Tribeca Immersive, the virtual and augmented reality storytelling section of the Tribeca Film Festival, will feature the premiere of “Bonfire,” the latest animated VR film from Baobab Studios that is starring comedian Ali Wong. The Tribeca Immersive program will also include more than 30 other VR and AR experiences, including the world premiere of the first “Doctor Who” VR experience.
“Bonfire” is Baobab’s fifth project, and it takes interactivity to the next level by turning the viewer into the main character of the story. After a crash-landing on an unknown planet, the viewer has to figure out how to survive, and in turn guarantee humanity’s survival, with the help of a robot sidekick voiced by Wong.
“We wanted to put the viewers in the middle of a story where they can develop believable, meaningful relationships with other characters so that the viewers feel that their interactions with these characters have legitimate stakes — that their decisions really matter,” said ‘Bonfire” director and Baobab co-founder Eric Darnell in a statement.
“Doctor Who: The Runaway” is an animated VR story that takes fans of the series into the TARDIS, featuring none other than the latest Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker.
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“Fans will experience the TARDIS like never before in this thrilling new interactive story,” said the BBC’s digital drama team’s creative director Jo Pearce. “As ever, the Doctor is full of warmth, wit and charm – helped by a wonderful performance from Jodie – which puts fans at the heart of the story as they immerse themselves in this beautifully animated world.”
Other notable projects premiering at the festival include:
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- “Wolves in the Walls: It’s All Over” — the latest installment of the VR series based on Neil Gaiman’s children’s book by the same name, featuring “Stranger Things” star Noah Schnapp.
- “A Drop in the Ocean,” a social VR experience developed together with Philippe Cousteau and Ashlan Cousteau that lets groups of friends discover the secrets of the ocean together.
- “Gymnasia,” the latest stop-motion piece from Felix & Paul Studios.
- “War Remains,” a World War 1 piece from Dan Carlin and MWM Immersive.
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Tribeca Immersive consists of two events this time around, the Virtual Arcade for headset-based VR experiences, and Tribeca Cinema360, which will screen 360-degree videos in a custom VR theater. Virtual Arcade tickets will go for $40, and Cinema360 tickets will cost $15.
Tribeca runs from April 24 to May 5, and tickets can be pre-purchased starting March 26. The full program for both events will be featured on Tribecafilm.com/Immersive.