At a recent demo in Burbank, Disney showcased XR sunglasses from startup Liminal Space, offering immersive experiences that blend real and digital worlds. The technology, part of the 2025 Disney Accelerator Program, aims to enhance theme park attractions with holographic displays. Attendees experienced lifelike interactions, from Guardians of the Galaxy characters to Avatar landscapes, through ordinary-looking eyewear.
During a Demo Day event at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank in November, Liminal Space demonstrated its XR sunglasses, selected for the 2025 Disney Accelerator Program. The startup, which began with AR experiences at music concerts, uses microLED chip technology to create holographic 3D displays for various venues, including theme parks.
In the demo, participants wore sunglasses that appeared as regular eyewear outdoors but activated XR features when viewing special screens. One highlight featured Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy interacting with the crowd in full-body motion on a crate. Removing the glasses revealed an actor performing behind a curtain, with the character's image projected on an LED screen.
Liminal Space co-founder and CEO Nathan Huber explained the technology's appeal during the event. "We can give you that same level of immersion and awe [as VR], but you can now see your friends and family ... and do it all for one to 10,000 people at the same time," he said, contrasting it with isolating VR headsets like Apple's Vision Pro or Meta's Quest 3.
The glasses lean toward augmented reality, overlaying digital elements on the real world, surpassing traditional 3D glasses used in rides like PhilharMagic or Toy Story Mania. A subsequent demo transported viewers to the Avatar world, featuring landscapes from upcoming sequels with soaring vegetation, floating cliffs, and flying reptiles. Leslie Evans, executive Imagineer at Walt Disney Imagineering R&D, praised the visuals: "The quality of the visuals -- it is bright, it is crisp, I am seeing details in this footage that I've never seen before."
The experience evoked gasps during simulated falls into the rainforest, feeling realistic yet less disorienting than full VR due to visibility of the surrounding environment. It improves on attractions like Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Further demos included modular screens displaying Impressionist artworks, such as Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat and Sunflowers, transitioning to a snowy European street where flakes appeared to fall around viewers. The glasses function from multiple angles, enhancing immersion.
Michael Koperwas, supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, noted: "All of these different screens create these low-friction, wonderful ways to expand the world that you're already in." Jody Gerstner, executive of Show Systems at Walt Disney Imagineering, added: "Because the circular [screen] performs so well with this bright an image, and because the filter gives you an unfettered view when you move your eyes back and forth, it could be a big win in our guest quality."
The affordable glasses could be distributed widely, similar to Disney's MagicBand introduced in 2013. Bonnie Rosen, general manager of Disney Accelerator, emphasized: "Innovation happens every day at Disney. This company lives and breathes creativity. We just don't talk about it until it looks inevitable, and then someone calls it 'Disney magic.'" Disney is exploring applications but has no specific plans announced.
