The app was developed in association with local gaming and animation studio Sea Monster and the Disney franchise. It aims to give South African shoppers a new way to experience The Lion King through the movie merchandise.

From store window displays to prints on a number of different garments, shoppers of all ages will be able to see fully-animated 3D scenes of their favourite characters coming to life in the real world — using the downloadable app’s AR capabilities.

Activities range from scanning The Lion King pictures on merchandise and displays to printing a special colouring-in sheet, which children can scan to trigger a unique scene.

"In-store experiences become less routine and more novel, which is great for consumers and retailers alike," says Sea Monster experience designer, Rodain Joubert.

"The built-in opportunities for capturing, posing and sharing unique moments also fit right in with the lifestyle of an increasingly tech-savvy and socially-driven population," he adds.

"Plus, from a marketing standpoint, the message is pushed out on social media by consumer authenticity — a valuable commodity in a world where we're used to dealing with targeted messaging at every turn," says Joubert.

Sea Monster, Ackermans and Disney opted to use 3D and AR to bring The Lion King to life because of its relative accessibility. "We needed to consider that the average South African shopper isn’t necessarily carrying a high-end smartphone," Joubert says.

"For many, the Ackermans Live app will be their first introduction to the exciting world of AR, and, with this in mind, we carefully selected images that we could animate and bring to life," he adds.

According to Ackermans, the Live app is light (less than 80MB) and is a self-contained ecosystem, once downloaded. "The only additional costs users will need to consider is when they decide to share pictures," says Joubert.

For more information, visit www.ackermans.co.za. You can also follow Ackermans on Facebook or on Instagram.