DISNEY
Oswald the lecky rabbit AR Experience
As The Walt Disney Company commemorates its 100th anniversary in 2023, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit has emerded from the Disney vault to re-enter the pop culture zeitaeist ahead of the Year of the Rabbit. Walt Disney wanted to create an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Ear augmented reality lens. The lens would complement a corresponding national TV commercial promoting the relaunch, generating awareness, and securing earned media placements. Users see specially crafted AR Oswald ears on their heads while facial expressions trigger animations of the ears, showing Oswald's broad emotions and overall sprit.
Project type: Mobile Application (Social AR)
Industry: Entertainment
Role: XR Director / Designer
OBJECTIVES
RESULTS
My Role
• Reach Walt Disney's target audience and drive potential customers to their website
• Co-launch the lens in tandem with a national TV
commercial
• Leverage advanced AR features on social media to generate awareness and secure earned media placements
• Developed a specialized Oswald Ears 3D model that helped the ears mimic facial expressions created by users, showing the broad emotions and the overall spirit of Oswald
• Deployed on Snapchat
As the Art Director and XR Director, I led the design and execution of the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit AR Experience, commemorating Disney’s 100th anniversary. My contributions included:
• Art Direction & XR Strategy – Directed the visual style and storytelling of the AR experience, ensuring that Oswald’s iconic charm was translated into a dynamic, interactive experience on social media.
• XR Experience Design – Designed the real-time interaction for Oswald’s ears, which dynamically responded to the user’s facial expressions, conveying a range of emotions and enhancing user engagement.
• UX & UI Design – Developed a user-friendly interface for the Snapchat lens, enabling users to seamlessly engage with the AR experience while maintaining Disney’s brand identity and user expectations.
• 3D Modeling & Animation – Created a specialized Oswald ears 3D model, ensuring it accurately mimicked facial expressions and stayed true to the character’s original animated features.
• Collaboration & Integration – Worked alongside Disney, the creative team, and Snapchat to launch the AR lens in tandem with the national TV commercial, achieving maximum media impact and audience reach.
This project successfully drove brand awareness, allowing Disney to celebrate its heritage with innovative AR features, while engaging users in an immersive, interactive experience that resonated with both new and nostalgic audiences.
