Disney Partners With Accenture on Entertainment Tech Lab

Walt Disney Co. has partnered with Accenture on a project to create new entertainment technology. Disney StudioLab will open later this spring on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank. A three-year agreement between Disney and Accenture, a global management consulting and professional services firm headquartered in Dublin, outlines the companies’ collaboration on research and development with Accenture personnel working alongside StudioLab staff to develop and prototype new concepts in immersive entertainment, artificial intelligence, the future of movie production and next-generation cinematic platforms. Disney Studios Chief Technology Officer Jamie Voris said the decision to collaborate with Accenture was clear because of its ability to combine design and innovation capabilities with the applied R&D capabilities of Accenture Labs and deep industry expertise in media and entertainment. “Technology is an essential component of how we make characters, stories and worlds come alive at Disney, and we’re looking forward to the possibilities of what we can imagine and build together,” Voris said in a statement. Shares in Disney (DIS) closed down $1.35, or 1.3 percent, to $103.59 on the New York Stock Exchange.