The Gruffalo is returning to the woods in the latest partnership between Forestry England, Magic Light Pictures and Nexus Studios with “The Gruffalo Spotter 2” app.

Visitors will trigger the AR characters to come to life and interact with them. Through face and body recognition technology, the characters now look at the children directly, encouraging them to play along. These moments can be recorded and saved to mobile devices for families to revisit and share later via the #GruffaloSpotters hashtag.

“Gruffalo Spotter 2” has been designed for exclusive use at up to 24 of the nation’s forests across England. The self-led trail is packed with facts about forest animals with activities to complete including rubbings and interactive activities on some of the panels.

“This is such an exciting development and will deliver a completely different forest experience for our visitors,” says Bridgette Hall, recreation manager, Forestry England. “The Gruffalo is a much-loved story and to be able to once again bring the characters to life in their natural setting is fantastic. We’re thrilled to be bringing the two worlds of technology and nature together again with this new app!”

The Gruffalo Spotters trail and Gruffalo Spotter 2 app will be live until winter 2021.