Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: When Nostalgia and Technology Meet
Who doesn’t remember reading pop-up books as a child… or following Tinker Bell’s instructions to turn the pages of a Disney story? The same principle applies, but in 3D, with a book brought to life and presented for the first time in America, at Place des Arts, in collaboration with PHI. We spoke to Paul Raphaël, co-founder and head of innovation at Felix & Paul Studios, and co-director of the immersive experience Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens.
Can you tell us about the project’s origins?
This is our first augmented reality experience. Felix & Paul Studios has been telling immersive stories for over 10 years, mainly through virtual reality, which offers total immersion. With augmented reality, we can bring the virtual world into the real world.
The first question we asked ourselves in exploring augmented reality was: How do we create a context? In virtual reality, the viewer is immersed in a world that is 100% under our control. But with augmented reality, we do not control the environment; you can be in a living room, a kitchen, or any other place. We solved this problem by creating a context based on a physical book.
What drew you to the book?
Opening a book is a ritual that puts people in a state where they are receptive to a world in which they are not physically located. This is the so-called “suspension of disbelief” that is also part of the cinema experience. There’s something that happens in the brain that makes us able to identify with what we are seeing, without constantly reminding ourselves that it isn’t true. It's not an automatic phenomenon; the viewer must be given the opportunity to assimilate it, and this is done differently depending on the means of expression used. So, the book brings this context, along with a tactile aspect: by holding the book, the viewer also holds the world and its characters through augmented reality. The book also serves as an intuitive interface: we simply turn the pages to move the story along, without having to understand complex codes.
Why did you choose Jim Henson’s The Storyteller as a starting point?
At the time, we were already in discussions with the Jim Henson Company for another project that didn’t come to fruition. But when we told them about our idea for an augmented reality book, the TV series The Storyteller, created by Jim Henson in the 1980s, seemed like the perfect concept. It was based on lesser-known tales, such as those by the Brothers Grimm, told using both puppets and actors, with iconic fireside narration by John Hurt. We wanted to stay true to the spirit of the series by putting the book in the viewer’s hands and the narrator—James Hyndman in this case—in their ears, while updating the aesthetic with current technologies. Our characters, although digitally animated, are based on motion captures of human actors, which gives them an authenticity reminiscent of the original puppets. We also wanted to tell a short and universal story that could appeal to as many people as possible.
And why did you choose The Seven Ravens as the first story?
The Seven Ravens takes place in the real world, in the air, and in an imaginary space at the same time, which allowed us to explore three different immersive dimensions. Some scenes take place on the pages of the book, others in the space surrounding the viewer. In The Seven Ravens, there is a symmetry between real and imaginary worlds, which gave us several opportunities to experiment with ways of arousing emotions in the viewer.
Are you planning to develop more stories based on this concept?
Yes, we are hoping to create additional episodes based on The Storyteller series, as well as exploring other types of educational experiences or blending reading and images with augmented books.
This project was always seen as a prototype for an eventual content platform based on physical books that would be augmented. That said, the challenge remains a technological one: there aren’t yet enough headsets capable of supporting this type of experience, which doesn’t justify its marketability… adding a physical book also increases the logistical complexity.
For the moment, we’re keeping the project in our back pocket and we’re presenting Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens from time to time… there is an interest! The experience was launched a year ago in Venice and this is the first time we’re presenting it since then—we’re delighted to have it happen at Place des Arts in Montreal!
Try the experience for free by reserving before February 23, 2025.
