Waze, the other navigation app made by Google, is getting a new driving experience based on a classic movie from almost nine decades ago. You can now get your hands on The Wizard of Oz driving experience in the Waze app, the company announced.
For the uninitiated, The Wizard of Oz is a musical fantasy movie from 1939, which was based on the American author L. Frank Baum"s novel of the same name. One of the reasons it made headlines was the vibrant colors of the yellow brick road and Emerald City, courtesy of the three-strip Technicolor 35mm motion picture camera used in the production.
Waze app"s new driving experience features original characters like Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. You"ll hear driving instructions from the Munchkins; meanwhile, Dorothy and other characters will add iconic quotes from the movie.
You can pick the "Wonderful" mood as part of the driving experience and select the emerald classic car "The Wizard" as your custom vehicle during navigation. Google said in a blog post that the new driving experience is available globally in English if you"re running the latest version of the Waze app.
You can activate The Wizard of Oz driving experience from the left-side menu in the app. This is the latest addition to the number of driving experiences Google has previously added to Waze, including those featuring Minions, Dashie, Ghostbusters, and tennis legend Roger Federer.
It"s not the first time Google has partnered with The Wizard of Oz. Earlier this year, the search giant deployed "specially tuned" versions of Gemini, Veo, and Imagen generative AI models to recreate the classic movie in 16K resolution for the enormous 160,000-square-foot LED screen present at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The movie is set to premiere on August 28.