On 5 November the Tony Award-winning Best Musical The Lion King on Broadway celebrated its 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Snapchat users in New York could use a custom Lens to virtually ‘try on’ the iconic masks of Simba and Nala, recreated exactly from Julie Taymor’s original design through augmented reality technology. Today, Monday 13 November, and for one day only, every Snap user in the US, UK, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Belgium and Norway users worldwide will be able to try Broadway’s first-ever Snapchat Lens.
How the Lens works:
· Use the camera to focus on a user’s face. Simba’s mask will appear.
· Tap the user’s face once to switch to Nala’s mask.
· Bring a friend into focus with another user and both masks will appear.
· When using both masks, tap the screen to switch masks from one user to another.
After 20 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its premiere on November 13, 1997, 24 global productions have been seen by more than 90 million people. In London’s West End, The Lion King is in its 18th year at the Lyceum Theatre and has been seen by more than 14 million people.