Case Study: Disney achieves cross-platform mobile app flexibility with Ionic

Disney brought hybrid mobile app development solution to Disney's Magical Express

Disney needed to keep its Disney’s Magical Express guest transportation service running when hardware support issues threatened the Windows CE handhelds used to scan luggage tags at Orlando International Airport. The team had to quickly find a cross-platform replacement that could work on both iOS and Android devices, support their custom barcode scanner, and fit the company’s timeline and budget.

Ionic provided the solution by enabling Disney to build a hybrid mobile app with a single codebase using familiar web technologies like HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and Angular, while also supporting the barcode scanner through Cordova. The result was a flexible, guest-facing app with offline storage for weak or unavailable WiFi, and Disney was able to deploy iPhone-based devices with the option to support Android in just a few days if needed.

Disney

Michael Callaghan

Lead Software Engineer