ILM Pushes Boundaries of Storytelling with Two New Immersive Experiences

At Meta Connect 2026, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) unveiled two new immersive experiences that push the boundaries of storytelling. Disney Immersive Cinema by ILM and National Geographic: Beyond are designed for the recently announced Meta VR Glasses and explore how technology can expand the possibilities of entertainment.

The experiences are built on ILM's ongoing work in emerging technologies, which aims to create a new canvas for storytelling that immerses audiences like never before. 'With Meta VR Glasses, we can bring fans closer to real places, beloved characters, and iconic moments that are authentic to the filmmakers' vision,' said Shereif Fattouh, executive producer at ILM.

Disney Immersive Cinema by ILM combines traditional cinematic storytelling with immersive environmental effects. The experience features Lucasfilm's Star Wars: A New Hope and Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War, both of which ILM originally contributed visual effects to. In key scenes, elements of the story can expand into the viewer's surroundings, using ILM's enhanced cinema technology to create a greater sense of presence.

National Geographic: Beyond brings audiences face-to-face with Africa's wildlife and landscapes through stereoscopic 180-degree footage filmed on location in Africa specifically for Meta's devices. The experience puts viewers at the center of the story, creating a sense of proximity and presence that can make a familiar subject feel entirely new.