HP and Microsoft formed a team to develop the high-tech home of the future. The two companies revealed their innoventions Dream Home at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, this week. The home uses some of the newest developments in communications technology and is now open for the public to tours.

In true Disney style – larger than life and all a bit magical - a fictional family guides you through the rooms of the house, and lets you see all the high tech gadgetry inside. Located in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, everything in the house is just a little bit fantastical.

This is no ordinary house. A touch screen lets the imaginary family change the home’s outer appearance instantly. Walking through the front door, the computer recognises and greets each and every member of the family including the dog. Using this recognition technology, the computer adapts the look and feel of the room according to the preferences of the person standing in it. Everything from digital pictures, the temperature and the music in the background changes to suit the individual person.

“It’s a really cool space because it’s unlike other things I’ve seen,” Ray Aldrich, HP marketing and programs manager, told TechNewsWorld. “A lot of times … technology visions of the future are kind of roped off with a guy giving you the demo and that’s it. What’s nice here is you’ve got a way to explore the entire space [yourself],” he said.

The fun doesn’t stop in the kitchen. A virtual bulletin board helps you with your list of chores, wireless connections let all the appliances talk to each other and eliminates the need for shopping lists by telling you what you have run out of. A virtual assistant named Lillian will even help you when your stuck for an idea at dinner time.

“It’s a great example of the magic of Disney being applied to big technology companies like HP and Microsoft — taking a lot of our existing products and applying them in a special way in this environment,” Aldrich said.

In the dining room, the touch screen technology lets family members interact with the table and view media content from their phones right on to the surface. The living room sports a home cinema, the boy’s bedroom has a peter pan theme, and – something even my wife would kill for – the girl’s bedroom has a magic mirror that lets you try out different outfits and hairstyles without lifting a finger.

It might all sound like a fairy tale, but fear not – this technology is either currently available or soon-to-be released.

“We really believe in developing what we call the digital lifestyle,” Aldrich said “We’re excited to have Disney park guests come see this and explore this vision with us.”