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Disney Imagineering and LIMINAL Space Explore Holographic 3D Storytelling

Joshua
Written by Joshua Posted
Disney Imagineering and LIMINAL Space Explore Holographic 3D Storytelling

Four companies presented at the 2025 Disney Accelerator Demo Day yesterday. Two of them showcased technologies that seem destined to become mainstays in theme parks in the years ahead. We’ve already covered Haddy, the AI-powered 3D-printing company. Now let’s turn to LIMINAL Space, a leader in holographic 3D technology, and its collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering.

LIMINAL Space showcased two of its innovations: Ghost Tile and Spirit Tile. Ghost Tile is designed for large venues like arenas, stadiums, and concert stages. Concert venues are where LIMINAL first made its mark. Spirit Tile, meanwhile, focuses on immersive attractions and entertainment environments, delivering what the company calls “dazzling spatial 3D experiences.”

Collaborating with Industrial Light & Magic, they brought Marvel’s Rocket to life, allowing him to interact in real-time with guests on the Walt Disney Studios Lot. You can see some of that footage in the following video:

Rocket is impressive, but I’m more excited that LIMINAL is addressing the shortcomings that plague virtual reality and 3D experiences. Nathan Huber, the company’s co-founder and CEO, believes traditional VR and AR fall short because of their individual nature. “Currently, when you’re in a VR/AR experience, it tends to be a bit of a solo, isolating experience,” he said.

His team’s goal is to create immersion without the separation, allowing guests to share the experience. To achieve that, LIMINAL replaced bulky headsets with lightweight polarized glasses, enabling guests to see the 3D effects while still perceiving the real world around them.

By all accounts, those glasses are a major improvement over existing wearables. Leslie Evans, an Executive Imagineer with Walt Disney Imagineering R&D, described LIMINAL’s display as “bright” and “crisp.” Anyone who’s ever ridden Flight of Passage with misaligned projectors knows how much that clarity matters.

Alicia Stella confirmed the company’s tech is the real deal. She donned the glasses at last year’s IAAPA Expo and shared this glowing review on X:

“I got to experience a tech demo from LIMINAL Space last year at IAPAA Expo. I’ve never seen 3D so crystal clear and impressive. It didn’t just come out of the screen, it appeared to exist in front of it. And it happened on the show floor in full light—NOT a darkened theater!!”

Imagineers clearly share that enthusiasm. Emily “Emo” O’Brien, Portfolio Executive Creative Producer with WDI, was so inspired by LIMINAL’s demo that she immediately reached out to creative directors and concept designers. “I wanted to grab everyone who might see this as a potential application in something they might be designing, either in the future or as a refresh to something that already exists,” she said. “We’ve turned the page. New chapter. Really, really exciting.”

A 3D whale in LIMINAL Space's immersive experiences
Copyright LIMINAL Space

Jody Gerstner, Executive of Show Systems for WDI, noted that guests will finally be able to experience true immersion without the tunnel vision that defines most headset-based attractions. And Michael Hundgen, a Portfolio Creative Producer, summed it up perfectly: “[LIMINAL is] thinking about 3D presentation in a totally unique and mind-bending way.” He added that pairing the company’s technology with Imagineering’s storytelling could unlock Disney magic.

Disney’s Accelerator program has long connected innovators with Imagineers. This latest collaboration has me genuinely excited. And not just for LIMINAL Space’s holographic 3D tech, but for what Disney’s storytellers can do with it. I can’t wait to see what kind of “mind-bending” worlds come to the parks in the future.