Written by Samantha Alvarez, Unreal Generalist / Project Lead.
The mighty Vegesaurs have grown even mightier with their very own big screen immersive experience. Cheeky Little has been lucky enough to bring this exciting project to life for Luna Park’s Big Top. Audiences can now join Ginger and the Peas on an epic adventure, racing across the valley through breathtaking visuals powered by 30+ projectors and surround sound.
For the Unreal Engine (UE) Team at Cheeky Little, this was the most challenging, technically advanced and rewarding project we have ever tackled. The projection resolution spans about 4000 pixels in height and 20 000 pixels in width, which equates to a staggering 12 meters in height and 85 meters in length.
With three projection walls (front, left, and right), we had to rethink our usual series production approach. Typically, we rely on a standard 3D camera setup, but this immersive experience required something entirely different. Thanks to the talented team at S1T2, we were equipped with a custom-built camera using Unreal’s nDisplay feature, allowing us to preview in real time what would be projected onto the Big Top’s walls.
One of the biggest visual challenges was working within the architecture of the Luna Park Big Top, which features arches and corners where the three walls meet. The arches, in particular, proved frustrating. The physical structure would often clip over characters, disrupting the intended visuals. We had to be meticulous in our staging to avoid key moments of action falling into these awkward creases in the projection. Additionally, since our camera moved dynamically throughout the experience, we couldn’t rely on traditional editing tricks, so there were no quick cuts to hide inconsistencies like we might in a regular animated series.
Adding to the challenge, Maya (our primary 3D animation software) lacked an equivalent camera setup that could accurately represent the three-wall projection. Instead, we had to work with rough approximations, relying on a lot of guesswork in character positioning before bringing everything into Unreal. Once inside of Unreal, there was a lot of repositioning of characters to make it work within the architecture.
To maintain the immersive feel, we minimized cuts throughout the film. With only 14 shots in total, each one had to flow seamlessly into the next. This resulted in extremely long shots, which meant longer render times.
We pushed our hardware and software to their limits. Even with top-of-the-line RTX 4090 graphics cards, we experienced significant lag and persistent technical issues that at times felt impossible to resolve.
One of my favorite shots takes place in the spooky forest. The glowing lights and vibrant colors created a magical atmosphere, and I was eager to add fog for extra depth. Unfortunately, the sheer scale of the project made this impossible—additional effects would have caused unmanageable lag.
Bringing this project to life took an incredible amount of teamwork and talent. After six months of intense work (with a few caveats), we made it to the premiere screening at Luna Park. Seeing the kids’ reactions to Ginger and the Pea Rexes being projected at such a massive scale made it all worthwhile.
Of course, no project is without its challenges. The final delivery didn’t quite meet our internal quality standards, so we owe a huge thanks to Theo Sakurai and Aki Clayton, who worked tirelessly to refine the experience. Even three months after the initial release, they’ve been adding final touches to elevate the immersive to its full potential. The kids may not notice the difference, but we certainly do, and we deeply appreciate their efforts!
Although the Vegesaurs experience is currently showing at Luna Park Sydney exclusively, our intention is to share the joy and release the Immersive Experience in other territories around the world, starting with a show in Toronto, Canada in Summer 2025.