The Google Doodle has becomes one of Google’s most beloved traditions, celebrating accomplishments and events both modern and historical. As Google moves into the immersive technology space, it has announced it first virtual reality (VR) Google Doodle called Back To The Moon.
The interactive VR Google Doodle has been created to celebrate the life and work of French illusionist and film director Georges Méliès.
Georges Méliès is known to fans of science fiction and early cinema as one of the pioneers of sci-fi and fantasy, and on of the first filmmakers to experiment with what we would now called visual effects or special effects. Méliès is regarded as one of the first sci-fi filmmakers for this reason.
Méliès was the creator of iconic films A Trip To The Moon, which features the image of a spaceship striking the eye of the Moon, an image that has become iconic to this day. The Google Doodle draws upon this work to create an interactive VR work that pays homage to his films.
The Back To The Moon Google Doodle expands into a short film which makes reference to several of Méliès works, from his early experiments such as The One-Man Band, which used pioneering special effects to allow Méliès to appear to be playing multiple instruments simultaneously. The Doodle also makes reference to The Impossible Voyage, in which Méliès plays an explorer who travels the world, the oceans and even to the sun.
Hundreds of filmmakers have been influenced by the work of Méliès, who was known as a trailbreaker and pioneer in his own time who experimented with new and cutting-edge technology. It therefore seems thematically appropriate for his tribute to be in a cutting-edge medium.
The Doodle was created as a collaboration between Google Spotlight Stories, Next Studios, Google Doodle and Google Arts and Culture. The Google Doodle can be found on the Google homepage, or you can check out the video below for the full story.
For further news on VR content for Google and other upcoming immersive projects, keep checking back with VRFocus.
via Mint VR