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The annual Disney Accelerator Demo Day, held Wednesday on the Disney Studios lot in Burbank, put a spotlight on four growth-stage companies: Animaj, DramaBox, Haddy, and Liminal Space. Virtual and physical demonstrations and presentations familiarized the audience, a cross-section of entertainment, finance and technology pros, with the companies’ innovations and ambitions. The Disney Accelerator program, which is distinct from the venture investment arms of traditional media companies, is mow in its 11th year. It has helped more than 60 companies, among them Epic Games, Eleven Labs, Kahoot! and Attentive. The initiative is separate from the media giant’s ongoing strategic moves in the tech space, including deals with Epic and Webtoon to collaborate on projects and have Disney take a small stake in the companies. The four featured companies today span multiplatform children’s entertainment, vertical microdramas, large-scale 3D printing and immersive holographic displays. Kids-focused Animaj uses its technology to help artists to leverage AI to accelerate production workflows while ensuring creators drive the storytelling and quality. In connection with the Disney Accelerator, Animaj is exploring opportunities with Disney Branded Television and Disney Television Studios to co-develop a new crop of vibrant shorts for multiplatform distribution. DramaBox is a specialist in vertical, short-form entertainment, which is in the midst of a boom in the West after establishing itself as a sought-after new media format in Asia. At Demo Day, DramaBox’s founders previewed and Disney Publishing shared that they are in discussions to adapt a series of young adult fantasy novels into original microdramas for Disney media platforms. DramaBox and Disney Music are also exploring the dramatic adaptation of albums into vertical video shorts. Haddy, an AI-powered industrial 3D-printing factory, showcased how technology can quickly transform spaces for attractions and resorts, or mutable backdrops for TV, film, and theater production. Haddy’s fabrication approach and technology generates pieces quickly, affordably, and at scale, enabling designers to imagine and re-imagine spaces and experiences more easily. Haddy also offers environmental benefits in terms of waste reduction and resource efficiency because their creations can be melted down and used to produce new objects. Haddy is collaborating with Walt Disney Imagineering to explore the creation of select props and set pieces for Disney Parks. In connection with its participation in the Disney Accelerator program, Haddy is also exploring new applications for its technology and approaches across the company. Liminal Space, a developer of holographic 3D LED displays, shared a live demo of its modular “Ghost Tile” and “Spirit Tile” technologies. The tiles can transform any environment into a state-of-the-art immersive experience where guests can step into a story or world aided only by lightweight polarized glasses. The glasses differ from those offered by Meta, Snap Inc. and other companies in that they are not dedicated hardware for the company’s purposes but rather more open-ended and flexible immersive experience tools. At Demo Day, Liminal Space showcased its collaboration with ILM to bring Marvel Studios’ Rocket Racoon to life, combining ILM’s “marker-less” mocap technology with spatial LED displays designed by Liminal Space. The result was a high-fidelity, real-time rendering of Rocket that interacted with guests live on the Disney lot. Liminal Space is also exploring potential applications with Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development and Disney Experiences to create new experiences and enhance existing attractions. “Walt Disney always embraced the latest technologies to propel new ways of storytelling, and the company thrived by regularly working hand-in-hand with others who shared a vision of creating a brighter tomorrow,” said Bonnie Rosen, General Manager, Disney Accelerator. “The Disney Accelerator is a modern extension of that spirit, bringing together bold entrepreneurs and Disney teams to explore new ideas and emerging technologies and businesses as they shape the future of entertainment. Every year, we are inspired by the ingenuity and passion of our Accelerator participants as they work alongside Disney’s brilliant creatives.”
