Henry

Henry is a 2015 virtual reality film created by Oculus Story Studio which was premiered on July 28, 2015. It was created in Unreal Engine 4 and narrated by Elijah Wood. Henry won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Interactive Program in 2016. Plot The film starts with the narrator (Elijah Wood) explaining that Henry is a hedgehog who has no friends because he likes to hug everyone. The viewer is then placed inside Henry's home on his birthday where, after a short time, Henry appears from the kitchen with his birthday cake. Sad at being alone on his birthday, Henry lights the candle on his cake and makes a wish before blowing it out. At this point, a group of animal balloons come to life and fly around the house, before one approaches Henry for a hug; the balloon pops as Henry tries to hug it. Terrified, the balloons dart around the room trying to escape from Henry before flying out of the door, leaving Henry alone. Shortly afterwards, a knock at the door reveals that the balloons have returned, bringing with them a turtle. The turtle hugs Henry, without being hurt by his quills, and Henry is happy again. Production Oculus Story Studio began creation of Henry envisioning it as a comedy, eventually deciding to create a story that viewers would find engaging through their empathy for the main character, rather than from action or suspense. To achieve this, the creators made Henry look at the viewer during certain moments, especially those in which he is feeling strong emotions. The creators incorporated "discoverables" to make use of the virtual reality medium - if the viewer looks in particular directions small events will occur, such as a ladybug crawling into view.