A Dimension of Sight and Sound

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ (WDAS) decision to release its latest CG-animated feature, Meet the Robinsons, in Disney Digital 3D on more than 600 screens worldwide marks the Mouse’s most ambitious foray yet into the resurgent field of three-dimensional filmmaking.

Disney opened the door to the high-tech rebirth of 3D with the release of the studios’ first all CG-animated feature Chicken Little.  Contrary to a January 25 report by Jim Hill, a frequent critic of Disney-Pixar Animation, a special Halloween digital, 3D engagement of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, according to sources within Disney Studios, was also “a huge success.”

The 3D engagement of Nightmare generated $8.7 million in ticket sales. It did so on just 168 screens, an achievement that led Disney to announce that the 3D version of the film “has now become an annual holiday tradition and will be re-released every year in time for the holidays.”

With the critical and box-office success of the Disney Digital 3D versions of Chicken Little and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in such limited release, Disney decided to move to the next level of 3D storytelling by tailor-making Meet the Robinsons for the 3D experience.

Even before production began on Meet the Robinsons, WDAS filmmakers took the future of 3D movie exhibition into consideration by looking for ways to incorporate the 3D experience throughout the production of the film.

“We actually wrote what we call a ‘Depth Script’ for the entire film, in which we determined how much depth we would use in each sequence of the story,” said Stereoscopic Supervisor Phil McNally, known around the studio as “Captain 3D.” “It was a real jump ahead creatively, because we were able to look at the entire story in advance and actually use the 3D to enhance the storytelling as we have never done before.”

To illustrate his point, McNally said he and his team purposely held back on the dimensional depth of the film until Lewis arrives in Future City, where things suddenly and viscerally pop with dynamic shapes and colors. “Throughout Meet the Robinsons, we are using much more depth than you saw on Chicken Little, and by the time Lewis gets to the Future City, it's the deepest you’ve ever seen,” notes McNally.

The future pops in the Disney Digital 3D presentation of Meet the Robinsons.
Image ©copyright Disney Enterprises.

Yet for all the creative shifts in depth, the aim was also a refined subtlety not usually associated with 3D. “The idea is that audiences shouldn't notice the changes in depth, but simply have the feeling that you’re suddenly looking into a more spacious future world,” McNally continued.

“We did a lot of work with the sense of scale,” he went on, “developing different tools to actually measure the characters and to see how round or how big they need to be, which helps to make them very convincing.  We also have improved the shot-to-shot transitions, so that we can keep up with the Robinsons even in the fastest-cutting sequences.”

“We also have taken control of the movie frame itself, known as the ‘stereoscopic window’ in 3D filmmaking. For example, in most scenes we keep the world behind the frame in order to make it feel under control, but then, say in the dinosaur scenes, we break out of that window, playing with angles and allowing the shots to literally become unstable. It's a very subconscious kind of thing, but it's really effective in creating a dynamic sequence.”

Forget about those red and green, headache inducing cardboard 3D glasses from the ‘50s. Today’s 3D movie-going experience is pure 21st Century stuff. The sturdy plastic, polarizing glasses used for digital 3D work, and look more like ordinary sunglasses—although digital 3D audiences are advised not to wear them after a film ends.

In the past, most 3D films worked by projecting a double image: one for the right eye and another for the left, which created a rich sensation of real-life depth. Traditionally, this effect was achieved by using two projectors. Modern digital 3D technology, like that used in Disney Digital 3D, requires just one projector, which rapidly shifts between images for the left eye and the right eye so quickly (144 times per second) that the brain can’t detect the motion. The effect, one seamless projection, results in what Disney refers to as “a totally immersive viewing experience.”

“Meet the Robinsons is all about the future,” says Lylle Breier, Senior Vice President of Disney Special Events, “so it's a natural for this completely new way of experiencing a movie, taking you inside this animated world and really letting you live it.  This is the future as only Disney could imagine it—and today's sophisticated audiences want to experience that future in a cutting-edge way that makes it totally immersive.”

“What's exciting for everyone at Disney,” Breier continued, “is that we were there in the beginning with Chicken Little and now, just a short time later, we're seeing astronomical growth in digital 3D theatres.  Audiences all over the country are demanding digital 3D and, thankfully, theatres are stepping up to the plate.”

“Disney Digital 3D is now more comfortable, easier to watch, and bigger and bolder than ever.  Throw away your old ideas of paper glasses, eyestrain, and headaches—with Disney Digital 3D it’s totally comfortable to watch, and you don't really notice the 3D process.  What you do notice is that you are immersed in this incredible world with wonderful characters,” Breier said.

“There's no doubt that for big movies like Meet the Robinsons, digital 3D is going to be a major factor in the future,” says Breier.  “In fact, Meet the Robinsons will only be seen in 3D in all of Manhattan.”

The Future is Now

Not to be outdone, DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. on March 13 announced its intention to produce all of its films in stereoscopic 3D starting in 2009. Like Disney, to best take advantage of the technology, the company will use stereoscopic 3D from the beginning of the creative process.

“I believe that this is the greatest opportunity for movies and for the theatrical exhibition business that has come along in 30 years,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation.

“Advancements in sound have dramatically improved the auditory experience, but there hasn't been a corresponding breakthrough in the way we see movies until now. Stereoscopic 3D technology gives us a real opportunity to significantly enhance the theater experience,” Katzenberg said.

“Historically, 3D has been used primarily as an add-on or a bonus feature," Katzenberg said. "And while audiences have enjoyed that, they haven't really seen the true potential of this technology. We're going to use the latest stereoscopic 3D technology to build our movies from the ground up. We believe that this will create more opportunities for our artists, as well as a more compelling experience for the audience.”

DreamWorks Animation has begun production on its first film in the digital 3D format, Monsters vs. Aliens [working title], intended for release in the summer of 2009.

Leading the launch of DreamWorks Animation's stereoscopic 3D efforts will be Jason Clark, who most recently was Executive Producer on Monster House 3D, and Jim Mainard, who for many years was the head of DreamWorks Animation's Research and Development.

Phil McNally, Stereographer on Chicken Little and Stereographic Supervisor on Meet the Robinsons, will be the Stereographic Supervisor on DreamWorks Animation's first stereoscopic 3D movie, Monsters vs. Aliens.

“I'm thrilled to welcome Phil and Jason to the DreamWorks team,” Katzenberg said. “Along with Jim, we will have tremendous leadership for this initiative. By combining their talents and expertise with our resources and commitment, I believe we will be able to tell better stories and create a totally new and special experience for movie goers.”

And Baby Makes Three

The growth in the number of theaters capable of projecting digital 3D films has risen dramatically in the past two years. By 2009, it’s expected the number of screens equipped for digital 3D will be in the thousands. DreamWorks Animation believes that the rapid deployment of digital cinemas by exhibitors around the world, and the latest technology developments, will allow the company to take advantage of this new platform.

Apparently, Roy E. Disney and his Shamrock Holdings Inc. investment firm feel the same way.

On Monday, Joseph Menn, writing for the Los Angeles Times [LAT], reported that, “Shamrock's Capital Growth Fund is expected to announce this week that it is putting $50 million into Real D, which has equipped more than 700 movie screens with 3-D systems.”

Roy Disney established Shamrock, headquartered in Burbank, with business partner Stanley P. Gold to mange his family’s investments. Roy E. Disney is the son of Disney Company cofounder Roy O. Disney and Walt’s nephew.

Located in Beverly Hills, Real D is the world's leading—and currently only—digital 3D projection systems provider. Their technology is essentially at the core of Disney Digital 3D.

Just as they did when television first threatened the movie going experience, exhibitors are once again turning to 3D to keep audiences in their seats.

“Theater owners are excited by this technology, because it not only provides a more special movie-going experience but also a meaningful growth opportunity, as research suggests more people come to see 3D movies and ticket pricing has more flexibility," said Jim Tharp, President of Distribution for Paramount Pictures, distributor of DreamWorks movies. “The advancements in home entertainment products, especially flat-screen TVs, have made it more important then ever that exhibitors offer a unique and special theatrical experience; 3D does that in a big way, and film goers have already seen that this can be a premium experience.”

Other upcoming 3D films include Robert Zemeckis’ Beowolf in November, Journey 3D in 2008, and James Cameron’s Avatar in 2009.

Meet the Robinsons will open nationwide on March 30 on nearly 3,500 screens, and in Disney Digital 3D on more than 600 screens. Included with all showings of the 3D version of the film will be the classic 1953 Disney 3D short Working for Peanuts, starring Donald Duck and Chip and Dale. “[This is] a rare treat which will show audiences that Walt Disney was thinking about the future of 3D over 50 years ago!” said a Disney spokesperson.