How's about Christmas in not 3, not even 4, but 5D? That's what the Westfield Shopping Centre is offering up for the little 'uns this holiday season (that sounds very cinema voice-over like doesn't it?) with Elbow Saves Christmas.

Produced by Irish company vStream, the 5D action is, in fact, 3D action but with a couple of added twists. Unfortunately, no smelly-vision though and no middle of the road Dad music. The fourth dimension comes courtesy of a wind, lights and elf dust fun and the fifth is the fact that your kids will appear in the films themselves.

Their picture will be included in the stereoscopic 3D animation and will form a crucial part of the story as Elbow (the protagonist, not the band) attempts to save Christmas. Pocket-lint hasn't been given the low-down on whether he does or not, be we imagine it's all smiles at the end.

Apparently "Pixar quality", the 7 minute film was developed by five animators, four developers, a producer and a writer/director using the company's patent-pending Mirror 3D Personalisation Software.

vStream co-founder Andrew Jenkinson said: "We are delighted to be creating this world first 5D grotto experience with Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City. It has been an amazing journey from concept through to animation to final delivery. 

"Westfield will be using our patent-pending technology and we could not have a better client or project to launch it. We hope Elbow the Elf will have many more adventures in the years to come… the moon has been mentioned."

Elbow Saves Christmas is on show until Christmas Eve at both Westfield locations in the capital. It can take 50 people at a time so, hopefully, the queue will be a little less agonising than the traditional shopping centre Santa's Grotto one....