Roger Fingas
Disney's new theme park-connected "Show Your Disney Side" app for iPhone lets users shoot a selfie and merge it with a famous character from one of the company's movies or attractions, such as Frozen, Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean, or the Haunted Mansion.
Some examples include Darth Maul, pirates, and Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent. Notably, the Haunted Mansion characters in the app — such as Madame Leota and the Hitchhiking Ghost — can only be unlocked by actually visiting Disneyland or Walt Disney World, or alternately by sharing three creations on Facebook or Twitter.
Each character can be personalized with different costumes and frames. The results are then enhanced with special effects tailored to each Disney persona, and users can save and share photos and video clips.
The app is a free download from the App Store. Unlike most iPhone apps, it will not work at all on an iPad, and is in fact optimized for the iPhone 5, 6, and 6 Plus. iOS 7.0 or later is required.
Apple and Disney have a close corporate relationship. Disney CEO Bob Iger sits on the Apple Board of Directors, and former Apple CEO Steve Jobs once held a position on the Disney board as well as the status of the company's largest individual shareholder; those shares are now in the hands of his widow, Laurene Powell Jobs.
Disney products have long been featured on the iTunes Store and the App Store, and Disney-owned TV networks are widespread on the Apple TV. During press events, Apple will sometimes use Disney content to demonstrate product features. Walt Disney World was also one of the first businesses to support Apple Pay.
Wesley Hilliard
Malcolm Owen
Marko Zivkovic
William Gallagher
7 Comments
Don't mention Disney to me for a while. I was there last weekend in Orlando. The room was smelly, the food atrocious and when it rained there is nowhere to shelter. I'll get over it I'm sure.
[quote name="digitalclips" url="/t/185069/disneys-show-your-disney-side-app-for-iphone-transforms-you-into-your-favorite-character#post_2686319"]Don't mention Disney to me for a while. I was there last weekend in Orlando. The room was smelly, the food atrocious and when it rained there is nowhere to shelter. I'll get over it I'm sure.[/quote] At least you live in Florida, imagine traveling thousands of miles to be there.
While Disney in Anaheim has had no rain for a couple years, but we do have the measles.
Played around with the app -- it's pretty fun. The pictures aren't just static pictures -- you blink, smile, make expressions -- ala Harry Potter pictures. Some of the faces -- Maleficent and Jafar for instance, distort your face into... well, mine looked pretty grotesque but very amusing. Plus, you can share the image -- Facebook, text, email, etc. I felt like it was worth a download. Kids will get a kick out of it for sure.
While Disney in Anaheim has had no rain for a couple years, but we do have the measles.
Not if your fully vaccinated (at least it doesn't matter) :-). They should tell kids they can't got to Disney because they're unvacinated and see they hastle their parents to death to get a vaccine, that would shot them... ;-).