“At Disney+, we’ve always taken great pride in leading the way with the magic that comes from blending tech and creativity, which is why it was so important to us to be on Apple Vision Pro at launch, and partner with Apple to pioneer this next wave of streaming innovation,” says Alisa Bowen, president of Disney+.

Disney+ is an app enjoyed by millions of users worldwide. Our goal was to adapt the application for the Apple Vision Pro in a way that would function as a seamless transition for new users, while taking advantage of the spatial computing elements to further extend Disney+ content.

Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro extends the long-standing history of groundbreaking innovation and collaboration between Disney and Apple. With this project, the world’s greatest storytelling company joined the most innovative technology company to continue delivering real life magic for fans around the world.

Imagine watching a drive-in movie of Star Wars: The Force Awakens from an X-34 landspeeder during a binary sunset or enjoying Avengers: Endgame in the Avengers Tower overlooking a sparkling midtown Manhattan skyline (not to mention, an imposing nearby Hulkbuster).

The goal was to leverage the immersive, high-fidelity elements of the Apple Vision Pro by releasing two ambitious new features to the Disney+ app: placing users in fully immersive environments modeled after iconic Disney locations and streamable 3D films, viewable for the first time ever in this format from home.

Disney+ Environments will bring audiences even closer to the story by transforming their space around them, allowing them to stream content from iconic environments with vivid details.

With 3D movies, Disney’s storytelling will also leap off the screen like never before with remarkable depth and clarity for an unprecedented in-home 3D experience on Disney+ with Apple Vision Pro.

We have seen great engagement with the app. Users are thrilled with the stunning quality of the 3D movies and Viewing Environments. In addition to the positive response from consumers, we also hoped this product would serve as an entry point into the immersive medium for creatives and leadership at Disney. Their response to Disney+ on the Apple Vision Pro has not only been encouraging, but indicative that this product symbolizes the first crucial step in ushering in the next stage of storytelling at The Walt Disney Company.

We delivered on our creative idea by crafting something truly magical.

Available only on Apple Vision Pro, Disney+ subscribers are able to stream the entire catalog – including thousands of TV shows and films, plus access to Hulu content for eligible Disney Bundle subscribers – from iconic environments with vivid details, including: the Disney+ Theater, inspired by the historic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood; the Scare Floor from Pixar’s Monsters Inc.; Marvel’s Avengers Tower overlooking downtown Manhattan; and the cockpit of Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder, on the planet Tatooine from the Star Wars galaxy. Each environment includes animations and sounds that make the space feel alive, and Easter eggs from films and franchises that will surprise and delight fans. When they press play and the movie begins, the environments transform from day to night to set the perfect mood for content watching.

Disney+ Environments were developed using the Universal Scene Description (USD) format. Originally developed by Pixar and open sourced in 2016, USD allows developers to work simultaneously and collaboratively across creation tools and development pipelines to compose complex 3D experiences, at scale, across many applications, and in real time.

Viewers are able to watch over 40 different Disney films in stunning 3D such as blockbusters Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther, Inside Out, and 2019’s The Lion King. Using Dolby Vision and Multiview High Efficiency Video Coding (MV-HEVC), 3D movies on Disney+ deliver exceptional UHD resolution in HDR, unfiltered and independent for each eye, and at a high frame rate for several titles – ensuring that the filmmakers’ creative intent is fully preserved and reflected.

Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro is the result of innovation and collaboration between multiple technology teams at the Company, including Disney Studio Technology, Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, ILM Immersive, and Skywalker Sound.