ORLANDO, Fla. — Step out from some retail therapy at Orlando Premium Outlets and step into the world of a guitar-strumming hound, known as Lonely Dog.

It's where copious amounts of artwork, then a novel by the same artist, serve as catalysts for an immersive experience.

"Instead of being in a seat and watching one screen, it's all around you," said Rob Pearlman, co-producer of the exhibit. "Every time I come in here personally, I notice something different."

The 360-degree projected digital show takes 35 projectors dotting the ceiling and working in symphony.

The anthropomorphic society pits cats against dogs, until Arthur Snout unifies them through music.

It's so vibrant, it's like you're peering onto the painter's canvas; so detailed, down to each brush stroke.

But, it took practically moving mountains and a series of happy coincidences to bring this labor of love to life.

Cliff Dew, who co-produced the show alongside Pearlman, had to first connect with New Zealand artist, Ivan Clarke. He was first inspired to paint Lonely Dog's dream world as he left home for vacation and envisioned what his own pooch was doing in his absence.

"She gave me his satellite phone number — I'm in Los Angeles, he's in New Zealand on a mountaintop painting a landscape," Dew said of his first interactions with Clarke.

Dew won Clarke over, got the rights, and two years later, said that a crew traveled across the globe to his studio to comb through 200 paintings he clung to.

“He’s never, ever sold one or let them out of his possession, so we had to fly there," Pearlman said. "We took a really high-resolution still camera and scanned the painting, each time, line by line."

Fast forward to recent months, as the Lonely Dog Experience came together, Dew went out to dinner and happened upon Donovan Peters, a longtime musician who has performed at places like Universal Studios.

“I was performing in a restaurant here in town ... we got to be friends," Peters said. "And they were so blown away by what I was doing there, and a thought came up. They explained their dream and vision for Lonely Dog and asked if I’d be interested."

While Peters did not write the soundtrack to the show, he was inspired to write an original song and now serves as musical director. He will also be playing live several nights per week.

Spaces in the exhibit are meant to serve as selfie backdrops. Elsewhere, a studio for the smallest artists allows children to project their artwork onto digital frames on the wall.

“Let them express themselves here … it allows a child, I think, to really blossom in terms of, 'Oh, I can do this!'" said Dew.

The creators even hope to host the artist himself when he, too, makes the journey from New Zealand to Orlando to see his life's work spring from canvas and pages. 

In the meantime, Peters said it's all about the guest experience.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the smiles, to seeing the joy permeate," he said. "Throwing that energy out, them throwing it back."

According to organizers, $1 from each ticket sold will benefit a local animal shelter, Happy Trails.