HP : Exploring the Hidden World of How to Train Your Dragon 3 in VR

'This project was an opportunity for HP to work with two great partners and bring to life something that hasn't been done before,' says Joanna Popper, head of location-based VR entertainment for HP. 'It enables audiences who have loved these stories and these characters to be part of the movie, and to have that full immersion and interactivity that VR brings like no other medium.'

The story arc riffs off of a central theme of the How to Train Your Dragon universe: The bond between dragon and rider. The aim of VR experiences like this are to keep people returning to brick-and-mortar stores through VR and tech-driven storytelling, Finnegan explains, something Walmart is betting will drive sales.

'We created custom art ourselves with the guidance of the producers of the movie to help us render this environment in a way that wasn't possible before,' Finnegan says. From the dragons' flight patterns to the animated gestures of viking hero Hiccup, the VR experience aims to 'create a heightened relationship with our customers,' she explains. 'We invite people to shop at the height of their emotional connection with the story, and hopefully, they will want to bring part of that experience home.'

Judging by the line of fans snaking around the tent on a recent Friday - and the $430 million the film has netted to date - many customers did take a piece of the movie home with them.

'We had a kid come through three times, even when the wait was an hour plus,' Finnegan says. 'He emerged with a look of sheer joy.'

Read about the amazing HP technology behind the magic of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.