Drone Light Show at the Santa Monica Pier Celebrates Disney+ and National Streaming Day

Published on May 20, 2021

Hundreds of drones flew in a controlled pattern to create outlines of Baby Yoda, the Handmaid, and Captain America’s Shield over the Santa Monica Pier

On Thursday, May 20th, the online streaming service, Disney+, released a video showing a stunning light show over the beaches of Santa Monica. The 8-minute choreographed light show was part of a film shoot to create an awesome promo for National Streaming Day. 240 tiny drones flew in computer-controlled patterns to create outlines of the icons and characters from some of the most popular shows streaming on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. The illustrations created in the night sky included Grogu from “The Mandalorian” on Disney+, Captain America’s shield from “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” on Disney+, wings from “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Hulu, and an MLB bat and baseball for ESPN+.

As part of a larger celebration, Disney also gave fans a sneak peek at upcoming programs on their social media channels, made #StreamingDay announcements of new summer series and movies, and hosted watch parties of classic movies and shows.

National Streaming Day was first celebrated in 2014 as a marketing stunt for the then burgeoning industry. Since then, pay-TV subscribers have declined by 15% and streaming services have grown in double digits. Roku, who makes a popular streaming device, reported this year that their users have more than tripled in the last 4 years.

See the video of the drone light show at the Santa Monica Pier released on Disney+ YouTube page:

This eye-catching display was created by choreographing 240 small drones with state-of-the-art computer technology to create 3D images in the night sky. The show was created to be filmed by cameras mounted to other drones flying further afield. The film shoot and drone show was arranged by Epidemic, an independent and collaborative creative studio based in Los Angeles.