It is the dream of every child who owns a stuffed toy (and especially for those who have seen any of the Toy Story films): what if they came to life? Alas, with the cruel world being as committed to reality as it is, realising this dream often proves fruitless for those who pursue it.
Aware of this, and the recent John Lewis Christmas ad concerning a young lad and his overactive imagination, Microsoft Advertising scented an opportunity for a stunt that could capture the imagination of children everywhere. As such, a new attraction has been born at the John Lewis flagship store on Oxford Street, which allows children to breathe life into their inanimate toys through the simple magic of Kinect.
The process is in reality quite simple. The child hands their toy of choice over, which is then taken to a darkened booth and photographed by three DSLR cameras, creating a detailed 3D model when fed through a customised Windows 8.1 machine. This model is then exported to a large screen, where the invariably delighted child uses a Kinect sensor to interact with the onscreen model. The whole process takes under two minutes, delivering memorable results in a minimum of time.
Created in partnership with John Lewis and based on their Christmas ad campaign, ‘Monty’s Magical Toy Machine’ is available for all this Christmas, only on Oxford Street.
Will you be visiting Monty’s Magical Toy Machine? Let us know in the comments below.
