The first-ever VR Google Doodle is a charming tribute to Georges Méliès

By Daniel Terdiman

 
May 02, 2018

Over the years, Google’s doodles–those frequent charming musings at the top of its home page–have evolved from static to dynamic, and have included games, animations, and more. Now, add virtual reality to the mix.

Today, Google launched its first-ever VR doodle, a terrific celebration of French illusionist and film director Georges Méliès, and is timed to the 106th anniversary of one of his most famous works, À la conquête du pôle.

The 360-degree doodle takes you through a story called “Back to the Moon.” Viewed on the web, you can use your mouse to move the video (above) around in 360 degrees via the Google Spotlight Stories YouTube channel. But it’s surely best seen in a VR headset–the VR version of the doodle can be viewed on mobile, Cardboard, or Daydream by downloading the Google Spotlight Stories app on Google Play or in the App Store.

The project was a collaboration between Google Spotlight Stories, Nexus Studios, Google Doodle, and Google Arts and Culture.

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