Walt Disney Studios unveiled a new collaboration with MyLingo, a smartphone app that allows moviegoers to experience a film in the language of their choice discreetly through personal headphones. For Disney’s upcoming release of McFarland, USA, moviegoers can listen to the film in Spanish right alongside their English-speaking family and friends when the film hits theaters on Feb. 20.
The MyLingo app uses the microphone on a moviegoer’s smartphone or other device to “listen” to the audio, once the movie has begun. The app, through a proprietary algorithm, then matches the unique audio signature to its precise place in the movie, and plays back the alternate language audio through headphones in perfect sync with the film. The audio file will only play if it hears the movie, and once the movie is over, the file self-deletes from the app.
“MyLingo provides a rich and customized cinematic experience, where bilingual families and friends can share the same emotion, laughter and excitement together in a whole new way,” said Paul Holliman, vice president, strategic planning at Walt Disney Studios.
The Spanish audio track for McFarland, USA will be offered for free via a promotional code throughout opening weekend Feb. 20-22. Following the opening weekend, filmgoers can access the audio track for $1.99.
