Disney Animation: Immersive Experience – Courtesy of Lighthouse Immersive Studios

LIGHTHOUSE IMMERSIVE AND DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS ANNOUNCE TOKYO AS FIRST CITY TO RECEIVE
DISNEY ANIMATION: IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE OF NORTH AMERICA – PRESENTED BY NIPPON TV

Lighthouse Immersive Studios, the Creators of Immersive Van Gogh, and Walt Disney Animation Studios Bring New Immersive Experience to Japan Following World Premiere in Toronto and Announced Openings in 12 North American Cities

Following a celebrated world premiere at Lighthouse ArtSpace Toronto in December 2022 and a subsequent rollout in select U.S. cities, Lighthouse Immersive's much-acclaimed Disney Animation: Immersive Experience is heading to Tokyo in its first exhibition outside of North America, presented by Nippon TV and BS Nippon Corporation.

Japan's iteration of the magical immersive experience that has dazzled audiences and critics alike is set to premiere Saturday, April 29 at Mori Arts Center Gallery (52nd floor, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower) and will run through August 31, 2023. For more information on Disney Animation: Immersive Experience's Tokyo presentation, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.dijp2023.com.

Developed in collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney Animation: Immersive Experience was called “jaw-dropping” by Axios Cleveland, “a peek behind the curtain that you would just never otherwise get” by the Boston Globe, with Elite Daily remarking, “you really feel like you've stepped inside your fave film.” Disney Animation: Immersive Experience has premiered in 10 North American cities thus far, including Toronto, Cleveland, Nashville, Detroit, Denver, Boston, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Columbus and San Antonio, with additional premieres slated for Dallas and Atlanta. To purchase tickets in North America, visit lighthouseimmersive.com/disney.

The public opening dates for each city are as follows:

　・TORONTO (1 Yonge St.) | NOW OPEN

　・CLEVELAND (850 E. 72nd St.) | NOW OPEN

　・NASHVILLE (4416 Ridgefield Way) | NOW OPEN

　・DETROIT (267 E. Grand River Ave.) | NOW OPEN

　・DENVER (3900 Elati St.) | NOW OPEN

　・BOSTON (130 Columbus Ave.) | NOW OPEN

　・SAN ANTONIO (221 Burleson St.) | NOW OPEN

　・MINNEAPOLIS (1515 Central Ave. NE) | NOW OPEN

　・LAS VEGAS (3720 S. Las Vegas Blvd.) | NOW OPEN

　・COLUMBUS (940 Polaris Pkwy.) | NOW OPEN

　・DALLAS (507 S. Harwood St.) | April 20, 2023

　・TOKYO (52nd floor, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower) | April 29, 2023

　・ATLANTA (159 Armour Dr.) | May 1, 2023

Creating iconic animated stories for all ages for nearly a century, Walt Disney Animation Studios has joined forces with North America's top creator of experiential projection exhibitions (including The Original Immersive Van Gogh) to present the music and artistry within Disney Animation's canon of films—from hits of today like Encanto, Zootopia and Frozen, to all of the classics including The Lion King, Peter Pan and Pinocchio. Audiences will feel like they've entered the incredible worlds of beloved Disney characters and become one with them.

“The joy and magic of Disney animation is not limited by geographical or cultural barriers,” said Lighthouse Immersive founder Corey Ross. “It has been quite a nostalgic rush seeing these films come to life as we premiere Disney Animation: Immersive Experience in North America. We are eagerly ecstatic to share this presentation with Japanese audiences in Tokyo, who surely look back on Disney Animation's decades of films with the same fondness and wonder.”

The creative team for the Disney Animation: Immersive Experience is led by Oscar®-winning producer J. Miles Dale (Best Picture 2018 -The Shape of Water) who said, “As a filmmaker, I am always seeking out ideas that can engage an audience in new and interesting ways, and to show them something that they have never seen before. Using the new technology that the immersive experience offers is exciting, but it's important that it not interfere with the emotional investment that Disney fans have in the characters and storylines that audiences have come to cherish. This groundbreaking approach that Lighthouse Immersive Studios has created does exactly that by giving the viewer the sensation that they are actively sharing the space with the characters they most love from the Disney Animation library. Most of our guests have seen these films multiple times, but they tell me that they feel as though they are seeing them in an entirely new way, and that was always our goal.”

Mexico City-based Cocolab worked with Dale and the Creative Legacy team at Walt Disney Animation Studios to develop the program for Lighthouse Immersive Studios. Special Projects Producer Dorothy McKim (Oscar-nominated, Get A Horse!) is spearheading the project for Disney Animation.

“Having been a part of Disney Animation for over 40 years, I truly consider this one of the great joys within my career, partnering with Lighthouse Immersive to bring our characters, stories and films to audiences in thrilling and new ways,” said McKim. “Watching the joy and delight the show brings to audiences is what dreams are made of."

Beyond the unparalleled projection design that Lighthouse Immersive is known for, Disney Animation: Immersive Experience is further enhanced by expansive environmental design by Lighthouse Immersive's Global Creative Director David Korins (Tony Award®-nominee whose credits include more than 20 Broadway shows including Hamilton, and an Emmy Award® for Grease Live).

The moment patrons walk in the door, they are transported into the magical world of Disney Animation Studios' vaults as they follow a swirling pixie dust ‘wish trail' through the galleries, where they encounter rarely seen exhibits from Walt Disney Animation Research Library, including a series of animator's character sketches, an animator's desk displaying time lapses of character creation, storyboard displays, introductions to some of the amazing animators behind the legacy, and more. Additional interactive features within the projection show include responsive projection design that moves with the audience and a particularly show-stopping moment when the Gazillion Bubbles special effects team fills the 500,000 cubic feet of galleries with bubbles.

Ross captures the excitement both Disney and Lighthouse Immersive feel for the project as he describes how it begins: “Just imagine journeying through Zootopia with Judy Hopps, diving to the ocean floor with Ariel, flying on a magic carpet with Aladdin, and stepping into Casita with Mirabel and the family Madrigal. This is where the Disney Animation: Immersive Experience takes you.”

Collaborating with Lighthouse Immersive is the Creative Legacy team of Walt Disney Animation Studios, helping bring their library of films to audiences in a manner never before experienced. The Tokyo presentation of Disney Animation: Immersive Experience is sponsored by Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd., Dai-ichi Life Group, JCB Co., Ltd. and Mitsumura Printing – in cooperation with TOKYO MX, J-WAVE and Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, with special cooperation from the Walt Disney Company (Japan).

ABOUT WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS:
Combining masterful artistry and storytelling with groundbreaking technology, Walt Disney Animation Studios is a filmmaker-driven animation studio responsible for creating some of the most beloved films ever made. WDAS continues to build on its rich legacy of innovation and creativity, from the first fully-animated feature film, 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to 2019's Frozen 2, the biggest animated film of all time, to our 60th animated feature, the Academy Award®-winning Encanto. Among the studio's timeless creations are Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia.

ABOUT LIGHTHOUSE IMMERSIVE:
Lighthouse Immersive creates, produces and distributes innovative digital immersive art experiences through its experiential multiplex digital art galleries, aiming to cultivate community and creativity through large-scale events and exhibitions of all art forms. Lighthouse Immersive has produced the world premieres of Immersive Van Gogh, Immersive Frida Kahlo, Immersive King Tut and Immersive Klimt: Revolution in more than 21 North American cities, including Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Boston and Denver, and is currently expanding into additional markets. To date, they have sold over 6 million tickets to Immersive Van Gogh across North America, with Artnet calling it “one of the largest coordinated art phenomena of all time.”

ABOUT NIPPON TV:
Nippon TV is Japan's leading multiplatform entertainment powerhouse and ratings champion broadcaster, as well as owner of streaming giant Hulu in Japan. Over 90% of its content IP is fully owned by Nippon TV and the company has ben active in bringing its content to the international market in the form of anime, ready-made programs, formats and through co-production partnerships. As evident by the company's success, Nippon TV is leveraging its coveted platform to revolutionize digital media in an ever-changing industry to solidify its presence and brand as a global media leader.