Holovis has partnered with the giant brand Legoland to produce an immersive ride for its New York resort that will open on July 4, 2020.
At the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, US, during November, it gave a demonstration of the ride that uses the company’s HoloTrac technology.
Taking inspiration from the real-life Lego factories and adding a fantasy element, the interactive ride asks guests to cheer in order to wake a dragon involved in the making of the bricks and elephants that squash the materials. Riders are then transformed into Lego versions of themselves that mimic their own movements on a screen in from of them. The technology identifies the person’s general appearance, including the colour of their hair and clothes and expression.
Creative consultant Lily-Ann Bedder said: “A voice shouts ‘give us a wave’ once the customer’s Lego versions appear in from of them. When they wave they see the character does exactly what they do. It always gets a big reaction. We also sell a picture at the end of the ride of the person with their Lego character.”
Conversations are ongoing as to whether customers will be offered an actual Lego version of themselves at the end of the ride. Bedder said: “All the hair and clothes that appear in the ride actually exist in Lego’s stock, so it would be possible to deliver this.” The company has also joined forces with Discovery Communications, which produces content like the Discovery Channel, for an immersive dining experience that Discovery hopes will be installed in three to five sites within the next two years, but it is slated to appear in Yanoda Park, on Hainan Island, China, by 2021.
The sensory experience puts customers in different locations including a tropical beach and a forest at night. Ceiling-high screens show the environments with accompanying sounds effects. Food that compliments each location is served on a table with matching visuals projected onto it.
Christine Wacker, vice president of global location-based entertainment for Discovery, said: “It is less of an actual meal than it is a dining experience. We want people to feel like they are in this world so it will be an all-inclusive offer. We don’t want to hand people a bill at the end because that would take them out of it. There won’t be a menu or anything like that, it will just be as is.”
Pictured: Two IAAPA attendees transformed into Lego characters
