The experience – which took 3,000 hours of specialist VFX artistry to develop – allows people to step into the enchanting world of the Christmas ad and not only experience the environment, but interact and play with its cast of characters– and immediately share a unique film of themselves composited into the 3D scene.

This is the first commercial interactive VR experience to use Leap Motion technology, synchronised with Oculus headsets, to allow users to control their interactivity with their own hands, without the need for gaming controllers. It’s also the first VR experience to introduce video capture of the user experience, with instant composition of users into the 3D garden scene, as opposed to the traditional approach to video capture which captures only the viewpoint of the user at any given time.

Not only can users immerse themselves in the environment of the spot through MPC Creative’s VR experience – a 3D camera mounted in-store captures the user, creating a real-time video composition that merges what’s happening in the real world and the VR one. This allows spectators to get a better idea of what’s happening in the store, and provides a fun, 15-second clip for people to share with their friends.