[The technology described in this press-release-based story from the Fort Bend (Texas) Independent allows children to talk to Santa Claus safely during the pandemic. See the technology in action in a 2:13 minute news report from KPRC via Click2Houston. For more on how Santas are staying safe while entertaining children this year, including via video conferencing, see coverage in The Washington Post. –Matthew]
Real Santa, Virtual Santa Or Magic Santa?
By Seshadri Kumar
November 13, 2020
The holiday tradition of meeting Santa is not lost this year though social distancing is the norm of the day during the pandemic.
A monumental installation dubbed “Santa’s MAGI·SPHERE” will be unveiled on November 27 in Sugar Land Town Square, where it will serve as a one-of-a-kind seasonal focal point for the 1.4 million-square-foot mixed-use district through Christmas Eve.
Thanks to Flight School Studio, creator of the “Magi-sphere,” visitors will be able to safely interact with Santa like never before through a magical holographic snow globe housed in a giant wrapped gift.
Specializing in creating experiences that fundamentally change the perception of everyday reality through mixed reality technology and animated content, the Dallas-based Flight School’s creative team boasts Academy, Emmy, Annie, Cannes Lion, and Lumiere Awards accolades, and their interactive activations have dazzled fans at global events like the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Game, and US Open.
Now, in Sugar Land, Flight School is debuting their new proprietary technological innovation called the MAGI·SPHERE, a technology that will enable Santa to project his three-dimensional presence in real-time to guests, who can share their holiday wishes while maintaining social distance.
“This is truly a unique and remarkable way to interact with Santa, and I know families will remember it for years to come,” explains Brandon Oldenburg, Chief Creative Officer of Flight School Studio.
“The use of emerging technology allows us to make storytelling and experiences much more extraordinary. This is especially impactful when re-inventing such a longstanding holiday tradition.”
The introduction of this activation is a precursor to the type of engagement that can be expected from Flight School’s upcoming brick and mortar endeavor at Sugar Land Town Square: a first-of-its-kind location-based mixed reality entertainment venue slated to open at Sugar Land Town Square in early 2021.
The approximately 9,000-square foot venue, formerly home to Z Gallerie, will offer an immersive and interactive adventure, merging fantastical physical sets and digital technologies like projection mapping, augmented reality, 3D animation, haptics, motion tracking, lighting, and sound. It is the anchor attraction to a myriad of enhancements that are part of a recently announced multi-phase remodel of the central business district that first opened in 1996.
“Sugar Land is home to many of Houston’s forward-thinking business, medical, and technology innovators, which, we believe makes Sugar Land Town Square the perfect platform for introducing remarkable storytelling experiences,” said Kyle Clark, CEO of Flight School Studio.
“We can’t wait to show the world more of what we have in store, while also putting our home state of Texas and the Houston area at the forefront of both mixed reality and how the retail environment is being reimagined for the future.”
Reservations for Santa’s MAGI·SPHERE in Sugar Land, TX can be made on-site at Sugar Land Town Square beginning November 27 or in advance at SantaSugarLand.com beginning on November 16. There is no cost for the experience.