Echo Devices Now Enabled with Amazon’s ‘Hey Disney!’ Feature
Amazon and Disney have collaborated to develop an interactive encounter that merges Alexa’s voice assistant capabilities with Disney’s extensive collection of characters. The newly launched “Hey Disney!” can be accessed on all Echo devices and marks the first instance where Amazon has permitted an assistant other than Alexa on its range of speakers and tablets.
When you buy an annual subscription to the new voice assistant from the Alexa Skills Store, you’ll have whole new ways to interact with your Echo gadgets. The wake word changes to “Hey Disney!” which gives you access to something called the “Disney Magical Companion”. This unlocks 20 new personalities and voices to interact with across Disney’s corporate catalog, including Pixar films and the Star Wars franchise. In addition, the service is included as an Amazon Kids+ benefit at no additional cost.
When you call your favorite character, you get more personality when you ask about the weather or set an alarm. Amazon offers examples of Frozen’s Olaf reading the weather and a themed soundscape inspired by Return of the Jedi’s moon of Endor. There’s also an emphasis on storytelling, with Amazon touting “interactive adventures with characters” and “engaging entertainment.” Finally, there’s a new multiplayer Disney trivia game. These modes are only available as audio experiences for Echo speakers and visuals for Echo Show tablets.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of this unique brand. The voice assistant was first announced last year, but was an exclusive release for Disney Resort hotels. Now it’s available to everyone, as long as you get a separate subscription or already have a Kids+ package.
