Disney Interactive Delivers the Magic of Animation with Disney Animated Interactive iPad App

Hi everyone!

Disney Interactive today announced an amazing app for the iPad titled Disney Animated. We were fortunate enough to get the chance to see and play with the app at Walt Disney Feature Animation earlier this week, and were so impressed with it! At $13.99, this is something that will keep Disney fans – no matter what level – entertained for hours on end. Disney Interactive collaborated with Touch Press to bring this app to life.

We spoke with co-creator Dave Bossert about how difficult it was to amass so much rich content, which includes a bouncing ball test; original trailers from nearly every film that Walt Disney Pictures has released; interactive content such as Elsa’s snow (from the film Frozen) or making Vanellope Von Schweetz dance. Bossert’s answer? They had a tough time narrowing it down. “The hardest part is what we chose”, Bossert said. They had only 2 gigs worth of space. Surprisingly, the app feels like many years were put into creating it, but it was closer to one year. I have heard of the bouncing ball test, but had never had the opportunity to try it.

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Bossert told us that they considered Disney Animated a “coffee table” app. If you took all of the content included, it’d be something you’d want to put on your coffee table and peruse – sharing with friends and family. I told Bossert that I could see my 9 and 11 year-old nieces enjoying certain aspects of the app for hours on end, while Disney fans like Jeff and I would enjoy it on a different level. It really is something the whole family will want to play with. This is a great overview on how Walt Disney Animation Studios makes movies. My personal favorite aspect may have been having nearly every original film trailer from 53 Disney movies at my fingertips.

We have the press release below that lists many of the great features of the app! We only played with it for 15 or so minutes, but we could have spent many hours in one sitting. I didn’t even get a chance to “animate” Vanellope, I think it will be a lot of fun to make her dance! But much of what I’m most looking forward to when we actually sit down ourselves with the app is just learning about Walt Disney Animation.
 

Dave Bossert discusses the app – we have video of the entire presentation below!

Here is the press release, which gives all the details!

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August 8, 2013 (Burbank, CA) — Disney Animated, a new premium app for iPad, is now available in the App Store. For the first time ever, fans can explore the story of Disney animation through unique interactive illustrations and authentic animation workshops derived from actual Disney technologies.  Disney Animated gives fans unparalleled access to an astonishing amount of content, including text, art, sound, images, interviews and interactive activities, spanning all eras of Walt Disney Animation Studios history, many previously unavailable to the public.  Disney Animated was created in collaboration with Touch Press, the acclaimed developer of award-winning iPad apps such as The Elements and Barefoot World Atlas, recently selected by Apple as one of the ten best apps of all time.

“At Disney Interactive we are committed to building new, high-quality storytelling experiences that leverage digital technologies and platforms,” said Mark L. Walker, Senior Vice President, Disney Interactive Entertainment. “Through the power of the iPad, we are bringing fans closer than ever to their favorite Walt Disney Animation Studio films and the art and technology of making those films.  Disney Animated represents a rare moment when innovation, technology and art converge to create an experience that is entirely new.”
 
“Walt Disney Animation Studios’ top animators, artists and technicians brought their expertise to this app to help create an incredibly authentic experience which represents our studio’s rich legacy,” said Dave Bossert, co-author of Disney Animated and Producer, Creative Director, Head of Walt Disney Animation Studios Special Projects. “We’re excited to show the world the art and technology behind how we make our films and inspire the next generation of animators.”
 
Through Disney Animated, fans can immerse themselves in content from all 53 full-length animated feature films.  From the ability to examine treasured artifacts and intricate artwork to an exclusive first look at footage, concept art, animation tests and visual effects from the upcoming film Frozen, Disney Animated allows fans to discover the animation process through hands-on interactive activities adapted from the actual tools Disney animators use.
 
“The world of Disney animation is amazingly rich and deep.  The more you look into it, the more surprising and delightful it becomes.” said Theodore Gray, co-author of Disney Animated and Chief Creative Officer of Touch Press. “We rethought from the ground up how this story should be told, now that we can tell it with words, pictures, clips, sounds, and interactive workshops that let you apply what you’ve learned.”
 
Disney Animated features:
·         The Story of Animation:  How Disney animated films are brought to life, from early concept and story development through layout and background, animation, visual effects, sound and music and final assembly – with every illustration on every page touchable and interactive, including the ability to peel back the layers of animated scenes to reveal work-in-progress animation steps and visual effects layers.
 
·         Interactive Workshops: Hands-on interactives allow fans to experiment with iPad versions of authentic Disney animation technologies and share their creations via email and social media.  Fans can animate Vanellope from Wreck-It Ralph using a straightforward but powerful 3D animation package adapted from real Disney software and control a swirling snow visual effect from the upcoming film Frozen.
 
·         Disney Animation History in One Place: A comprehensive timeline of all 53 animated feature films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, including animated clips of favorite characters and recently uncovered historic trailers.
 
·         Unprecedented Access: Disney Animated contains over 750 interactive illustrations, including more than  400 short animation clips, over  350 high-quality images from Disney’s archives, including backgrounds, concept art, character sketches, and super-zoomable storyboards, 3D rotational photography of rare artifacts like the maquette of Hyacinth, the dancing hippo from Fantasia, and a unique Color Map that displays a sophisticated color summary and thumbnail frames from every scene from every one of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 52 released feature films in a single iPad image.
 
Disney Animated is available for $13.99 from the App Store on iPad at AppStore.com/DisneyAnimated. For more information on Disney Animated, visit Disney.com/Animated.