Imagineering Disney -: Did you ever get to experience the Circle-Vision 360° theater in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in California or the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida? The circular, standing-room only theater had nine screens and nine film projectors. The patented process provided a one-of-a-kind film going experience and was a staple for years at most Magic Kingdom-style parks
10 comments:
I'd never heard of Disney doing 360˚ projection, it is really cool. With advances in LED and projection technology that have come now, I think that they really could do an amazing attraction that is a homage to the originals. Off the top of my head, making it even bigger seems possible. What if they tied in a video floor and a video ceiling. Both of which would have been hard for film projectors but could now be achieved easily. If Disney then tied in some of their atmospheric effects, especially smell and wind, they could transport the viewer to almost anywhere in the world, or beyond. Another advancement that could be added today that would have been unthinkable when the original was released is interaction. Computer vision could be used to track the audience members in the space and allow them to interact with the content on the screens.
I agree that bring the more circle vision movies would be awesome. I saw the canada video two years ago and I loved it. It feels like a personal video experience as opposed to a group experience. In a 360 degree theater you can choose your own adventure by looking at a different part of the screen. You can stand next to someone and have a completely different experience, which is fascinating. Your eyes can wander to what you find interesting. To me, it becomes a piece of visual art more so than a movie because it becomes more like the experience of being in an art museum the a movie theater. I would love to see how animated movies would work in the 360 setup. I would be neat to see how that would be executed. Since I find looking all around the best part of these movies I find it hard to imagine how you could put an animated movie with a plot in. I worry that it would become less of a choose your own adventure and become slightly tacky. I hope that Disney decides to create more of these movies and I look forward to seeing different versions of them.
Ahhhh, good old Altmans bolted to unistrut bolted to more unistrut bolted to some conduit. Am I the only one that thinks the semi-religious feelings that some people have about Disney are scary? I get it, it’s a magical place and is the best time of children’s lives, but doesn’t that sound like something brainwashed people say? Being brainwashed is okay, as long as you are happy I guess. But really, the writer of this article didn’t make a very convincing case. His only real motivation for wanting to being the attraction back is that it is part of his memories of Disneyland. I think, and I think the Disney executives think too, that it was a poorly made and kind of campy attraction that was not a very effective format for showing anything other than surround imagery of beautiful mountains, but if you want that, why don’t you just go outside?
I have never heard of this attraction before. I am not well versed in Disney and it’s theme parks but i would think an attraction that from this article that seemed unique and special would have stuck around. So I gather that this writer is one of the few to really enjoy and miss it. To me it seems that Disney tries to keep the all time favorites for as long as possible because they bring people through their gates but if attractions are small in numbers and seem not as useful or magical anymore they have to think of something new. I think that if Disney did revamp this attraction it would definitely wow people and they would enjoy it because with today’s technology they could really make something even more spectacular than 9 projectors all around you. So patience writer there may be something in the works that we don’t know is going to come around.
I love seeing movies in unconventional formats. Practically since the invention of film we’ve been using the same format, sure we’ve gradually stretched the aspect ratio and the quality has gotten astronomically better but it’s still stuck in the same boring rectangle on the wall. Recently there has been a very limited roll out of gently curved home TV’s but movie theatres are still sticking to the rectangle on the wall method and so are most movies. It’s just easier, but not necessarily the best way to actually watch a movie. It’s been the standard no one has successfully broken though and as such has become the expectation. Omnimax theatre is the obvious exception to this rule and it is a really incredible and unique experience. For all of the benefits of interaction I still think there is certainly room for an appreciation of excellently crafted unique movies in Disney World.
I would love for Disney to bring back their rotating films. I have never gotten the chance to experience one, but after reading this article I am dying to see one. I think it would be interesting to see the movie now compared to what it was in 1960 since we have come such a long way in projection technology. It would be so much more advanced and beautiful to watch at this point in time. I got the chance to go to Disney this past summer, so I think it would be cool if it did a movie that brought together all of Walt Disney’s very original films and went through the best/iconic moments in them. I love nostalgic moments like these and think it would make many audiences happy, not just the younger ones which are typically the target. Besides doing the throwback one, I would also find it interesting if they did a 4-D movie. This could get risky with motion sickness, but I believe Disney could master it and make it worth-while. I would love to see Disney bring back surrounding movies and think it would inspire audiences to continue to look into the future.
I understand why the author would be upset and saddened by the fact that Disney would remove this attraaction. I love an hour away from Orlando and Disney World so I know how important childhood amusement park memories are. with that said I do respect Disney's decision. At the time when Circle Vision 360 was created I'm sure it was at the brink of innovation, but over time Disney visitors must have lost interest in 360 projection of random plotless projection. It's actually not uncommon to find different forms of 360 projection. I forget what it's called but there is another place near Orlando where you can actually watch these types of films in a dime comfiguration where screen borh around you and above you. In order for Disney to stay afloat they need experiences unique to to their parks. An attraction like Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor in which you can have like conversations with beloved characters from an animated film is so much more interesting to me honestly. I completely understand why Disney has made the decision to replace the Circle Vision 360.
I don't really remember having been in one of these theatres before but based on my reading and google research I'm actually not quite impressed. Maybe it's just me, the 9 separate screens actually do not provide an immersive experience, but , if anything , divide up the completeness of the movie. I can't think of my enjoying a movie where I have to constantly turn around to get the whole picture. Travel films, as the author of this article mentioned, will fit in the situation better since they feature long and grand shots of nature, and audience will be more likely to take a gasp when viewing the charming landscape. I can imagine this being a huge deal a few years ago, but with the advance in technologies, Disney should start thinking about upgrading the Circle-Vision 360° concept to another level. I also keep wondering if the concept will have a better usage to create theatrical experience, especially a haunting, traumatizing, overwhelming one. Just imagine sitting in a dark theatre, watching actors onstage, and having screens surrounding you. I think it would be better if the 9 screens visual feast can be a supporting element instead of being the whole point of a piece.
I remember working in a theater that was hosting an installation sort of similar to this one. It was supposed to be a an interactive 3d experience but this one was supposed to fit inside the lobby. Instead of 9 separate projection screens with nine separate projectors, this was a single, very wide projection screen wrapped in a circle, with 3 projectors which were keystoned in such a way as to provide a continuous image over the entirety of the screen. While a great feat in itself, the truly awesome part came with it's interactivity. The engineers of this installation set up infrared cameras behind the projectors which were able to somehow transform the entire projection screen into a touch screen. It was a truly intriguing installation, and a really fun one to be working around. I think it raises a lot of questions about the place of interactivity in art and theatre.
I agree with several people above that a 360 degree theater like this would be great for viewing virtual reality films. In fact, there are a lot of companies now that are basically "studios" and production companies for VR movies. The movies they make are only popular in certain communities currently because very few people in the world actually own VR equipments. I tried to watch some of them on my phone with Google cardboard, but it was a very physically uncomfortable and difficult experience. Maybe with a cinema like this one at Disney, people can watch VR films just like they watch normal movies. They sit in comfy seats that can spin around (in silence) and they witness the story unfold as they choose which perspective and direction they want to look at. I wonder if cinema companies like AMC have yet experimented with a business model like this. I would be very interested to see how it works and how it feels.
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