Tablets get a seat at the movies
For many Americans, using one screen at a time is not enough. More than two-thirds of smart-phone and tablet owners use their devices while watching TV multiple times a week, according to a June survey from the research firm Nielsen. Nearly half of them do so every day.聽
While TV networks have capitalized on this 鈥渟econd screen鈥� trend by showing fan messages from Twitter during live broadcasts, Disney has taken the idea out of the living room and into theaters. Realizing that its target audience 鈥� the touch-screen generation (see story, page 26) 鈥� increasingly uses digital devices, the company has designed applications for moviegoers.
With the theatrical rereleases of 鈥淭he Little Mermaid鈥� in September and 鈥淭he Nightmare Before Christmas鈥� on Oct. 18, Disney launched companion apps for the iPad. Audiences can download the apps at home and then bring their tablets with them to the theater.
These special screenings make films like Ariel鈥檚 under-the-sea adventure feel a bit like a 鈥淩ocky Horror Picture Show鈥� revival for 6-year-olds. When King Triton makes his royal entrance, the app tells audiences to 鈥淐heer!鈥� The lyrics to each song pop up on the tablet, encouraging people to sing along. And interactive games pit viewers against each other to see who can rack up the most points.
Kim Tracey Prince of Agoura Hills, Calif., says that before learning about Disney鈥檚 Second Screen Live app, her two sons had no interest in seeing 鈥淭he Little Mermaid.鈥� They considered it a 鈥済irl movie.鈥� But she says that the iPad app lured them in. While Brady, age 6, got swept up in the story and quickly lost interest in the app, Kyle, 8, manned the tablet throughout the movie 鈥� nudging his mom occasionally for answers to the pop-up trivia questions.
鈥淚t was a huge hit and I鈥檓 glad we did it,鈥� says Ms. Prince. 鈥淎t the end, [Kyle] called it the 鈥榖est movie ever,鈥� which is a rare attribute for him.鈥�
As far as she could tell, they were the only family in the theater with an iPad, which led to some confusion. The screening stopped at certain points, giving players time to complete a task on their tablets. Unsure about what was happening, several people left the theater to complain that the projector seemed to be broken, Prince says.
These free apps work at home, as well. Second Screen Live can sync up with tapes, DVDs, or even clips on YouTube. But Disney designed these apps to experiment with live events, potentially making a night at the movies 鈥� pardon us, Aladdin 鈥� a whole new world.
