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

davidwarren Avatar
142 months ago
This would be cool in your house. Not so much at the movie theater.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MordechaiCarver Avatar
142 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
142 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
142 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
142 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)
Baumi Avatar
142 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)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...