Disney is planning a total reboot of its retail stores over the next few years, with over $1 million per store to be devoted to the upgrade, according to the New York Times.  The new approach is going to draw on the Apple experience, as brought to Disney by board member Steve Jobs.  Among the Apple-style features will be in-store theaters, computer chips in packaging that activate hidden features, Lucite trees with video projections, the ability to deploy scents throughout the store, mobile checkout, and an over-all focus on interactivity.  The board approved the makeover, according to the report, after hearing a pitch that branded the stores as “the best 30 minutes of a child’s day.”  The stores will reportedly be renamed “Imagination Park.”

 

Areas of the store will be devoted to different Disney intellectual properties, with over 90% of the products exclusive to the chain, according to CNBC. 

 

The company also plans to develop a Times Square location as a flagship, according to the reports. 

 

Boom! Studios has just begun selling its Pixar comics to the Disney stores, the first comics into the chain (see “Boom’s Disney Standards”).