does not include any talent likenesses or voices.

Alongside the licensing agreement, Disney will become a major customer of OpenAI, using its APIs to build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+, and deploying ChatGPT for its employees.

As part of the agreement, Disney will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI, and receive warrants to purchase additional equity.

Under the agreement, Disney and OpenAI are affirming a shared commitment to the responsible use of AI that protects user safety and the rights of creators. Together, the companies will advance human-centered AI that respects the creative industries and expands what is possible for storytelling.

The transaction is subject to the negotiation of definitive agreements, required corporate and board approvals, and customary closing conditions.

“Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world,” said Robert A. Iger, CEO, The Walt Disney Company. “The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works. Bringing together Disney’s iconic stories and characters with OpenAI’s groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we’ve never seen before, giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love.”

“Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling, and we’re excited to partner to allow Sora and ChatGPT Images to expand the way people create and experience great content,” said Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI. “This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help works reach vast new audiences.”

Under the license, fans will be able to watch curated selections of Sora-generated videos on Disney+, and OpenAI and Disney will collaborate to utilize OpenAI’s models to power new experiences for Disney+ subscribers, furthering innovative and creative ways to connect with Disney’s stories and characters. Sora and ChatGPT Images are expected to start generating fan-inspired videos with Disney’s multi-brand licensed characters in early 2026.

Among the characters fans will be able to use in their creations are Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Lilo, Stitch, Ariel, Belle, Beast, Cinderella, Baymax, Simba, Mufasa, as well as characters from the worlds of Encanto, Frozen, Inside Out, Moana, Monsters Inc., Toy Story, Up, Zootopia, and many more; plus iconic animated or illustrated versions of Marvel and Lucasfilm characters like Black Panther, Captain America, Deadpool, Groot, Iron Man, Loki, Thor, Thanos, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia, the Mandalorian, Stormtroopers, Yoda and more.

As part of the agreement, OpenAI has committed to continuing its industry leadership in implementing responsible measures to further address trust and safety, including age-appropriate policies and other reasonable controls across the service. In addition, OpenAI and Disney have affirmed a shared commitment to maintaining robust controls to prevent the generation of illegal or harmful content, to respect the rights of content owners in relation to the outputs of models, and to respect the rights of individuals to appropriately control the use of their voice and likeness.

Forward-Looking Statements

The terms “Company,” “we,” and “our” below and “Disney” above are used to refer collectively to The Walt Disney Company and the subsidiaries through which our various businesses are actually conducted.

Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward‐looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our expectations, beliefs and business plans; transactions for which conditions to close have not been satisfied, including entering into definitive agreements, required approvals or other conditions to close; the benefits of the transactions, commitments and product offerings; consumer sentiment; and other statements that are not historical in nature. Any information that is not historical in nature is subject to change. These statements are made on the basis of management’s views and assumptions regarding future events as of the time the statements are made. Management does not undertake any obligation to update these statements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such differences may result from actions taken by the Company or the discovery of additional information, as well as from developments beyond the Company’s control, including: failure to enter into definitive agreements, obtain required approvals or satisfy other closing conditions; regulatory and legal developments; technological developments; and consumer preferences and use of product offerings. Additional factors are set forth in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

On Monday, Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) released the latest episode of its hit series, “We Call It Imagineering,” taking audiences inside the global Research & Development efforts driving the next wave of Disney innovation. This group represents the very beginning of the development process, where Imagineers blend creativity and technology to spark ideas for the innovative Disney experiences of tomorrow. This team has worked on some of the most exciting advancements at Disney parks, including interactive attractions, innovative projection systems, and advanced robotic characters.

And in this episode, WDI reveals its latest brand-new innovation — a real-life robotic character of Olaf from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen films.

To unpack the latest exciting innovations coming from Walt Disney Imagineering, we spoke with Kyle Laughlin, SVP, Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development.

Walt Disney himself constantly strove for technological innovations that would service storytelling. How does WDI Research & Development today blend creativity with technological innovation to advance Disney storytelling?

Like everything at Disney, we always start with the story. We think about how we want the guest to feel and what kind of emotional experience we want them to have. Our number one priority is always to build storytelling technology that empowers our Imagineers to truly breathe life into our characters. The technology should be advanced enough to make it invisible to our guests, so they aren’t thinking about all the work and tech that went into making something real, they’re just focusing on having an emotional experience with the characters they care about.

The BDX droids were a significant step forward in advanced robotic character technology — what did you learn while creating them about what it takes to make a robot not just a robot, but a character? 

Disney’s roots are in animation — using motion to create the illusion of life. Walt did it with his early hand-drawn animated films, Pixar and Disney Animation Studios use it for computer-generated animation, and at Imagineering we bring physical characters to life through motion and emotion.

A key technology in our platform is deep reinforcement learning that enables robotic characters to learn to imitate artist-provided motion in simulation. This has enabled us to iterate extremely quickly between mechanical design and animation. Because we can iterate so rapidly and bridge the gap between art and science with physical AI, we can achieve this unmatched level of believability.

Tell us about the work you’re doing with NVIDIA and Google DeepMind to create the simulation framework Newton. How does that allow for robots to utilize reinforcement learning?

It takes humans years to perfect our motor skills for walking, and it takes additional years of practice to perform acrobatic motions that only a few of us can master. Deep reinforcement learning is a technology that helps robots acquire such skills in a shorter amount of time — for example, a BDX Droid or an Olaf learning to walk in a stylized way in the physical world. To make this technology scale well, we need fast and parallel simulation.

Together with our partners at NVIDIA and Google DeepMind, we are working on a new open-source simulation framework called Newton. At the core of Newton are building blocks that enable the rapid development of Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)-accelerated simulators. One of our contributions to this framework is a simulator called Kamino, which will unlock the potential of reinforcement learning for robotic systems of unmatched complexity. This will help us take a huge step forward in our mission to build robotic characters that perform in-character, just as we know them from the films.

Talk to us about the amazing Olaf robotic character. How does the robot utilize the breakthroughs made for the BDX droids, but then go beyond those innovations to create a character who isn’t meant to appear as a robot?

The BDX Droids and our latest Olaf bring story and emotion to life through their movements and interactions with guests. However, BDX Droids in the films are literally robotic characters. Olaf is an animated character that is far more challenging to bring to life in the physical world. To get Olaf to move as authentically as possible, we’ve made fundamental additions to our reinforcement learning framework to boost the believability of the character by enabling motion at the limit of hardware. Olaf has a “snow” costume which deforms and moves differently from the BDX Droids hard shells, and he has the ability to fully articulate his mouth, eyes, and (removable) carrot nose. And, most of all, Olaf can speak and engage in conversations.

What unique challenges are presented when creating robotic figures based on an animated character? How did you innovate to meet those challenges? 

When bringing an animated character to life through advanced robotics, the most important thing is that we stay true to the vision of the character created by the filmmakers. Translating these characters from the screen to the real world requires pushing the boundaries of not only technology, but also creativity. We want to bring these characters to life in ways our guests have imagined, but never seen before. Our latest Olaf is a fantastic example of representing an animated character as authentically as possible in the physical world — a challenging task because animated characters most often move in non-physical ways. For example, to make Olaf’s snowball feet move along his body, we paired state-of-the-art deep reinforcement learning with an artistic interface and advances in mechanical design.

How do you see the breakthrough you made on Olaf being applied for future innovations?

What’s so exciting is that we’re just getting started. The BDX Droids, self-balancing H.E.R.B.I.E., and now our latest Olaf all represent increasing levels of performance and innovation in bringing our Disney characters to life through advanced robotics. The speed at which we’re able to create new characters — and get them in front of our guests — is unprecedented. We are working to scale even bigger, to bring more emotive, expressive, and surprising characters to guests at our parks and ships around the world.

The Walt Disney Company hosted its 2025 Disney Accelerator Demo Day today on the iconic Walt Disney Studios lot, showcasing innovation in immersive experiences and storytelling formats from the four growth-stage companies participating in this year’s program: Animaj, DramaBox, Haddy, and LIMINAL Space.

During the Demo Day presentation, Disney executives and the founders from the 2025 cohort discussed strategic collaborations that use cutting edge technologies to enhance storytelling and experiences across Disney businesses. The event showcased the vision for these collaborations, with virtual and physical demos ranging from multiplatform children’s entertainment to vertical microdramas, and from large-scale 3D printing to immersive holographic displays.

Disney Accelerator participants are part of a long legacy of innovative companies who have joined forces with Disney to bring beloved stories to life and enrich digital and physical experiences for fans.

Next-generation media company Animaj shared its vision for developing digital-first global franchises to captivate kids across platforms. Animaj empowers artists to leverage AI to accelerate production workflows while ensuring creators drive the storytelling and quality. In connection with the Disney Accelerator, Animaj is exploring opportunities with Disney Branded Television and Disney Television Studios to co-develop a new crop of vibrant shorts for multiplatform distribution.

DramaBox, a global leader in vertical, short-form entertainment, shared how the microdrama format opens up new content models and possibilities for episodic storytelling. At Demo Day, DramaBox founders previewed and Disney Publishing shared that they are in discussions to adapt a series of young adult fantasy novels into original microdramas for Disney media platforms. Additionally, DramaBox and Disney Music are exploring the dramatic adaptation of albums into vertical video shorts.

AI-powered industrial 3D-printing factory Haddy showcased how technology can quickly transform spaces for attractions and resorts, or mutable backdrops for TV, film, and theater production. Haddy’s fabrication approach and technology allows for durable, custom pieces to be fabricated quickly, affordably, and at scale, enabling designers to imagine and re-imagine spaces and experiences more easily. Haddy also offers environmental benefits in terms of waste reduction and resource efficiency because their creations can be melted down and used to produce new objects. Haddy is collaborating with Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development to explore the creation of select props and set pieces for Disney Parks. In connection with its participation in the Disney Accelerator program, Haddy is also exploring new applications for its technology and approaches across the company.

LIMINAL Space, a developer of groundbreaking holographic 3D LED displays, shared a live demo of its modular “Ghost Tile” and“Spirit Tile” technologies. The tiles can transform any environment into a state-of-the-art immersive experience where guests can step into a story or world aided only by lightweight polarized glasses. At Demo Day, LIMINAL Space showcased its collaboration with Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to bring Marvel Studios’ Rocket Racoon to life, combining ILM’s markerless mocap technology with spatial LED displays from LIMINAL Space. The collaboration enabled a high-fidelity, real-time rendering of Rocket to interact with guests live on the Walt Disney Studios Lot. In addition to this demonstration with ILM, LIMINAL Space is exploring potential applications with Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development and Disney Experiences to create new experiences and enhance existing attractions.

“Walt Disney always embraced the latest technologies to propel new ways of storytelling, and the company thrived by regularly working hand-in-hand with others who shared a vision of creating a brighter tomorrow. The Disney Accelerator is a modern extension of that spirit, bringing together bold entrepreneurs and Disney teams to explore new ideas and emerging technologies and businesses as they shape the future of entertainment. Every year, we are inspired by the ingenuity and passion of our Accelerator participants as they work alongside Disney’s brilliant creatives. Together, they build on Disney’s legacy of innovation and collaboration to delight the young at heart across the globe,” said Bonnie Rosen, General Manager, Disney Accelerator.

The Disney Accelerator serves as a catalyst for innovative collaborations between groundbreaking companies and Disney teams. Now in its 11th year, the Disney Accelerator program has evolved into a vital engine for creative and technical leadership, engaging visionary founders from around the world to build strategic business initiatives with Disney. Since the program’s inception, more than 60 global companies —including Epic Games, Eleven Labs, Kahoot!, and Attentive — have participated, forging new collaborations and advancing Disney’s commitment to innovation.

For more information, visit DisneyAccelerator.com.

Animaj, DramaBox, Haddy and LIMINAL Space Join the Portfolio of Companies To Participate in the Successful Growth, Development, and Innovation Program

The 2025 Disney Accelerator program has launched with four growth stage companies that are pioneering across multiple industries and advancing creativity, technology, and immersive experiences.

“From thousands vetted, the Disney Accelerator is thrilled to welcome these four companies, who are already proving themselves to be leaders in their respective verticals,” said Bonnie Rosen, GM of the Disney Accelerator. “We look forward to seeing how they work alongside our executives to create groundbreaking entertainment experiences for Disney fans.”

The companies selected to participate in the 2025 Disney Accelerator program are:

Animaj: Animaj is a next-generation media company that creates inspiring brands for the new digital-native generation. The company’s AI-enabled production pipeline empowers artists to create and distribute top-tier animations across all the digital platforms kids love, at the pace they expect. Animaj’s series on YouTube attracts over 22 billion views annually and 240 million unique viewers per month.

DramaBox: DramaBox is a leading vertical microdrama platform and production company that offers a universe of original stories in a mobile-first format. Through innovative storytelling and high-quality production values, DramaBox is a leader in this growing genre and provides audiences with unique entertainment experiences.

Haddy: Haddy is an AI-powered industrial 3D printing factory for large-scale objects. Its creations are fully recyclable and can meet architectural code requirements at-scale for theme parks, set design, retail, hospitality, home, and more.

LIMINAL Space, Inc: LIMINAL Space develops holographic 3D LED display technology for immersive entertainment experiences. Its modular screens can simultaneously serve large audiences with volumetric content without the need for heavy XR headsets.

Inside Disney Accelerator

Now in its 11th year, the Disney Accelerator continues Disney’s legacy of creative and technological leadership by engaging pioneering companies and visionary founders from around the world.

“The emergence of new technologies is having more impact on the entertainment industry than ever before,” said David Min, VP of Innovation, The Walt Disney Company. “With the Disney Accelerator program, we have a dedicated structure for Disney to embrace these technologies and create new storytelling experiences at the pace that our audiences expect.”

The program is an illustration of the many ways Disney invests in innovation, offering a unique opportunity for select emerging companies who are at the cutting-edge in their fields and that align with Disney’s vision for the future of entertainment. Participating companies receive investment capital, as well as the opportunity to explore collaborations with leaders across The Walt Disney Company. Since 2014, more than 60 global companies have come through Disney Accelerator, including Epic Games, Eleven Labs, Kahoot!, Attentive, StatusPro, AudioShake, and many more.

The program will culminate with the 2025 Disney Accelerator Demo Day in November on The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, CA.

For more information on the 2025 Disney Accelerator program, visit DisneyAccelerator.com.

As Disneyland Resort continues to celebrate its 70th anniversary, a groundbreaking new show and attraction is taking center stage at the Main Street Opera House: “Walt Disney — A Magical Life.”

This immersive experience honors the legacy of Walt Disney through a blend of storytelling, innovation, and heartfelt tribute — culminating in the debut of the first-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt himself.

“The 70th anniversary of Disneyland gave us an incredible opportunity to create this show — ‘Walt Disney — A Magical Life’ — to remind the public about Walt Disney, his life, his career, his incredible journey,” Tom Fitzgerald, Senior Creative Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, said.

Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz, Portfolio Executive Creative Producer, Walt Disney Imagineering, added, “This fitting tribute gives millions of our guests a moment of wish fulfillment to feel what it was like to be in Walt’s presence.”

The Imagineers worked very closely with the Walt Disney Archives and The Walt Disney Family Museum to ensure an accurate portrayal of the details of Walt and his office.

“But, most importantly,” Shaver-Moskowitz added, “we were passionate about creating an Audio-Animatronics portrayal that had all of his nuances, his facial expressions, his hand gestures, all those things that made this performance, this theatrical presentation, feel uniquely Walt.”

The show begins with a film adaptation of “One Man’s Dream,” largely narrated by Walt himself, tracing his journey from humble beginnings in Marceline, MO, to global icon. The finale reveals the Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt in a recreation of his Burbank office, where he shares stories and philosophies drawn from decades of archival recordings.

“Creating an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney is something that the team took very seriously, likely as seriously as Walt Disney did in creating the Audio-Animatronics figure of Abraham Lincoln decades ago,” Fitzgerald said.

Audio-Animatronics technology was pioneered in the 1960s by Walt Disney and his Imagineers and made a major impression at the 1964 World’s Fair with — among other figures — Abraham Lincoln in the show “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” which now shares a home with “Walt Disney — A Magical Life.” In the six decades since, the technology has only improved.

“For ‘Walt Disney — A Magical Life,’ the team at Walt Disney Imagineering has created the most lifelike figure we have ever created,” Fitzgerald said.

To achieve this, Imagineers developed what they call “moonshots” — leaps in technology for a humanoid figure that include soft eyelids, expressive eyebrows, and even the twinkle in Walt’s eye.

“All of these things bring the personality of Walt Disney to life in a way that could never have been done before,” Fitzgerald added.

The attraction is more than a technical marvel — it’s a message of perseverance and creativity.

“Walt Disney’s story is an amazing one. What a journey. Throughout his career, he had setbacks, but he never gave up. He kept moving forward and we thought that was a message that was an important one to share with our audience today. Follow your dreams. Never give up. Yes, you will have setbacks. Turn them into success and give the world your best,” Fitzgerald said.

Live Sports and Entertainment have always been core to Disney’s streaming offerings. As the marketplace demand for Live has accelerated, so has Disney’s platform. We are expanding our technology to meet advertiser demand to align with these exciting and unpredictable moments. Now more than ever, Live content is a core pillar of our future-forward streaming strategy.In the past few weeks alone, Disney has rolled out two new biddable ad tech advancements to help propel this initiative forward. This includes expanding live inventory into biddable marketplaces through Disney’s proprietary Ad Server and our support of Instant Deals within Google’s demand-side platform, Display & Video 360, in the U.S.“This is a significant advancement in our ad technology,” said Amy Lehman, SVP of Ad Platforms. “Disney is not only making valuable live ad inventory available to advertisers, but also enabling automated workflows to simplify access for buyers.”Let’s take a closer look.

New Biddable Ad Technology Integrations

Live content from Hulu and Disney+, which now includes access to ESPN and ABC News content for eligible subscribers, is now available to advertisers programmatically through biddable integrations. The launch follows the rollout of Disney’s LIVE Sports & Entertainment certification, with Google’s DV360, The Trade Desk, Yahoo DSP, and Magnite among certified platforms that, as Jamie Power (SVP of Addressable Sales) noted, “can confidently leverage spikes in viewership and scale during pivotal live moments.”Additionally, Disney is supporting Google’s Display & Video 360 Instant Deals feature through the Disney Real-Time Ad Exchange (DRAX), allowing buyers to quickly create deals within the Display & Video 360 marketplace. This automated process lets buyers choose Disney ad inventory, apply targeting, and activate deals instantly. Since Display & Video 360 was already integrated with Disney’s marketplace via DRAX Direct, this partnership strengthens efforts to provide advertisers with efficient ways to grow their business.“Our goal hasn’t changed — and that’s to make it as easy and flexible for our clients to buy Disney, across all platforms and marketplaces,” said Power. “By expanding our support for a range of deal types, and expanding biddable capabilities across live sports, streaming and entertainment, we’re laying the foundation for powering biddable automation and outcomes at scale.”

Disney’s Ad Technology Leadership

These are just the latest steps we’ve taken in streaming and ad tech leadership. For years, Disney’s proprietary ad tech stack has actively supported addressable advertising in live programming, which now also enables dynamic ad insertion (DAI) for live events on Disney+ — a game-changing enhancement for live sports content and advertisers. By enabling Live DAI across Disney+, which was already available on Hulu, Disney is driving scaled personalization further — ensuring live viewers see more relevant ads. In the rapidly expanding world of live streaming, this enables more personalized ad experiences at scale, minimizes disruption to the viewing experience, and delivers value to advertisers.“Disney has a leadership position in live streaming thanks to extensive technological expertise, decades of operational experience, and sophisticated global infrastructure,” said Lehman. “Combining that with our leadership in ad technology by building a suite of products that enable personalization and interoperability allows us to meet the demands of the market to drive greater impact.”

It’s hard to miss the BDX droids lately.

In March, the droids — which have greeted guests at Disneyland Resort and onboard the Disney Wish — appeared alongside CEO Bob Iger at The Walt Disney Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders; charmed Austin, Texas at Disney’s SXSW featured session with director Jon Favreau (who put them in next year’s Star Wars film, The Mandalorian and Grogu); and returned to the stage at Nvidia’s recent GTC developers conference.

The droids represent the perfect marriage of Disney’s storytelling with incredible innovation. They are both lifelike and technologically advanced. We spoke with Kyle Laughlin, SVP, Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, to learn more about the technology behind the droids and how they were brought to life.

What is the technological breakthrough that the BDX droids represent?

The BDX droids are a big leap forward — not just for robotics, but for how we bring beloved characters to life in the real world. They’re the first of a new generation of expressive, free-roaming robots we’ve developed at Disney that can learn to move and balance like living beings. Thanks to reinforcement learning, they train in simulation before ever taking a real step. But beyond the tech, what really sets them apart is that spark of personality — they’re full of life, and they make people smile. That’s what we’re really after: emotional connection through technology.

How was your team able to make them so lifelike?

We always start with the character. Technology is just the tool — we use it in service of story and emotion. With BDX, that meant thinking about how they move, how they emote, and how guests might engage with them in a meaningful way. From their physical proportions to the way their heads tilt or how their feet land, every choice was made to support believability. And then we added a human touch: a puppeteer behind the scenes who brings out the nuances that make them feel alive.

How does Disney developing the technology used for these droids contribute to advancing the broader robotics industry?

At Disney, we’re not building robots for factories or fulfillment centers — we’re building robots that make you feel something. That’s a very different challenge. We’re bringing emotional intelligence into the field of robotics, and we’re doing it at scale. In the process, we’re sharing new ways of thinking with the broader robotics community. It’s a reminder that the future of this industry isn’t just about what robots can do — it’s about who they can be.

How is the technology that’s been created for the droids going to be applied in the future? Will the technology be adaptable to future developments?

Everything we do is part of a continuum. Audio-Animatronics were the cutting edge 70 years ago — and we’re building on that legacy every day. Our Robotic Character Platform is modular, flexible, and designed to evolve. The core tech — reinforcement learning, expressive motion, character-driven design — can be adapted for lots of different characters and experiences. We’re already working on what comes next, and I think people are going to be surprised by how far this can go.

How does this cutting-edge reinforcement learning used for robotics create ever-more immersive storytelling from Disney?

Reinforcement learning lets us do something pretty amazing: we can train hundreds of versions of a robot in simulation before we ever build one physically. That means faster iteration, smarter movement, and more time to focus on what really matters — creating a compelling character. It shortens the path from idea to emotional connection, and that’s a big deal for us as storytellers.

Disney has a legacy of innovating in service of story. How do these droids take that innovation to the next level?

BDX is a great example of our ethos in action: story first, technology in service of that story. What’s new here is the level of responsiveness, physicality, and charm we can now achieve in real-time, guest-facing environments. It’s not a trick or a one-off moment — it’s an evolving character platform. And we’re just at the beginning.

For more than a century, The Walt Disney Company has been looking to the future by mixing its artistry with its innovative technology. Working seamlessly across the company, Disney has crafted a world of its own — one in which new advances in technology are bringing the stories that unfold on-screen, and the stories guests experience in-person, closer than ever before.

On Saturday, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman explored Disney’s unique power to connect creativity with innovative experiences at the company’s featured session at the South by Southwest® (SXSW®) conference in Austin, Texas.

“We’re constantly developing new tools that allow us to tell our stories in even more compelling ways. It’s a seamless blend of art and science we take directly from our founder, Walt Disney. He was our original visionary and innovator,” D’Amaro said to kick off the company’s session, The Future of World-Building at Disney, on Saturday.

In front of a packed crowd, Bergman echoed D’Amaro’s sentiments by noting that at Disney it all starts “with great storytelling.”

“We work with the best storytellers to dream up new worlds full of heart, fun, and imagination,” he said. “We truly have something for everyone, with so many ways to experience it. This helps us have strong connections with our audience, which is so unique to Disney.”

Here is a look inside the company’s featured session at SXSW — including some of the exciting announcements that Disney revealed on Saturday.

The Art of Collaboration

D’Amaro and Bergman began the session on Saturday by focusing on Disneyland, which is celebrating its 70^th anniversary in July.

“Disneyland is an incredibly special place. It’s our original park. It’s the only one Walt physically walked through during his life,” D’Amaro said. “When he began working on this new venture in the early ’50s, there really wasn’t anything quite like it at that point. So, to turn this dream into reality, he went to the people he trusted most. He went to his storytellers.”

Bergman explained that Walt reassigned a small group of animators from the movie studio to design this new experience to bring these stories to life.

“Eventually, he coined a new term for these creative geniuses – he called them ‘Imagineers,’” D’Amaro said.

Bergman added that “the key to all of this is the partnership we have between our two teams. And we start that collaboration very early on.”

“One of my favorite parts of my job is joining Josh and his team early in those concept meetings, where we get to see our stories and characters take on a whole new life,” Bergman continued.

Because at Disney, according to D’Amaro, stories don’t “end when the credits roll on a film, or when you walk out the front of one of our parks.”

“They keep growing and they keep evolving,” he said.

And one of the best examples of this type of world-building is taking place in a galaxy far, far away…

A Galaxy of Innovative Storytelling

The next part of the World-Building session focused on the iconic Star Wars brand. D’Amaro and Bergman brought out Imagineers Leslie Evans and Asa Kalama, as well as The Mandalorian and Grogu director and Disney Legend Jon Favreau. Not to mention, a flock of BDX droids.

“We’ve been working in robotics at Imagineering since the very beginning. Walt really saw this technology as a cool way to bring characters to life,” Kalama said. “Think tiki birds, Abraham Lincoln, it’s a small world, but obviously today the technology has really come incredibly far.”

However, unlike the animatronics of the past, the BDX droids can learn and teach each other. This process, called reinforcement learning, is an entirely new way to program animatronic characters, according to Evans.

She explained that the BDX droids walk freely around and explore environments, interacting with guests and each other. To achieve this, Imagineers built digital avatars of the droids and set them loose in a virtual environment — thousands at a time.

“They learn, they experiment, they teach each other, and they figure out how to navigate different types of terrain,” she said. “When we’re training in simulation, we’re not just teaching them to balance, we’re teaching them how to learn to walk as characters and imitate those core animations that really give them their personality.”

As for Favreau, he revealed that the BDX droids — which first appeared at Disneyland — will be making their on-screen debut in next year’s The Mandalorian and Grogu — another showcase of the seamless connection between Disney’s studios and its experiences.

But that’s not all. The droids will be visiting Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris later this year.

And Kalama explained that the popular Star Wars attraction Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will be getting an update which takes guests into the world of The Mandalorian for Memorial Day weekend 2026 — the very same weekend The Mandalorian and Grogu movie debuts in theaters.

“This really all goes back to what Alan and Josh were just talking about — the incredible collaboration between our teams. I mean, opening an attraction and such a big movie like this on the same day, it really wouldn’t be possible without the relationships we have inside Disney,” Kalama said.

The Specificity of Pixar and Disney Imagineering

Star Wars isn’t the only Disney brand that benefits from the collaboration between Studios and Experiences. Pixar, the beloved and award-winning animation studio, has seen its footprint grow at Disney parks and resorts over decades.

“We at Pixar have been working with Imagineering for a long time creating these incredible experiences, all over the world,” Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, said on stage. “We’re such fans of the Disney parks, we even use them as a sort of test for ourselves. When we’re coming up with the sets and environments, we ask ourselves, ‘Is this somewhere I’d want to go if they built it at Disneyland?’”

Docter continued by saying that in the end, the filmmakers at Pixar and the Imagineers rely on a fundamental principle in everything they do: specificity.

“Getting to know all the little details and getting those right, that’s how we build authenticity into our worlds,” he said. “It really has to feel real because that’s what allows you to believe in the story.”

Imagineer Michael Hundgen joined Docter on stage to talk about two new Pixar projects in the works for Walt Disney World, starting with an amazing new attraction that takes guests on a rip-roaring ride through the door vault in the company’s first land inspired by Monsters, Inc.

“We have never done anything like this before,” Hundgen said of the new attraction. “It’s Disney’s first suspended coaster, it’s our first vertical lift. We’re designing this experience to be as memorable and as fun as the film itself.”

The other innovative Pixar attraction coming to Disney World is an off-road rally race inspired by Cars.

“When we’re designing our attractions, our primary goal is to create an emotional experience for our guests, just like the filmmakers do on the screen. For this Cars attraction, we need to invent a new type of ride vehicle to create that feeling,” Hundgen said.

He continued by saying that Imagineers took a trip out to the Arizona desert and rented some off-road vehicles to ride along different trails. This helped them bring authenticity to the story. The Imagineers took everything they learned during their trip to build a custom dirt track with geometry similar to what they liked on the trails.

Then, once the data was collected, it was time to start working on the attraction vehicle.

“The workload on our ride vehicles far exceeds a normal car,” Hundgen said. “They run 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for decades. If your car does 13,000 miles a year, ours go up to 65,000 miles every year, depending on the attraction. And on top of that, we’re running it on this really tough terrain.”

Docter concluded the Pixar section of the session by returning to the theme of specificity.

“Like I said at the beginning — specificity is key. You can see here the level of detail the Imagineers are going for. Now imagine that applying to everything, every part of the attraction,” Docter said. “That’s the standard [Imagineers] set, and we’re proud to work alongside Imagineering these many years to really try to bring our movies out there into authentic Pixar experiences.”

The Fantastic World-Building of Marvel

Next up was Marvel, Disney’s blockbuster Super Hero brand, and what would a conversation about innovation and Marvel be without… Iron Man?

“I’m digging this wild blend of art, science, and culture that SXSW has become,” Disney Legend Robert Downey Jr., Tony Stark himself, said surprising those in attendance on Saturday. “It’s the place to be!”

But he wasn’t alone. Kevin Feige, Producer and President of Marvel Studios, and Bruce Vaughn, the President and Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney Imagineering, also joined Downey Jr. on stage.

“Just like my colleagues at the other studios, I’m a giant, giant Disney parks fan,” Feige said. “I’m always drawn to the places that showcase Walt’s vision for the future — particularly Tomorrowland and EPCOT. They share a mid-century, retro-futuristic design language that I love… In fact, it’s served as an inspiration for our new film coming out this summer, The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

Vaughn shared that guests will be able to see the entire Fantastic Four at Disneyland this summer. Disney Imagineering is creating a real-life Herbie robot from the film, too.

“This is what is so great about our teams collaborating the way they do — we’re always coming up with crazy ideas that we know our guests will love,” Vaughn added.

He noted that Disney recently broke ground on a massive expansion for Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure — doubling the size of the land with two incredible new attractions.

The first: Avengers Infinity Defense, which will have guests assemble the Avengers to battle King Thanos across multiple worlds. That includes fighting alongside Black Panther, Ant-Man, and the Hulk, among other heroes.

“I think it is by far the largest collection of heroes we’ve ever put into an attraction,” Feige said.

The other attraction is Stark Flight Lab, which hits close to home for Downey Jr.

“Tony opened my eyes wider to the power technology has to impact the world for good, and that’s something I’ll carry with me the rest of my days,” Downey Jr. said.

Vaughn added that Downey Jr. will be reprising his role in the attraction, which takes you inside Tony’s workshop filled with cutting-edge tech. That includes a massive robot arm that reaches down, grabs a guest’s pod, and lifts them off the track, where they will make several high-speed maneuvers inspired by Iron Man and some other Avengers. After your flight, the arm sets you back on the track and you zip away again.

Vaughn continued by telling the audience that Downey Jr. was invited to Imagineering to see what Disney is working on as well as help them get the details right.

“What I didn’t know was how stealth and exclusive Walt Disney Imagineering headquarters was,” Downey Jr. said. “It’s the Area 51 of Fun.”

Downey Jr. added that even after Disney finishes Stark Flight Lab, he’d like to stick around.

“I want to stay involved for the long haul. I want to be part of the future,” he said. “So, this isn’t a one-time deal, and I say this with all the humility I can muster, you need more… me.”

A request that D’Amaro and Bergman were more than happy to make happen.

“Oh, you don’t have to ask us twice,” Bergman said returning to the stage with D’Amaro.

“Anytime you want to want to come over to Imagineering, you are welcome,” D’Amaro added. “Tony Stark lives on forever with us.”

Downey Jr. then quipped, “so that’s a verbal confirmation. It’s binding. I thank you for stating it with 2,000 witnesses.”

Over the last century, The Walt Disney Company has crafted a world built on innovation, creativity, and storytelling. However, what makes Disney unique is how artistry and technology work together to bring stories to life for people around the world every day.

On Saturday, this relationship will be on full display when Josh D’Amaro, chairman, Disney Experiences, and Alan Bergman, co-chairman, Disney Entertainment, present The Future of World-Building at Disney — a featured session at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas.

The session will give an inside look into the “convergence of imagination, innovation and the future of experiential storytelling” at Disney. It will also give a snapshot on how that strategy not only sets Disney apart, but connects the company’s past, present, and future.

Watch The Future of World-Building at Disney session on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET via a livestream, which can be found on SXSW’s YouTube channel.

To find out more, we spoke with D’Amaro and Bergman about what brings Disney to SXSW, how the interplay between innovation and storytelling comes together, and what makes the company’s storytelling everlasting.

The Walt Disney Company is not thought of as a technology company. So, why is it holding a presentation that focuses on innovation at SXSW?D’Amaro: Innovation is one of the core principles of our company — and has been for more than 100 years. We use — and invent — new technology to tell our stories in exciting, compelling ways. From robotics to ride vehicles to how we render the media in our attractions and so much more, technology is integrated into everything we do. So, of course, it makes sense for us to tell that story at SXSW, to demonstrate how we use technology to give our guests experiences they never dreamed possible.

We live in a world right now where even some of the best storytelling can be forgotten. However, Disney stories are generational. How does the interaction between the studios and the parks make the company’s stories everlasting?Bergman: Everything we do starts with great storytelling, and we’re fortunate to have the very best storytellers at Disney no matter where you look within the company. A big reason our storytelling can withstand the test of time is the ability for people to experience our stories in so many ways — from our movies and TV shows to our parks, cruise ships, and consumer products. Those experiences are meaningful and can be shared and passed down across generations.

At the heart of it all is the creative collaboration that’s built into how we operate. The first Imagineers were actually drawn from Walt’s filmmaking team, and they developed many attractions based on films like Snow White, Peter Pan, and Dumbo that are still beloved today.

How is the interplay between on-screen storytelling and experiential storytelling something that only Disney can do?D’Amaro: One of our company’s core strengths is the incredible collection of storytellers we have under one roof. They all work together to make imagined worlds feel real. Those stories take many forms — from movies and TV to parks, cruise ships and consumer products — and that’s what makes Disney so special. Our storytellers collaborate across disciplines to bring our characters to life in new ways. Because a Disney story doesn’t end when the credits roll or when you walk out the park’s front gate — they keep growing and evolving.

What is the most important aspect of the connection between artistry and technology?Bergman: Since Disney was founded, it’s been driven by bringing art and technology together. That’s put us at the forefront of many advancements, from Walt’s early shorts and the first animated feature, Snow White, to the many innovations in production technology and animatronics from our teams across the company including ILM, Pixar, and Imagineering.

We view technology as an essential tool that makes us better storytellers and helps us create more immersive and compelling entertainment experiences. It’s especially helpful to have artists who understand technology and vice versa, and we’re lucky to have incredibly talented people like that who can also collaborate really well together.

How does Disney Experiences fuel innovative storytelling at the Studios?D’Amaro: Storytellers across our company are constantly spurring one another on to do great work. We’ve seen classic park attractions inspire major motion pictures — Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion and the Jungle Cruise, just to name a few. And it goes deeper than that. Because Imagineers work so closely with our studios, our filmmakers are often excited to explore how their worlds might translate into immersive experiences for our guests.

How does storytelling at the Studios fuel innovations at Disney Experiences?Bergman: They go hand in hand, and you see that every time you step into one of the parks. The influence of the films has been there since the beginning and has grown as the company has grown. Our studio’s creative teams build incredible worlds, and Disney Experiences takes those worlds and brings them to life, allowing guests to become part of the adventure. And in some cases, like with Pirates of the Caribbean, it can even go the other way. Not to mention that many of the creative leaders and storytellers at the Studio are huge Disney Parks fans themselves. So the teams draw inspiration from one another and we ensure that we maintain close connections throughout the storytelling process and in how we bring those stories to life in the parks and elsewhere.

Disney’s fifth annual Global Tech & Data Showcase brought together top brands, agencies, and clients in Las Vegas to unveil the company’s latest technological advancements and innovation strategy. Taking the stage at the Chelsea Theater, Disney’s Global Advertising President, Rita Ferro, kicked off the event with an announcement: Disney Advertising’s ad-supported monthly active users across the company’s streaming platforms — Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ — have reached an estimated 157 million globally, including 112 million domestically, on average per month over the last six months.

“In this transformative era of advertising, brands need more than just compelling storytelling — they need advanced solutions that deliver real results,” said Rita Ferro, President, Global Advertising, The Walt Disney Company. “Disney is at the forefront of this shift, making strategic investments in our ad technology and capabilities to help brands connect with audiences across streaming TV, live sports, and beyond. By combining our unparalleled content with innovative tools, we’re creating opportunities for brands to become part of the cultural conversations that shape our world — and we invite them to push the limits with us.”

Additional announcements made from stage include:

• Introducing Disney Compass: A proprietary data platform that simplifies the advertising journey. Disney Compass brings together first-party data, insights, and vendor integrations in one central location, enabling brands to activate campaigns with ease.
• Landmark Collaboration with Publicis CoreAI: Publicis becomes the first agency holding company to integrate with Disney Compass. Using CoreAI, brands can seamlessly activate insights from their own data, Publicis’ data, and Disney’s first-party data.
• New Standard for Live Sports and Entertainment Advertising: A new certification for live sports and entertainment, guaranteeing brands can advertise when and where they want. This includes expanding biddable media for live sports and the availability of Disney’s Magic Words next quarter.
• Disney’s Global Streaming Consumer Insights Study: As the industry moves towards cross-cultural, global streaming consumption, advertisers can now better understand the habits of streamers. Disney reveals valuable insights on streaming behaviors across the US, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC regions. Advertisers will soon have access to four new, proprietary global audience segments for activation: Empathetic Escapists, Reflective Explorers, Social Shapers, and Comfort Connectors.
• Disney Select AI Engine: A cutting-edge tool for brands to build custom lookalike audiences and deliver sequential messaging — all while expanding reach and without impacting frequency caps. The Disney Select AI Engine uses machine learning to drive accurate results, now available within our award-winning Clean Room ecosystem.
• Innovating on Ad Formats: Disney’s enhanced, user-initiated interactive ad formats allow viewers to choose how they engage with ads — whether by exploring a product carousel or playing a trivia game.
• Global Expansion of Disney Select and Audience Graph: Disney’s advanced segmentation and targeting tools are now available in all global markets where Disney+ is offered. Following a successful launch in Latin America, EMEA will be the next market to join this global rollout.
• Disney Magic Words LIVE: Building on last year’s beta product, Disney’s Magic Words expands to capture mood and emotions in real-time through live sports and entertainment. Biddable activation will be available next quarter.
• Disney’s BridgeID’s Rapid Adoption: In 2024, Disney’s BridgeID identity framework was adopted by over 6,500 brands. This solution streamlines digital workflows, enhances targeting, and enables cohesive cross-platform campaigns.

Key takeaways from Disney executives:

• Adam Smith, Chief Product and Technology Officer: “Disney has always known that great technology, in the hands of brilliant creators has the power to add new dimensions to products, stories, and experiences. It’s a simple but powerful formula: Unmatched content, plus world-class technology, plus data-driven advertising, plus global products, and live streaming at scale.”

• Dana McGraw, SVP, Data and Measurement Science: “Disney is not just setting the pace, we’re accelerating the rate of innovation for all. We have invested in machine learning and AI audience segmentation for over a decade to better understand behaviors across screens and bring new opportunities to life. With every new tool and capability we develop, we’re making adoption easier for our partners to have the most frictionless experience possible.”

• Jamie Power, SVP, Addressable Sales: “To unlock the true power of LIVE streaming, publishers, traders, and tech platforms must invest in cutting-edge technology and innovative buying strategies. Real-time programmatic is the game-changer, and we’re doubling down to ensure advertisers seize these opportunities like never before. With Disney’s LIVE Sports & Entertainment certification, platforms can confidently leverage spikes in viewership, bid density, and scale during pivotal live moments.”

• Josh Mattison, EVP, Digital Revenue Pricing, Planning & Operations: “As the leader in the market, it’s our responsibility to push the industry forward — beyond the Disney ecosystem — to help advertisers understand the role of streaming in people’s lives and what motivates their decisions to watch.”

Animated Game Airs Live at Noon ET on ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+; Traditional Game Presentation on ABC, ESPN, Disney+ and ESPN+

Virtual Presentation of Game Set in Magic Kingdom® Park at Walt Disney World® Resort to Feature Iconic Disney Characters: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Plus Santa Claus and Elves from ‘Prep and Landing’ 

ESPN Collaborates with Sony’s Beyond Sports for First-Ever Animated Presentation of NBA Game

Disney, ESPN and the NBA are teaming up to present Dunk the Halls — the first real-time animated NBA game using Sony’s Beyond Sports technology — on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25, at noon ET when the New York Knicks — led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns — host the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul. Dunk the Halls will be presented on ESPN2, Disney+, and ESPN+. The special alt-cast marks the first animated presentation of an NBA game and the first NBA game to stream on Disney+.

The setting

The virtual, live re-creation of the Spurs vs. Knicks game will be set on iconic “Main Street, USA” in Magic Kingdom® Park as the teams play while Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy and Chip and Dale cheer them on. Shots of “Main Street, USA” and other famous landmarks within Magic Kingdom® Park will be regularly shown, including Cinderella’s Castle.

The story

The storyline behind the Dunk the Halls presentation begins with Mickey’s Christmas wish to Santa Claus to bring the NBA players to “Main Street, USA” at Magic Kingdom® Park at Walt Disney World Resort to play the first animated NBA game on Christmas Day.

The first-of-its-kind technology

Each Spurs and Knicks player will appear as a motion-enabled, animated player for the special Christmas matchup. Through state-of-the-art real-time visualization technology enabled by Sony’s Beyond Sports, combined with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking, fans watching Dunk the Halls will see every three-pointer, dunk, layup, pass and more from the real-life Spurs vs. Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in New York as it happens.

More production highlights:

• At halftime of the Spurs vs. Knicks game, the Disney characters, led by Mickey Mouse, will compete in a special slam dunk contest;
• Santa’s Elves will operate the cameras for the game while Santa himself will operate ESPN’s “SkyCam” during the game;
• The Disney characters will deliver pregame and halftime speeches to the players and decorate a large Christmas tree during the game;
• Fans will also get to find out if it will snow on “Main Street, USA” and see how many churros Goofy can eat.

ESPN commentators

Drew Carter will serve as the play-by-play commentator alongside ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt. The duo will be joined by a very special guest — Daisy Duck — who will serve as the sideline reporter. Carter and McNutt will be animated in the style of the telecast and don ESPN Edge Innovation Partner’s Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from “Main Street, USA” thanks to VR technology and Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator Technology.

All five NBA Christmas games on December 25 will be available on ABC, ESPN, Disney+ and ESPN+. The traditional broadcast of the Spurs vs. Knicks game will be called by Ryan Ruocco, analyst Cory Alexander, and reporter Cassidy Hubbarth. For more details on the schedule, visit ESPNPressRoom.com.

Dunk the Halls continues ESPN and the NBA’s well-documented history innovation, including alt-cast executions that utilize the unmatched depth and scope of The Walt Disney Company. In 2021, ESPN and the NBA teamed up with Marvel for “Marvel’s Arena of Heroes,” — an alt-cast of an NBA regular-season game. TWDC.com: ESPN and Marvel Debut First-Ever Marvel-Inspired NBA Special Edition.

ESPN recently announced it will produce an animated, real-time alt-cast for Monday Night Football on December 9 called The Simpsons Funday Football, streaming on Disney+ and ESPN+. For more information, visit ESPNPressRoom.com.

With so many channels, services, and options to choose from, one of the biggest plights of the avid sports fan is trying to figure out where their favorite team’s game is playing.

ESPN’s Where to Watch is now here to help.

Launching today on the industry-leading ESPN App and ESPN.com, Where to Watch is an easy-to-use guide for sports fans to find where to watch any sports event on ESPN platforms and beyond, including broadcast, cable, and regional sports networks and streaming services.

“Simplifying discovery of sporting events and where a fan can watch has become increasingly important as sports viewing has become fragmented across networks and platforms,” Brian Marshall, Vice President, Sports Product & Technology, Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, said. “ESPN has always been the first stop for sports fans, and as we continue to evolve as the preeminent digital sports platform, we are proud to meet the needs of fans with new features to improve the discoverability of live sports and simplify their consumption journeys.”

To find out more about Where to Watch, we spoke with Chris Jason, Executive Director, Product Management, and Tim Bayus, VP, ESPN Strategy.

How will ESPN’s Where to Watch make sports fans lives easier? Chris Jason: We built this with the sports fan in mind. As sports viewing has become fragmented across many TV networks and streaming platforms, it has become more difficult and confusing than ever for people to know where they can watch their favorite teams, players, and sports on any given night.

I am a huge basketball fan. My kids and I have watched every Caitlin Clark game this season, but it hasn’t been easy. The Indiana Fever have had games on ESPN, ABC, ION, NBATV, CBS Sports Network, and Prime Video, and we find ourselves going from app to app, channel to channel, to find the game when we know Clark is playing.

Where to Watch will show you exactly where the game or event is playing in a simple, smooth user interface that we hope will be a service to fans – and a daily habit. With persistent and prominent access from every screen, we’ve made it easily accessible from any screen in ESPN.com or ESPN App.

Can you explain a little bit more about how Where to Watch works? Jason: At its core, Where to Watch is a proprietary database of sports events and the networks and services airing them, presented in a smooth, simple-to-use interface on ESPN.com and ESPN App.

The Where to Watch experience is organized into two primary elements: Favorites and the Guide. For users with favorite teams, sports, and leagues, it will display upcoming events right at the top of the screen so they can easily plan their viewing. If a user has not yet personalized their ESPN experience (or wants to modify it), they can do so from right within Where to Watch.

Where to Watch is a scrollable, time-based guide that lists most sports events occurring by time on a given day. Fans can view all the sports events and be linked directly to ESPN network streams (via ESPN+ or TV Everywhere authentication), as well as select partner networks, which include NESN and Monumental Sports at launch. Fans can filter Where to Watch by league (NFL, UFC, WNBA, etc.) or watch option (ESPN+, Peacock, FOX, etc.) and search for events.

While ESPN has always had a robust schedule of ESPN events, we don’t present all of them! To solve that problem for fans, we had to augment our event database with network information beyond ESPN and some of the major national networks we were already maintaining.

In collaboration with the ESPN Stats and Information Group, our Engineering team improved the tools used to display the watch options in Where to Watch, among other ESPN touchpoints. As part of this initiative, we’ve added support for over 100 new networks and streaming platforms, now totaling over 250 potential media sources.

Why did ESPN create Where to Watch? Jason: Sometimes the highest impact ideas are the simplest ones. It should be easier to find out where you can watch sports. By solving this problem, we re-enforce ESPN’s position as the preeminent digital sports platform and continue to build trust and loyalty. If fans love using our products, if they get value and they trust that we are obsessed with serving sports fans, they will spend time with us. That benefits every business we operate.

What’s the impact of Where to Watch on ESPN and The Walt Disney Company’s business?Tim Bayus: Where to Watch is primarily a fan-forward feature that is another step in our efforts to solve the pain points of discoverability and fragmentation. We have established initial partnerships with a few regional sports networks (NESN and Monumental Sports) to link fans directly to partner networks and content. We are optimistic about expanding the availability and number of partners over time.

ESPN Digital is by far the No. 1 digital sports destination and is uniquely positioned to deliver a more accessible, seamless viewing experience to a broader audience of sports fans.

ESPN is launching its stand-alone direct-to-consumer product in 2025. Will Where to Watch be associated with it in any way? Bayus: By the time our new DTC product launches in 2025 we are hopeful Where to Watch has become a part of the sports fan’s daily routine. We will make it easy for people to subscribe and stream, set reminders, and generally plan their sports viewing day with us.

Where to Watch will be a great discoverability tool for fans to see the breadth of live sports that can be watched on our DTC service. And, while Where to Watch will link directly to our standalone direct-to-consumer product, we have built it to serve all fans – those subscribed to the ESPN DTC product and those who aren’t.

With more than 100 lifetime patents, The Walt Disney Company’s most prolific inventor, Lanny Smoot—the Disney Research Fellow and Imagineer behind numerous astonishing special effects at Disney parks around the world—was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame last week.

Smoot is the first Disney Imagineer to receive this prestigious recognition and only the second individual from The Walt Disney Company to be inducted—the first being Walt Disney himself, honored posthumously in 2000 for the multiplane camera.

“I am proud and excited, and at the same time humbled, because this amazing honor has also been bestowed upon the likes of Thomas Edison,” Smoot says. “Bringing it a little closer to home, it was also given to personal heroes of mine, like Jim West, inventor of the electret microphone that we all carry in our cell phones and laptops—and, bringing it even closer, to Walt Disney himself, whose vision is still the guiding light for all of my colleagues at The Walt Disney Company.”

For Smoot, getting to attend the dinner, ceremony, and after party with other luminaries was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A standout moment “was to walk across the stage and have the (very heavy) medal bestowed upon me, topping off the event and making it ‘real’ in some ways,” he says. Smoot adds that another highlight “was that I might become a better role model for young people, especially those who look like me, to consider careers in engineering, the sciences, and invention and have as much fun as I have had in doing so.”

In choosing which patent to list during his National Inventors Hall of Fame induction, Smoot selected one related to “Where’s the Fire?”. The interactive exhibit—which was featured in the Innoventions Pavilion at EPCOT for nearly 10 years—aimed to educate guests on both fire safety and the importance of fire prevention through engaging challenges.

“‘Where’s the Fire?’… was almost completely based on this single patent, which demonstrates the power of invention!” Smoot explains. “The interactive attraction allowed guests and families to use ‘X-Ray flashlights’ to see through the walls of faux homes, and to root out safety hazards. It was, of course, entertaining for our guests, but it also contributed towards them having safer lives. The combination of Disney entertainment, and the novel use of cutting-edge technology is always a part of the ‘Disney difference.’”

In the past 45 years, Smoot has demonstrated both imagination and skill, working as a theatrical technology creator, inventor, electrical engineer, scientist, and researcher, resulting in an impressive collection of 106 patents—74 of which were created during his 25 years at The Walt Disney Company.

Smoot is also the recipient of multiple awards and honors, including three Thea Awards from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) for his work on fan-favorite attractions and experiences, such as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland Park and Kim Possible: World Showcase Adventure at EPCOT. His expertise in theatrical technology earned him the esteemed title of TEA Master in 2020.

Needless to say, Smoot’s inventions—from the state-of-the-art extendable lightsaber used by Disney Live Entertainment to the Magic Playfloor aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy ships—have created a multitude of magical moments for guests.

“One of the mottos of the Imagineers is, ‘We make the magic!’ We continuously use our imagination, and our technical skills in service of creating the entertaining, exciting, and often educating attractions that our guests enjoy,” Smoot says. “Before coming to Imagineering, I enjoyed a successful career in telecom research [at Bell Labs and later Bellcore in New Jersey], and I valued the freedom to create based on my continuing curiosity about what technology can do. Imagineering turbocharges that type of freedom and gave me an even wider canvas for my technical skills. Being a Fellow recognizes that I have made significant contributions to the Imagineering mission, and that I am trusted to continue in that crusade. Having the title means, ‘Keep doing what you are doing! We trust you that it will be good!’”

Currently, Smoot is working with other Disney Imagineers on the HoloTile Floor—the world’s first, and only, multi-person, omni-directional, modular, expandable treadmill floor.

“Its ability to move an unlimited number of people or objects on its surface in any direction, enables whole new applications,” Smoot says. “For instance, multiple persons in virtual reality headsets can stroll through real or fantastical locations, all in a physically small space, without bumping into each other or walking off the Floor. The HoloTile Floor could also be embedded in theatrical stages to allow performers to dance in ways that would elude the most talented performers standing on an ordinary stage. It can also be used as a design tool, to allow Imagineers to walk through their creations before they are even built.”

And Smoot is just getting started. “I love getting the ‘How do they do that?’ reactions from our theme park guests, and I remain curious about how far we can take technology in service of entertainment, so I’ll just keep on doing what I’m doing,” he says. “Next project!”

Marvel Studios and ILM Immersive announce What If…? – An Immersive Story, the first-ever interactive Disney+ Original story coming exclusively to Apple Vision Pro on May 30.

Fans will be invited to step inside the Multiverse like never before and have the chance to dive into an immersive, narrative-driven and innovative story in mixed reality. Connected to the critically acclaimed Disney+ Original animated series What If…?, Marvel.com was given a first look at the hour-long experience, diving into what fans can expect when it is released soon as a new app for Apple Vision Pro.

“As a kid, my favorite stories were about worlds beyond my own, advanced technologies, and heroes traveling across space and time. What If…? – An Immersive Story is the next evolution in how we tell our stories, where fans across generations can experience them and live out the adventure alongside their favorite heroes,” director and executive producer Dave Bushore said. “This experience kicks the door open to the Marvel Universe, and it’s a glimpse of what I’ve been waiting for my whole life.”

What If…? reimagines events from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in unexpected ways.

Now, fans have been chosen to step into the leading role of an all-new immersive story that transforms the space around them as they traverse across realities. Throughout their journey, they will come face-to-face with Multiversal variants of their favorite characters, learn the mystic arts, and be tasked with harnessing the power of the Infinity Stones.

“What If…? the animated series as well as the comic book has always been about looking over the horizon into realities that have yet to be conceived,” executive producer Brad Winderbaum said. “What If…? – An Immersive Story takes this one step further and actually allows you to visit these strange new worlds, not as a Watcher but as an actual participant. The creative work on this project is nothing less than stellar and we could not be more excited for fans to interact firsthand with some of their favorite Marvel heroes.”

Utilizing the revolutionary spatial computing capabilities of Apple Vision Pro, What If…? – An Immersive Story will deliver a technologically advanced and engaging experience to fans. They will cross between augmented and virtual reality as they live out their narrative adventure, interacting with the world around them by using their eyes and hands.

Fans will step into breathtaking environments that place them in new and iconic MCU locations, and feel completely immersed with stunning visuals and spatial audio. Together, these features will remind fans that time, space, and reality are more than a linear path.

“This experience is truly groundbreaking and unlike anything we’ve done before,” executive producer Jamie Voris, EVP/Chief Technology Officer at The Walt Disney Studios, said. “It’s an exciting new way to become a part of the MCU through a deeply emotional and compelling story.”

What If…? – An Immersive Story is directed by Dave Bushore at Marvel Studios and produced by Shereif M. Fattouh at ILM Immersive. The experience is written by David Dong and Phil McCarty (The Learning Curve), with music by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning composer Laura Karpman (American Fiction, The Marvels). What If…? – An Immersive Story is executive produced by Bushore, Fattouh, and Brad Winderbaum (What If…?, X-Men ‘97), with Bryan Andrews (What If…?, Primal) serving as consulting producer. Vicki Dobbs Beck, VP of immersive content at Lucasfilm and ILM Immersive, Mark S. Miller, VP of creative development and production at ILM Immersive, and Jamie Voris, EVP/Chief Technology Officer at The Walt Disney Studios, all serve as executive producers.

Additional details about What If…? – An Immersive Story will be revealed soon. Fans looking to stay up-to-date on all news as it happens can follow the official social media handles from What If…?, Marvel Studios, and ILM Immersive.

Switching between your Disney+ account, checking your Disney Store orders, and planning your next trip to Walt Disney World can sure seem like a lot of logging in and logging out.

But now thanks to MyDisney — a new unified login experience for all your Disney needs — enjoying everything that The Walt Disney Company has to offer is about to get a whole lot easier.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What exactly is MyDisney?

MyDisney is the name of a new capability Disney is introducing on Tuesday that gives our guests a seamless login experience by using just a single email and password across services and experiences from The Walt Disney Company.

When you login using your personal account information, you will now see the same MyDisney login prompt everywhere you go asking for the same email and password, creating a more seamless login experience.

“MyDisney is our latest innovation designed to make life easier for our consumers, allowing them to manage all their Disney-related services with one unified account,” Ajay Arora, SVP, Commerce, Growth & Identity for Disney Entertainment & ESPN, said.

How is MyDisney going to make my life easier as a Disney consumer?

If you’re someone that manages different passwords across various accounts with a single email address, this is great news for you, because now you can now use a single email and password as your MyDisney login.

“This move not only reflects our commitment to technological innovation but also our dedication to creating hassle-free, memorable experiences for our consumers,” Arora added.

Do I need to take action with my existing accounts to make them MyDisney compatible?

Disney is making it as simple as possible for you.

At your next login attempt on any MyDisney compatible service, when you enter into a password-restricted feature, Disney will ask you to update your password. From then on, that password is the only one you’ll need to remember.

That means that going forward, any other MyDisney compatible service will ask you to use only that same email and password via the same prompt.

What services and experiences can I streamline through MyDisney?

Most of Disney’s most popular sites and apps can now be accessed through MyDisney.

This includes streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu, news and entertainment apps like ABC and ESPN, and merchandise and experiences like the Disney Store, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and Walt Disney World. For a full list, visit my.disney.com.

What does MyDisney look like?

Disney is using a simple logo to signify the MyDisney login experience for a consistent and connected look and feel. So, when you reach the login screen and see the MyDisney logo, you’ll know to use the same single email and password.

You’ll also see a reference to MyDisney any time you visit the Help Center or contact customer service representatives.

If I use more than one email address for my Disney services, will I be able to combine them all across MyDisney?

Yes, Disney will just ask that you take a few extra steps.

First, make sure you cancel any subscriptions associated with an email address that you don’t want to use.

After that, sign up for those same subscriptions with the email you want to keep across all your Disney services and Disney will recognize that email and ask you to log in with your MyDisney password.

Are there any other benefits aside from the ease of all my Disney accounts being streamlined into one login?

Through the my.disney.com site, you’ll be able to manage certain account preferences and settings across The Walt Disney Company easily in one place.

This includes functions like changing your password, logging out of all devices, and subscribing or unsubscribing from marketing emails you receive from us.

“The launch of MyDisney is more than just a new feature — it’s a new era for The Walt Disney Company where convenience meets magic,” Arora said. “By allowing our guests to use one login for everything from Disney+ to Disneyland, we’re not just simplifying the technical side of things; we’re enriching the Disney magic that families know and love.”

Over time, Disney hopes to grow that magic by creating more centralized tools that will help you and other guests manage their accounts and preferences even more seamlessly and conveniently.

The Walt Disney Company announced today the 10th year of Disney Accelerator, a business development program designed to accelerate the growth of innovative companies from around the world. As it marks a decade of investment in innovation through the Disney Accelerator, Disney also announced the five companies joining the 2024 program. These companies are focused on exploring how emerging technologies can be used as tools to foster human creativity and imagination and help shape the future of media and technology.

“Disney has always been a leader in innovation, understanding and embracing technological shifts to enhance experiences and bring timeless stories to life. The Disney Accelerator allows us to continue this legacy of innovation and the responsible use of technology in service of storytelling,” said Bonnie Rosen, GM of the Disney Accelerator. “As we kick off the 10th year of the program, we are joined by leading companies that share our belief in the unmatched power of human creativity and imagination, exploring new ways to bring Disney magic to fans everywhere.”

The companies selected to participate in the 2024 Disney Accelerator program are:

AudioShake: AudioShake is an audio technology company that uses AI to separate the layers of recorded sound in order to make audio interactive, editable, and customizable.

ElevenLabs: ElevenLabs is a voice AI research and deployment company that creates realistic, versatile, and contextually aware AI audio.

Nuro: Nuro is an autonomous vehicle company that builds custom, electric, zero-occupant vehicles for the delivery of goods.

PrometheanAI: PrometheanAI is a company that provides a suite of tools for virtual world creation and digital asset management using natural language prompts.

StatusPro: StatusPro is an immersive entertainment company that leverages virtual and augmented reality to create first-person sports gaming experiences.

For 100 years, Disney has continuously invented, built, and utilized technologies in service of stories and experiences. The companies in the 2024 Disney Accelerator share in Disney’s commitment to exploring the benefits that artificial intelligence may offer to enable human imagination and creativity in a responsible and ethical way.

Since 2014, the Disney Accelerator has connected more than 60 global companies, including innovators like Epic Games, Kahoot!, Illumix and Inworld, with the creativity, imagination, and expertise of Disney. Over the course of the program, each participant company receives guidance from Disney’s senior leadership team. The 2024 Disney Accelerator program will conclude with a Demo Day in the spring at The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, CA.

For more information on the 2024 Disney Accelerator program, visit http://DisneyAccelerator.com.

The Walt Disney Company and Epic Games will collaborate on an all-new games and entertainment universe that will further expand the reach of beloved Disney stories and experiences. Disney will also invest $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games alongside the multiyear project. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

In addition to being a world-class games experience and interoperating with Fortnite, the new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. Players, gamers and fans will be able to create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love. This will all be powered by Unreal Engine.

“Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe,” said Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion. We can’t wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways.”

“Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite, and they use Unreal Engine across their portfolio,” said Tim Sweeney, CEO and Founder, Epic Games. “Now we’re collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities.”

“This will enable us to bring together our incredible collection of stories and experiences from across the company for a broad audience in ways we have only dreamed of before,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Experiences. “Epic Games’ industry-leading technology and Fortnite’s open ecosystem will help us reach consumers where they are so they can engage with Disney in the ways that are most relevant to them.”

Deepening the Epic Games & Disney Relationship

Disney and Epic Games have engaged hundreds of millions of players through Fortnite content integrations, season collaborations, in-game activations, and live events, including the Marvel Nexus War with Galactus, which drew more than 15.3 million concurrent players.

Unreal Engine is used to produce assets and content across the Disney portfolio including in the development of video games like Kingdom Hearts 3 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor; in cinematic editing and animation for film and streaming; and in the creation of more than 15 Disney Parks attractions like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

This all builds on Epic Games’ participation in the 2017 Disney Accelerator program, which seeks to impact the future of technology and entertainment.

Games Industry Growth & Disney Games Success

The digital world is growing and evolving with more than 3 billion video game players worldwide who want to move safely and seamlessly between the worlds they love, unleash their own creativity, and experience great gameplay.

Disney’s games business continues to deliver strong results since it shifted to a licensing business model in 2016. Disney is a leading games licensor working with best-in-class developers and publishers, including on the best-selling superhero game of all-time, Marvel’s Spider-Man. Licensed games from Disney garnered more than 150 award nominations, wins and other accolades in 2023, including multiple Game of the Year nominations for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Disney mobile games have 1.5 billion global installs, and to date, nine Disney games franchises have each grossed more than $1 billion in sales. In the U.S., the world’s largest games market, licensed titles from Disney regularly hit the annual top-10 best-sellers list.

About The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Entertainment, Sports and Experiences. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of $88.9 billion in its Fiscal Year 2023.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The terms “Company,” “we,” and “our” are used below to refer collectively to The Walt Disney Company and the subsidiaries through which its various businesses are actually conducted.Certain statements and information in this communication may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Company’s expectations, beliefs, plans, strategies, business or financial prospects or outlook, trends, future growth opportunities and drivers; future products or service offerings (including nature, timing and pricing), consumer sentiment, priorities or demand and drivers; our expected benefits from the collaboration with Epic Games and other statements that are not historical in nature. These statements are made on the basis of the Company’s views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance and plans as of the time the statements are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update these statements unless required by applicable laws or regulations, and you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such differences may result from actions taken by the Company, including restructuring or strategic initiatives or other business decisions, as well as from developments beyond the Company’s control, including: the occurrence of subsequent events; deterioration in domestic or global economic conditions or failure of conditions to improve as anticipated; deterioration in or pressures from competitive conditions, including competition to create or acquire content; competition for talent and competition for advertising revenue; consumer preferences and acceptance of our content, offerings, pricing model and price increases, and corresponding subscriber additions and churn, and the market for advertising sales on our direct-to-consumer services and linear networks; health concerns and their impact on our businesses and productions; international, political or military developments; regulatory and legal developments; technological developments; labor markets and activities, including work stoppages; adverse weather conditions or natural disasters; and availability of content. Such developments may further affect entertainment, travel and leisure businesses generally and may, among other things, affect (or further affect, as applicable): our operations, business plans or profitability, including direct-to-consumer profitability; our expected benefits from the collaboration with Epic Games; demand for our products and services; performance of the Company’s content; our ability to create or obtain desirable content at or under the value we assign the content; the advertising market for programming; income tax expense; and performance of some or all Company businesses either directly or through their impact on those who distribute our products.

Additional factors are set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023, including under the captions “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Business,” quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, including under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Disney+ Environments Magically Transform Users’ Spaces into Landscapes from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars

Enjoy an Unprecedented In-Home 3D Experience with Popular Films from The Walt Disney Company, including Avatar: The Way of Water, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Disney and Pixar’s Elemental, Encanto, and Dozens More

Technology Teams at Disney Bring Rich, Immersive Viewing Experiences to Life

Beginning February 2, fans will be able to experience Disney’s iconic stories like never before with Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s revolutionary spatial computer, offering Disney+ subscribers with a Vision Pro device a new way to stream entertainment at no additional cost.

“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,” said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “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.”

At launch, viewers can transform their space into one of four Disney+ environments, bringing them even closer to the story. Each environment includes animations and sounds that make the space feel alive, and Easter eggs from films and franchises that will surprise and delight fans.

Available only on Apple Vision Pro, Disney+ subscribers will be able to stream the entire catalog – including thousands of TV shows and films, plus access to Hulu content for eligible Disney Bundle subscribers – from iconic environments with vivid details, including: the Disney+ Theater, inspired by the historic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood; the Scare Floor from Pixar’s Monsters Inc.; Marvel’s Avengers Tower overlooking downtown Manhattan; and the cockpit of Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder, facing a binary sunset on the planet Tatooine from the Star Wars galaxy.

With 3D movies, Disney’s storytelling will also leap off the screen like never before with remarkable depth and clarity for an unprecedented in-home 3D experience on Disney+ with Apple Vision Pro. Viewers will be able to watch dozens of popular movies in 3D, like Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Elemental, and Encanto. More titles, including those available exclusively to Disney+ subscribers, will be announced at a later date. Apple Vision Pro users can also rent or purchase most 3D movies through the Store tab in the Apple TV app. Users who previously purchased Disney movies that include 3D versions from the Apple TV app will be able to access those 3D versions on Apple Vision Pro at no additional cost.

Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro is the result of innovation and collaboration between multiple technology teams at the Company, including Disney Studio Technology, Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, ILM Immersive, and Skywalker Sound.

Disney+ environments were developed using the Universal Scene Description (USD) format. Originally developed by Pixar and open sourced in 2016, USD allows developers to work simultaneously and collaboratively across creation tools and development pipelines to compose complex 3D experiences, at scale, across many applications, and in real time. The Alliance for OpenUSD – a group formed by Pixar and Apple, among others – is working to standardize the USD format across the industry.

Using Dolby Vision and Multiview High Efficiency Video Coding (MV-HEVC), 3D movies on Disney+ will deliver exceptional UHD resolution in HDR, unfiltered and independent for each eye, and at a high frame rate for several titles – ensuring that the filmmakers’ creative intent is fully preserved and reflected.

Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro extends the long-standing history of groundbreaking innovation and collaboration between Disney and Apple. With Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro, the world’s greatest storytelling company joins the most innovative technology company to continue delivering real life magic for fans around the world.

For more information on Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro, visit disneyplus.com/applevisionpro.