AnimationWorld Magazine — May 2, 2018
‘Back to the Moon’ VR Doodle Celebrates Georges Méliès
“My friends, I address you all tonight as you truly are; wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, magicians… Come and dream with me.” —Georges Méliès
Google Spotlight Stories has just unveiled an exciting new project — an interactive 360/VR Google Doodle called Back to the Moon, celebrating the artistry of the trailblazing French illusionist and film director, Georges Méliès. The project, which is already live in some terretories, launches in the U.S. tonight at midnight EDT.
A charming illusionist, an adventurous queen of hearts and an evil green man journey through early cinema, film magic and love in this latest interactive experience. A massive collaboration between the Google Spotlight Stories, Google Arts & Culture and Cinémathèque Française teams, Back to the Moon celebrates Méliès on the release date of what is considered to be one of his greatest masterpieces: À la conquête du pôle (The Conquest of the Pole, 1912). Méliès pioneered numerous technical and narrative film techniques in the early days of cinema, primarily in the use of special effects and creation of some of the earliest films of the science fiction genre.
The full Google Doodle VR experience can be enjoyed on mobile, Cardboard, or Daydream by downloading the Google Spotlight Stories app on Google Play or in the App Store. You can also experience Back to the Moon without a headset as a 360° video on the Google Spotlight Stories YouTube Channel: