One of the advantages that movies and TV shows have over reading books is that they’re usually accompanied by visual effects, sound effects, and background music that can help set the tone. However there are benefits to reading books too, and if you’re trying to encourage that habit, Google and Disney might have the solution.
Google and Disney have announced that they’ll be teaming up to enhance storytelling using Google Home, which will be used to help to provide sound effects and background music as you read. “Starting today, as you read select Little Golden Books aloud, Google Home will play relevant sound effects and music to bring the story to life. We partnered with Disney, one of the best storytellers in the world, to include family favorites like Moana and Coco.”
Google notes that when the feature has been activated, it will be able to tell if you’ve paused the story, which means that you’ll be able to pick up where you left off and the ambient sounds will do the same as well. Of course the featured books and titles will be somewhat limited at the start, which according to Google will include, Moana, Toy Story 3, Coco and Jack Jack Attack, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Three Little Pigs and Mickey Mouse and his Spaceship, and Mickey’s Christmas Carol.
It is an interesting albeit somewhat novel idea, but if you want to be known as the parent that can tell magical stories to their kids before bed, perhaps this could be worth checking out.