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Google launches 3D interactive ‘Oz’ Chrome experiment (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2iDDI6Stx0&feature=player_embedded]

9to5Google first reported last month that Google and Disney planned to launch an interactive 3D world that lets Web surfers literally find their way to the land of Oz with just the Chrome browser, and now the experiment is finally live.

Google took the upcoming Disney movie “Oz: The Great and the Powerful” and brought it to life in a full interactive, 3D browser experience without the need of additional plugins or apps. For the “Find Your Way to Oz” experiment, Google created the 3D environment with WebGL and CSS3. It also added audio effects with Web Audio API and built the photo booth and zoetrope with WebRTC’s getUserMedia feature.

Google explained the experiment’s main features on the official Google blog:

You won’t need magical powers to take a journey down the yellow brick road; just point your favorite browser to the latest Chrome Experiment, “Find Your Way to Oz.” Developed in collaboration with Disney and UNIT9 in anticipation of the upcoming film, Oz The Great and Powerful, this experiment takes you through a dusty Kansas circus and leads to a vibrant land, following in the footsteps of the Wizard himself. Like any good circus, there’s plenty to keep you entertained: compose your own music, play with a fun photo booth and create your own movie with a zoetrope. The path to Oz also involves confronting an ominous tornado; surviving it completes the journey, enabling fans of the movie to watch an exclusive unreleased clip from the film.

Folks will need an up-to-date computer with a powerful graphics cards and webcam, and preferably the Chrome browser, to enjoy the experience. Smartphone users can also visit the world with their Chrome browser on Android devices or iOS.

The “Oz” movie debuts March 8, but the Google Chrome experiment is now live with a teaser clip from the film buried in the interactive world.

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