Debuting during last night's world premiere of Frozen 2, Walt Disney Animation Studios debuted its new VR short,
Myth: A Frozen Tale.
Inspired by the feature film,
Myth: A Forzen Tale explores the magical world of
Frozen 2, using the latest VR technology, an original music score, and stylized art direction to immerse viewers within this virtual experience. Additionally, premiere guests were able to experience
Myth: A Frozen Tale on the Positron Voyager Chair, a specially designed virtual reality motion chair with the capability to rotate 360 degrees horizontally as well as 35-degrees backwards and forwards. It also features multi-sensory capabilities.
Myth: A Frozen Tale was directed by Jeff Gipson (Disney Animation's
Cycles) and produced by Nicholas Russell. Jose Luis Gomez Diaz served as VR Technology Supervisor, while
Frozen and
Frozen 2 visual devleopment artist Brittney Lee was the production designer.
Regarding the inspiration and actual plot of
Myth: A Frozen Tale, Gipson explained:
“The idea for Myth: A Frozen Tale came from a personal place for me, and was inspired by my family’s tradition of telling bedtime stories. This led me to start thinking about what the world of Frozen and some of the film’s new elemental characters would look like in VR. Myth: A Frozen Tale is set in a forest outside of Arendelle as a family sits down for a bedtime story. As the mother reads, the audience is transported to a mystical and enchanted forest where the elemental spirits come to life and the myths of their past and future is revealed. With breathtaking production design by Brittney Lee, and a brilliant musical score by Joseph Trapanese, this film follows in the Fantasia legacy of using imagery and music together in an experimental way, using the latest advances in virtual reality to achieve that.”
Beyond the premiere event, it's unclear when, or if, this new VR short will be shown again, but Clark Spencer, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, did say that the studio is "excited to share this amazing VR film with audiences everywhere." That seems to suggest
Myth: A Frozen Tale will be made available for everyone at some point in the future.
Why was Elsa born with magical powers? What truths about the past await Elsa as she ventures into the unknown to the enchanted forests and dark seas beyond Arendelle? The answers are calling her but also threatening her kingdom. Together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, she'll face a dangerous but remarkable journey. In “Frozen,” Elsa feared her powers were too much for the world.
Frozen 2 hits theaters on November 22.