- Disney Imagineering Labs is a new iOS app that allows selected Disneyland visitors to test experimental park experiences.
- Secrets of the Spire introduces an augmented reality Star Wars adventure featuring Leia Organa, interactive scanning and physical droid reactions.
- Disneyland Enchanted Guide is an AI assistant that can provide attraction information, recommendations and hands free assistance through compatible wearables.
- Initial access is limited to Magic Key holders, with broader availability and an Android version planned for the future.
Disney is giving Disneyland visitors a rare opportunity to influence the future of its theme parks with a new experimental app that allows guests to try upcoming attractions and digital experiences before they are officially launched.
Called Disney Imagineering Labs, the new iOS app offers selected visitors an opportunity to explore experimental features while they are still being developed. The initiative begins with an augmented reality adventure inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, allowing guests to use their iPhones to interact with the fictional world of Batuu.
The idea goes beyond simply introducing another theme park application. Disney wants visitors to become part of its development process, collecting feedback while Imagineers are still working on new concepts and deciding which ideas deserve further investment.
Magic Key holders will receive initial access, with a wider rollout to other Disneyland visitors planned for the future. An Android version is also in development, although Disney has not provided a confirmed release date.
For technology enthusiasts and Star Wars fans, the launch offers an interesting glimpse into how augmented reality, artificial intelligence and wearable devices could change the theme park experience.
Disney Imagineering Labs lets guests test unfinished experiences
Disney Imagineering Labs is designed to work alongside the existing Disneyland Resort app rather than replace it.
Visitors will need an iPhone and a Disney account to access the experimental experiences. Initially, availability is limited to Disneyland Magic Key holders, which include annual passholders and some of the resort’s most frequent visitors.
Disney plans to expand access to other guests, but has not announced exactly when that will happen.
The concept is relatively unusual for the company. Instead of waiting until an attraction or digital feature is completely finished, Disney is allowing selected visitors to experience projects while they are still being developed.
Asa Kalama, Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, explained that the approach gives designers an opportunity to collect meaningful feedback before making final decisions.
The app also makes it clear that these are experimental projects rather than finished products. Experiences are labelled according to their development stage, with descriptions such as Early Development, Taking Shape and Nearly Complete.
This means visitors should expect occasional technical problems, incomplete features and changes to gameplay.
Feedback will help Disney decide whether an experiment should receive further development, be redesigned or potentially be abandoned altogether.
Importantly, the company is interested in more than whether visitors enjoy an experience. It also wants to understand whether the gameplay is too difficult, whether the story is engaging enough and how long individual interactions should last.
Star Wars: Secrets of the Spire brings augmented reality to Galaxy’s Edge
The first major experiment available through Imagineering Labs is called Secrets of the Spire.
Set inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland, the experience takes visitors through Black Spire Outpost, one of the most recognisable locations in the themed land.
The adventure introduces an augmented reality experience that turns an iPhone into a Star Wars style scanning device known as quadnoculars.
Players receive a transmission from Leia Organa, who asks for help supporting the Rebellion.
From there, visitors must explore the surrounding area, locate mysterious signals and interact with objects scattered throughout Black Spire Outpost.
The experience builds on earlier interactive features such as the original Star Wars Datapad and Batuu Bounty Hunters, but introduces a more involved augmented reality mechanic.
Rather than simply pointing a phone at an object and scanning it, players use a grid like visual overlay to identify the source of different transmissions.
Once a signal has been located, they can attempt to slice into nearby systems, including those connected to spacecraft and droids.
One particularly interesting feature connects digital interactions with physical effects inside the park.
For example, successfully slicing into a droid can trigger a real world response, with the machine coming to life and moving its head.
This connection between augmented reality and physical objects could make the experience feel more immersive than a conventional smartphone game.
The adventure takes place across six locations within Galaxy’s Edge, potentially encouraging visitors to explore different areas while connecting the digital storyline with the attractions, shops and roaming characters around them.
Players will also face a decision that influences how the adventure concludes.
They can remain loyal to Leia and the Rebellion or betray her by joining the Empire. Depending on their decision, the experience leads them towards either the Millennium Falcon or the TIE Echelon.
However, Disney describes the current release as a prologue rather than a complete adventure. The main purpose is to test the augmented reality gameplay and understand how visitors respond to it.
The experience is designed for daytime use and requires an iPhone 14 or newer.
Disney is also testing an AI assistant and wearable technology
While Secrets of the Spire focuses on entertainment, Disney Imagineering Labs is also exploring ways to make theme park visits more convenient.
One of the other experiments is called Disneyland Enchanted Guide, an AI powered assistant designed to help visitors navigate the resort.
The assistant can answer questions about attractions, provide recommendations and help guests check waiting times.
Visitors can interact with it by typing questions or speaking directly to their iPhones. It also supports image understanding, allowing users to provide visual information as part of their interactions.
However, one of its more interesting features is the ability to use it without constantly looking at a smartphone.
Disney is exploring compatibility with wearable devices, including Meta Ray Ban smart glasses and Bluetooth earbuds such as Apple’s AirPods.
This could allow visitors to ask questions and receive assistance while keeping their phones in their pockets.
The idea is particularly relevant for theme parks, where visitors often spend considerable time checking maps, attraction schedules and waiting times.
A hands free assistant could make it easier to find attractions, discover nearby activities and plan the day without repeatedly interrupting the experience.
It also follows earlier discussions between Disney Imagineering and Meta about bringing smart glasses into theme parks.
The two experiments demonstrate different ways technology could improve a visit to Disneyland.
Secrets of the Spire encourages visitors to use their smartphones to interact with the Star Wars environment, while Disneyland Enchanted Guide aims to reduce the need to look at a phone altogether.
What Disney Imagineering Labs means for the future of theme parks
The launch of Imagineering Labs could represent an important change in how Disney develops technology for its theme parks.
Rather than relying exclusively on internal testing before introducing new features, the company is giving selected visitors an opportunity to participate in the development process.
This approach could help Disney identify problems earlier and understand how real guests interact with experimental attractions.
It also creates opportunities to test technologies that might eventually become part of everyday park operations.
Augmented reality could introduce additional storytelling opportunities, while AI assistants and wearable devices could make navigation and planning easier.
However, there is no guarantee that every experiment introduced through the app will become a permanent feature.
Disney has made it clear that projects can change significantly during development and that some ideas may never reach a full public release.
For now, the programme is focused on Disneyland, with Magic Key holders receiving the first opportunity to participate.
A wider rollout is expected, although the company has not provided a specific timeline or confirmed whether similar experiments will eventually arrive at Walt Disney World.
For Star Wars fans, Secrets of the Spire offers an exciting new way to explore Galaxy’s Edge. For technology enthusiasts, the more interesting development may be the opportunity to see how Disney combines AI, augmented reality and wearable technology in its parks.
If the programme proves successful, Imagineering Labs could become an important testing ground for future theme park experiences, allowing Disney to develop new ideas with direct input from the people who actually visit its attractions.
Follow TechBSB For More Updates
