Immersive Disney Experience Canceled Without Explanation

Every Disney enthusiast has dreamed of stepping inside their favorite Disney films. Thanks to The Most Magical Place on Earth, Guests can imagine joining the herds of animals to watch Rafiki present Simba to the crowd, opening the gates with Anna and Elsa, and hopping on Aladdin’s magic carpet.

While Guests show up in droves to Walt Disney World and Disneyland in Orlando and Anaheim, not everyone can access the immersive Disney magic awaiting them there. Although Disney fans have proposed the idea for Disney to develop mini campuses around the country, that’s not happening any time soon. That said, some cities have channeled Disney’s magic so locals can enjoy their favorite animated films at home.

One example is the popular “Disney On Ice” show that has danced in US cities since the early 80s. Still, an immersive animated Disney experience backed by Walt Disney Animation Studios special projects producer, Dorothy McKim, has been upping the ante in Dallas, TX.

Disney Comes to Dallas

In an all-new art experience, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Hamilton production designers, and the minds behind the immersive Van Gogh Exhibition came together to produce a Disney-away-from-Disney in Dallas. Opening its doors in April, Immersive Disney Animation, hosted at Lighthouse ArtSpace Dallas, featured an hour-long walkable attraction with deep dives into famous animated films like Frozen, The Little Mermaid, and Big Hero 6.

In a statement to WFAA, McKim described Disney’s aim for the experience:

We are all about our worlds and our characters and bringing people into those worlds. And this experience brings you in even more so.

Although the standalone magic wasn’t a match for the real Disney deal, McKim said it shared the same goal:

Just bringing joy—just bringing joy into the world.

The innovative celebration of favorite Disney characters was set to run for three months, but a local recently tipped WFAA that her ticket was suddenly canceled without explanation. The Immersive ArtSpace website now features a banner with the following message:

Lighthouse Immersive regrets to announce that our production of Immersive Disney Animation in Dallas has closed. All ticketholders will receive a full refund. We apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience.

With so many shifts behind the Disney scenes, including two significant executives jumping ship, it’s interesting to see a smaller-scale Disney project get the axe. While tickets are refunded for Immersive Disney Animation, there’s no telling whether or not the exhibit will ever make another appearance.

At the time of writing, Disney and Immersive ArtSpace have yet to address the reason behind the exhibit’s removal. Disney Fanatic will provide updates as they come.