Have you ever heard of an Immersive Experience? These had become all the rage I feel like for touring art series ever since the Van Gogh Immersive Experience premiered in NYC in 2021. I had a chance to visit that exhibit when it was in Dallas in 2022, and loved it so much that I am constantly on the lookout for the next touring series.
Enter the Disney Immersive Experience. Of course Disney would jump on this popular form of touring art and create something even bigger and better from it. What better way to immerse yourself in art, than with the art of animation! The timing is also perfect for Disney to premier this exhibit as it’s the company’s 100 year anniversary, which all started with animation (and by a mouse!).
My friend Mary Ellen and I decided to visit the experience when I was in Dallas over Memorial Day Weekend. We got the individual tickets for around $50 each after taxes and fees. We got the basic tickets that only allowed you entry into the exhibit at the time selected when purchasing the tickets. There are two different levels of VIP tickets that allow you to rent a cushion for the show, and get an interactive wristband and a special immersive experience poster.
The first part of the exhibit is an area that showcases the process of creating animation and shows how the art has changed through the years. The first exhibit shown is the desk that mimics what an animators desk would look like as they are working through different projects. From there, you step into a gallery with numerous displays. The first wall display to catch my eye was the different sketches drawn out to create Cinderella’s iconic transformation into her dress for the ball and in the middle of those sketches were two screens – one showing the animation as a sketch and one showing the completed animation as seen in the movie. On the other side of the wall, they also had a blown up version of the same two type of videos, but this time with Aladdin and Jasmine on the magic carpet.
Then as you continue to look around, you see miniature figurines of a few of the most popular animated Disney characters. These maquettes, as they are called, are created to give an animator a physical view of each Disney character from all angles to help them throughout the drawing process. The Disney animation department has been using this technique since Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs back in 1937.
When the time arrived, we were able to enter a “vault.” This led us to the room that the show was taking place in. The scene that was projected onto the walls before the show started was similar to a library or collector’s gallery holding numerous props from different movies and pictures from scenes of movies. What I loved most about this immersive experience is that the floor was interactive, too. From the moment we stepped into the room the interaction began. For the opening scene and the wait before the show, there were stars on the floor that moved around with you to make you feel like you were immersed in Disney magic or pixie dust.
After a brief introduction from Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice and narrator, the hour long show began with the iconic opening from The Lion King. I’m not going to lie, seeing this scene projected from floor to ceiling had me tearing up a little bit and definitely holding back a full crying moment. I couldn’t believe we were already getting emotional in the first five minutes of the show. From there we were taken on a journey through our favorite Disney movies. Now take note here that because this is a Disney-only exhibit celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary, Pixar movies are not included in this show. This means no scenes from Toy Story, Monster’s Inc., Brave, Finding Nemo, or Up. Looking back, that may have been a good thing for our emotions because if they played the iconic music from Up or showed the opening scene in this immersive way, we would all be bawling our eyes out.
While they tried their best to make sure every movie was included in the show, they did highlight some scenes and songs from certian movies over others. We were well aware that Disney’s catalogue is so large that not all of their movies could be included. The movies highlighted include Pocahontas, Encanto, Frozen II, Moana, Tangled, The Princess and the Frog, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid. We were pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of Pocahontas. Seeing all of the visuals playing to “Just Around the Riverbend” was incredible. The most show-stopping scene by far was the iconic “I See the Light” sequence from Tangled complete with floating lanterns everywhere.
Once the immersive show is over, you then move to a room full of tables with paper, pencils, and instructions for drawing various Disney characters. You are encouraged to try your hand at drawing a Disney character, which is kind of hard, but still loads of fun. They have a step by step instruction of how to draw each character next to a clipboard full of paper. I choose to try drawing Daisy Duck, while Mary Ellen decided to draw Pluto. I think overall our drawings turned out pretty decently. While you are taking your time drawing your character, the walls are playing clips of different animation sketches of Disney movies such as Bambi, and Beauty & the Beast. There is also a photo opportunity in this room where you can stand at the wheel of the steamboat from Walt Disney’s first animation creation, Steamboat Willie.
As you are walking out of the exhibit, there is another fun activity to try: name the Disney character from their outline. We actually managed to name over 2/3 of the characters on the wall. From there, you have a chance to stop in the gift shop on the way out. They had tons of Disney merchandise with a heavy emphasis on the Disney princesses. There were also some cool animation books and art materials needed for those who pick up an interest in art and animation after seeing the exhibit.
Overall, we loved the immersive experience and definitely felt like we got our money’s worth. This is definitely a must do for any Disney fan or if you’re looking for an indoor activity for you kids. While the exhibit is no longer in Dallas, you are able to catch it in the following cities: Boston, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, London, ON, Minneapolis, Nashville, San Antonio, and Toronto.
Let me know if you’ve had a chance to see this touring exhibit and what you thought of it in the comments below!
Here are some pictures from the show:
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