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Madison and Hailey Ledford dance during the "Disney Animation: Immersive Experience" preview Monday at Lighthouse ArtSpace near downtown.
Billy Calzada/Staff photographer
"Disney Animation: Immersive Experience," which opens today in San Antonio, puts some of the beloved studio's magic right at visitors' feet.
Golden stars swirling about the floor as you enter the installation at Lighthouse ArtSpace near downtown, responding to movement and skittering out of the way with every footfall. Kids at a preview Monday caught on immediately, spending the moments before the show dancing and jumping, watching the stars react. One little boy spent much of the evening toddling about, his eyes firmly fixed on the ever-changing images at his tiny feet.
The touring installation, which is making its Texas debut, surrounds visitors with images drawn from Disney's history, which sweep across the walls of two galleries. The show is designed to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary this year. There are images from early classics such as "Bambi" and "Sleeping Beauty" as well as newer favorites like "Encanto," "Moana" and "Frozen II."
The floor changed along with the images on the walls, with leaves fluttering about as "Colors of the Wind" from "Pocahontas" unspooled and small pools of bright yellow pixie dust announcing the presence of Tinkerbell during a flying montage kicked off with scenes from "Peter Pan."
Those who check out "Disney Animation: Immersive Experience" are given bracelets that light up with different colors in coordination with the images projected all around them.
Billy Calzada/Staff photographer
"Disney Animation" is the second offering in San Antonio from Lighthouse Immersive, which presents immersive experiences around the world. The company made its San Antonio debut last year with "Immersive Van Gogh."
When: Through May 29. Times vary.
Where: Lighthouse ArtSpace, 221 Burleson.
Tickets: $35.99-$99.99, lighthouseimmersive.com/disney/san-antonio.
The new show is the product of a partnership with Walt Disney Animation Studios.
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"We have very high standards at Disney, and so does Lighthouse, so it was kind of a match made in heaven," said Dorothy McKim, an Emmy-winning Disney producer who attended the preview.
In just under an hour, the installation captures the joy and wonder of Disney's animated classics through artfully edited montages drawn from about 45 films. The clips tell a story about characters chasing their dreams. They face obstacles along the way. Villains such as Scar from "The Lion King," Ursula from "The Little Mermaid" and Maleficent from "Sleeping Beauty" do their worst, but the heroes persevere.
Visitors are outfitted with white reactive bracelets, which light up in colors corresponding to the action. A dramatic sequence from "Fantasia" is punctuated by red flashes; a cool blue accompanied more peaceful moments.
Bubbles fill the gallery during a sequence devoted to "Frozen II" in "Disney Animation: Immersive Experience." It is one of three moments in the show featuring bubbles.
Billy Calzada/Staff photographer
There also is a simple but delightful tactile element to the show. During three sequences, bubbles fill the space. Children giddily jumped up to try to catch or pop them. Some of the bubbles contained tiny puffs of smoke, another surprising bit of whimsy.
It all ends, naturally, with Jiminy Cricket singing "When You Wish Upon a Star."
As with the van Gogh show, the experience starts in the lobby, with displays designed to celebrate the artists who create Disney's magic. There are maquettes of figures from "The Little Mermaid" and "Moana," as well as a short film explaining how animators use those figures in their work. One wall is devoted to the elaborate spin that transforms Cinderella's look from workaday to glam.
There also are spots for taking selfies: a re-creation of a cel from "Steamboat Willie," the front of the house from "Encanto."
And, of course, there is a gift shop. Among the offerings are $29.99 piggy banks shaped like Ariel, Belle and other Disney characters, as well as plenty of books, housewares and totebags.
It took about six months to pull the project together -- a pretty lickety-split timeline, especially for Disney, said J. Miles Dale, the show's executive creative director. The entirety of Disney animation, including shorts, was made available to the installation's creators.
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"We had a lot to choose from and a great responsibility to do this right," said Dale, an Oscar-winning movie and television producer. "We feel that we’ve crafted a show that's kind of like a best-of for a number of things in terms of characters, songs and films, that create what feels like a Disney narrative from beginning to middle to the end."
"We have some original Mickey animation in the show at the beginning, and Mickey sort of exhorts the audience to throw your wishes up into the sky on three, and everybody throws their wishes and their bracelets light up. And hopefully, they at least feel like their wish came true, even if their wish is only to see a great show on a Tuesday afternoon."
dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
