Get ready for a new Disney experience coming to theaters next week, when Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid makes its debut! This is a special presentation—in just a few cities across the U.S.— of the beloved animated classic… With a twist.
You already know Disney Second Screen, the app that lets you connect your iPad with select Disney Blu-rays to dive deeper into the movie. Now, the second-screen experience moves out of the home and gets even more interactive with an all-new technology from Disney.
With Second Screen Live, fans can enjoy a classic Disney film in a new way—engaging with the movie through sing-alongs and trivia, discovering new thing-a-ma-bobs and competing in games with friends and fellow audience members.
Here’s how it works: You pre-load your iPad or iPad mini running iOS 5.0 or higher (it’s not currently available for Android) with the movie-specific free Second Screen Live app, then bring it to the theater for a specially designated presentation of the film. You’re prompted to start the app, which syncs with the film via in-theater Wi-Fi, and the fun begins! One iPad can be shared among members of the same group.
This special, limited engagement of Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid is available at just 16 theaters nationwide starting September 20. Find more details and a list of locations here or check out the press release.
One of those 16 theaters is Disney’s own El Capitan Theatre (El Cap) in Hollywood, California. The El Cap is the only theater showing The Little Mermaid in 3D ahead of the October 1 Blu-ray release, and two days a week from September 15 through October 13, it’s also offering moviegoers a chance to check out the 2D, iPad-enhanced Second Screen Live:The Little Mermaid experience.
We first piloted Second Screen Live at a handful of theaters last year—with a frightfully fun version of the perennial favorite The Nightmare Before Christmas. Stay tuned… You might get the chance to experience that one before you know it!