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Disney's 'The Little Mermaid: Second Screen Live' Hitting Theaters with Companion iPad App

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Disney has announced The Little Mermaid: Second Screen Live exclusively for theaters, along with an accompanying iPad app to use while viewing the film, reports /Film. The re-release of the popular 1989 film includes special sections that sync with and encourage the use of iPads among audience members to play games, sing along, and interact with the various characters.


Bring your iPad to the movie theater and experience special event screenings of "The Little Mermaid" on the big screen like never before! It's "Disney Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid," where you become part of the story. Interact with Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder. Compete with the audience as you play games, sing-along, and collect hidden treasure. But watch out for Ursula, who just might try to steal your points. It just got better, down where it's wetter, with "Disney Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid."

Disney and Apple have had a close relationship over the years, with Steve Jobs having taken a seat on Disney's board of directors and become the company's largest individual shareholder when Disney acquired Pixar in 2006. Disney president and CEO Bob Iger joined Apple's board in late 2011 after Jobs' death.

The Little Mermaid: Second Screen Live will be shown in select theaters starting September 20th. Its accompanying app, Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid is a free download for the iPad and is available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

170 months ago
This would be cool in your house. Not so much at the movie theater.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
170 months ago
I guess I can see this being OK for kids to keep them occupied, but if this "second screen" is going to be a trend for grown-up movies, then count me out. I mean, do they want us to look at the screen or our iPad? What happens when something's going on in the movie and you miss it because you were looking at something on your iPad? It just takes away the whole submersive element to going to a movie theater and watching a movie. Every time you look away from a movie screen you disassociate yourself from the false reality that the movie is supposed to present.

IMHO this is a sad road to start going down.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gmcalpin Avatar
170 months ago
omg id be so pissed. its already driving me bonkers when people check their phone with those bright screens at the movies
I hate this idea as much as the next movie buff — and by hate, I mean "despise with every fiber of my being," but if you go to a screening specifically billed as a "Second Screen Live" screening and get pissed about it, that's kinda your fault, you know?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
170 months ago
omg id be so pissed. its already driving me bonkers when people check their phone with those bright screens at the movies
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gmcalpin Avatar
170 months ago
Uhm... If you want to see a movie in the theater, you want that.
Perhaps you cannot read, but "uhm…" these are special event screenings specifically for this "Second Screen" nonsense. Anybody who goes into one of these special screenings and complains that there are people using their iPads in these special screenings is an idiot.

You don't want people whipping out their iPads? Don't go to these screenings.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
170 months ago
Wtf?

"Hey, you can distract yourself from the movie you paid to watch by playing iPad games instead!"

What a crappy idea.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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