In March, VRFocus reported on The Virtual Reality Company (VRC) announcing work on an original animated virtual reality (VR) animated series called Raising a Rukus. Today, IMAX Corporation has revealed a partnership between the two that’ll see the first episode of Raising a Rukus debut at the flagship IMAX VR Centre in Los Angeles this Friday, 19th May.
The animated VR adventure takes viewers on a magical story with brother and sister – Jonas and Amy – and their mischievous pet dog, Rukus.
“We’re excited to partner with VRC – which brings an immense amount of creative talent and expertise – to premiere ‘Raising a Rukus’ at our IMAX VR centres,” said IMAX Chief Business Development Officer Robert D. Lister in a statement. “This is exactly the type of original premium experience, which was designed specifically for location-based VR, we’re looking to provide our guests. This family-oriented fare is becoming increasingly important as we are seeing visitors of all ages come through our successful flagship centre in Los Angeles.”
“With the Rukus franchise we want the audience to not only be entertained and connect with these lovable and endearing characters, we want them to learn and take something away from their stories, which are built around universal themes like sharing, love and compassion,” said Robert Stromberg, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of VRC. “VRC’s vision is to bring together the best narrative storytelling with captivating art to immerse viewers in the story, and do it in a way that this new powerful medium makes possible for audiences around the world.”
After its debut in Los Angeles, IMAX will then roll out VRC’s Raising a Rukus to its VR centres set to open in New York City, the UK, and other locations worldwide in the coming months.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of IMAX, reporting back with the latest announcements.