ILM Explores New Frontiers of Immersive Storytelling at Meta Connect 2026
By Patrick Doyle
At Meta Connect 2026, Industrial Light & Magic announced Disney Immersive Cinema by ILM and National Geographic: Beyond, two new immersive experiences that explore how technology can expand the possibilities of storytelling. One takes viewers into the extraordinary landscapes and wildlife of Africa, while the other brings some of the most iconic moments in cinematic history into a new kind of viewing experience.
Developed for the recently revealed Meta VR Glasses, the experiences build on ILM’s ongoing work exploring how emerging technologies can expand the ways audiences experience stories and connect with the worlds on screen.
“Both experiences reflect our belief that the future of entertainment is about crafting a new canvas for storytelling that allows creators to immerse the audience in ways never before possible,” said Shereif Fattouh, executive producer at ILM. “With Meta VR Glasses, we can bring fans closer to real places, beloved characters, and iconic moments that are authentic to the filmmakers’ vision.”
Reimagining the Moviegoing Experience
With Disney Immersive Cinema by ILM, the team is exploring how immersive technology can extend the cinematic experience beyond the traditional boundaries of the screen.
Designed as a hub for VR enhanced versions of feature films, Disney Immersive Cinema by ILM combines traditional cinematic storytelling with immersive environmental effects that extend outside the frame of a traditional screen.
The movie itself remains unchanged and the centerpiece of the experience. In key scenes, elements of the story can expand into the viewer’s surroundings, using ILM’s enhanced cinema technology to create a greater sense of presence and deepen the emotional connection to the film.
Disney Immersive Cinema by ILM features Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: A New Hope and Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War (themselves productions to which ILM originally contributed visual effects).
Bringing National Geographic Storytelling Closer Than Ever
National Geographic has brought audiences face-to-face with the natural world for over a century. National Geographic: Beyond builds on that tradition by using stereoscopic 180-degree footage filmed on location in Africa to give viewers an unprecedented sense of proximity to the environments and wildlife being documented.
Created in collaboration with National Geographic, the new experience features real, 180 degree footage filmed on location in Africa specifically for Meta’s devices. From remarkable animals to vast landscapes, National Geographic: Beyond puts viewers at the center of the story, creating a sense of proximity and presence that can make a familiar subject feel entirely new.
The experience also explores additional approaches to immersive storytelling, giving audiences new ways to connect with Africa’s wildlife and landscapes.
While the two experiences take very different approaches, they share a common idea. Technology can open new doors for storytelling when it is placed in service of the story itself.
From standing alongside Africa’s wildlife to experiencing familiar cinematic moments in a new spatial context, both projects give ILM an opportunity to explore what greater presence can mean for audiences and what new creative possibilities might emerge as entertainment continues to evolve.
Both experiences are currently in development for Meta VR Glasses and Meta Quest 3 and 3S, with additional details to be announced at a later date. Watch ILM.com for the latest updates.
Read more about the Meta VR Glasses announcement.
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Patrick Doyle is a senior publicity manager at Industrial Light & Magic.
