Welcome to Berk
In the lead up to Dean DeBlois’ stunning live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon and its richly reimagined Berk Island, our Powster Viking tribe went on a creative voyage of epic proportions. We aimed to craft a digital fan destination that would stoke the emotional connections of long-time fans whilst igniting curiosity in a new generation and setting the tone for a mature, cinematic evolution of the franchise.
Our approach
Inspired by fan speculation that Berk could be a real place, we created a fully explorable, photorealistic "living" 3D island - complete with all of the geographical detail of a real atoll, including its own real-time seasonal weather system powered by users' local timezones.
Travellers could immerse themselves in the rich world and stunning locations of the Hooligan Tribe Dragon, adventuring through Berk via tappable hotspots. Our team enhanced raw 360 photography of set locations by masking out largescale production equipment, artfully designing negative space to mimic set dressing and layering in visual effects like fiery embers and atmospheric particles. Rich audio soundscapes designed from scratch completed the full sensory experience.
Fans could discover the culture of the Holigan Viking tribe through interactive 3D props in Stoick’s house, modelled and animated by Powster from visual references. They could also find original blueprint in Hiccup’s workshop and flip through the ancient Book of Dragons in the Great Hall. Exclusive, never-before-seen featurettes from the cast and director gave fans a deeper behind-the-scenes peek, and finally, thrilling video clips of the various dragon species allowed them to go head-to-head with the magnificent beasts!
The results
Our close collaboration with Universal Pictures Theatrical Marketing teams, as well as feedback from filmmakers, allowed us honour the emotional legacy of HTTYD while elevating it to fit a modern cinematic lens.
Fully localised for 10 global markets, the experience was accessible via a custom-designed banner on Powster Ticketing sites in each territory, allowing seamless click-through to & from the island and providing a tease of what's to come to incentivise ticket purchase.
From dynamic lighting to cultural artifacts in Stoick’s house, each creative decision was made to earn the audience's trust through craft, detail, and passion. That trust was rewarded through sustained organic fan engagement across Reddit, Instagram and YouTube; ticket engagement during launch that was 2x the typical industry benchmark during launch; and soaring success on the awards circuit, with wins for Site of the Day at the CSSDesignAwards. CSS Winner, and the highly prestigious FWA of the Month!
