Disney+ gets into augmented reality with the new short film Remembering, a Disney+ Day premiere. Executive produced by and starring Brie Larson and written/directed by Elijah Allan-Blitz, the actress’ boyfriend since 2019, the 7-minute live-action short explores the world of imagination through a lost idea. In order to get the full experience, viewers will want to use an iPhone or iPad as a second screen and will need to download “Remembering: The AR Experience” app from the Apple App Store. At this time, the experience does not seem to be available for Android devices.
(Disney)
The app walks you through the simple steps for setting up the experience, using your camera to scan the screen and room around it. Once you press play on the short, the app is inactive until a moment when a waterfall becomes the center of attention and the words “Come on, let’s go” are spoken. The story starts with Brie Larson at a desk, seeming to forget something. A glowing idea leaves her ink pen and enters her phone, which rings. When she answers, we follow the idea into the world of imagination where it encounters Brie’s younger self, played by Dusty Peak in her screen debut.
(Disney)
Once the AR sequence is activated, kids and families will delight in moving their device around the room and looking at the highly imaginative expanded world pouring out of their screens. Trees grow around your space, and the waterfall fills up a lagoon through which dolphins emerge. While it is possible to view the short without the AR component, the activity of the short slows down during this segment, allowing viewers the ability to linger in the AR space and not feel like they’re missing anything.
(Disney)
As technology advances and provides us with more ways to interact with content, it’s fun to think about what the future will hold. This is Disney+’s first foray into AR content, and while the company has explored other second-screen options in the past, it’s hard not to think about what will come next. But for now, you can step into an imaginative and magical future with Remembering.