Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 'Toy Story' in 3-D

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 01-31-2008, 02:14 AM:

From Variety:

quote:

'Toy Story' gets 3-D makeover

Disney to re-release Pixar franchise
By MARC GRASER

The Mouse House is giving Pixar's "Toy Story" franchise the 3-D treatment.

As part of an aggressive move by the studio to turn more of its toons into 3-D releases, company will convert "Toy Story" into the format and re-release the pic in theaters on Oct. 2, 2009. Its sequel will get the same makeover and bow Feb. 12, 2010.

The re-releases lead up to the opening of the newest adventure for Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their toy pals: "Toy Story 3" is slated for June 18, 2010. It will also be shown in 3-D; Lee Unkrich (co-director of "Toy Story 2") is helming.

Studio said John Lasseter, who directed the first two "Toy Story" pics and serves as chief creative officer for Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, will oversee the creative side of the 3-D conversions for "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2."

The Mouse has become the latest studio to push the 3-D format, especially with its animated fare, as a way to lure more auds into theaters.

And for good reason. Studio's seen strong numbers from its releases that have received the 3-D treatment, such as Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Chicken Little" and "Meet the Robinsons." Of the $97.8 million domestic haul for "Robinsons," for example, $30.4 million came from 3-D runs.

Disney's upcoming "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," toon "Bolt," the performance-capture adaptation of "A Christmas Carol," the stop-motion pic "Frankenweenie" and live-action/performance capture combo "Alice in Wonderland" will also be distribbed in 3-D.

The studios have set their sights on 2009 as the year for auds to embrace 3-D; by then, thousands of theater screens will be capable of showing off the technology.

Across town, DreamWorks will bow "Monsters vs. Aliens" and "How to Train Your Dragon" that year in Imax 3-D and on regular screens in digital 3-D, with "Shrek Goes Fourth" to follow in 2010.

All of DreamWorks' toons will be produced for the format in the future, Jeffrey Katzenberg has said.

Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox will release James Cameron's "Avatar" in 3-D next year.

"Beowulf" has been the widest 3-D release to date, with 3-D playdates on hundreds of Imax and regular screens having outgrossed traditional runs throughout several weeks of its release.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-31-2008, 02:35 AM:

Who didn't see this coming from 5,000 miles away?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-31-2008, 09:47 AM:

Damn, this probably means they won't bother to come up with a good story for TS3.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-31-2008, 11:42 AM:

I'll just wait till they release it on BluRay High Def 3D; you can see THAT coming from 5000 miles away as well.....the next giant step to make every joe's home theatre just as good as the multiplex....and better.

That mantra: "buy digital projectors because you'll be able to show 3D which can't be seen at home, making the theatre experience unique"....that was true for about an hour and a half. Yet another "Screw you, Mr. Exhibitor." Digital Wallet Rape.

Well, maybe rape is too strong a word; you really can't call it rape if they are saying, "Yes, Yes, do it again....here, my wallet is open, take what you want" instead of "No, No, Stop. I won't pay for that."

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-31-2008, 12:36 PM:

Frank, have you noticed it is the companies that aren't using their own wallet are the ones say "okay, take some more money" those that would have to pay for all or a substantial amount are saying "I'll wait a bit."

To think...its a REAL short time since these same people were buy red LEDs to beat the band to save the environment...just how much HAS been saved, by the way? The silverless film hasn't seemed to stem anything in films preservation...just introduced a non-compatible soundtrack at the exhibitor's expense and to the archivists nightmare of having to support two types of identical tracks....but I digress again.

3D isn't going to save anything and once again will become an annoying fad. Its the story, stupid. Try making the image quality better before worrying about adding dimensions that yield headaches.

I was reading on the consumer side of things the annoyance that while single chip DLP projectors have never been cheaper, you can't by 3-chip DLP projectors for less than 10-12 times what it costs for the single chip. One would think it wouldn't cost more than 3X. The thought being that somehow DLP is "protecting" the Dcinema market by keeping 3-chip DLP 2K machines artificially high in price to keep the edge with DCinema....the only problem is that LCD is marching right along and narrowing the performance gap and significantly less cost (under $2500 for a 3-chip LCD 2K projector.) DLP sales are down by 25 or so percent in 2007 according to an NY Times article and the predictions are that DLP sales are going to drop by yet more in 2008 and this is the technology that DCinema is banking on! TI did try to put a spin on things with the potential putting single-chip projectors in things like cell-phones...as if LCD or LCoS couldn't do that too...for less money and size...let alone the desire for such an expense in a phone.

But bringing this back to 3-D...another gasp TI is throwing out is 3D DLPs for the home in the name of video-game systems...now that might indeed have some merit but I don't know how it will help Cinema 3-D

Steve

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 01-31-2008, 10:52 PM:

I could care less about the 3D, but I'm very excited to see these again on the Big Screen. And I can't wait to take my kids, who weren't alive to see them in theatres.

I wish Pixar (& Disney) would do more of this. I realize re-releases don't make megabucks like a new blockbuster can, but the costs (& risks) have got to be a lot lower than a brand-new feature.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-01-2008, 12:02 AM:

quote:
DLP sales are down by 25 or so percent in 2007 according to an NY Times article and the predictions are that DLP sales are going to drop by yet more in 2008 and this is the technology that DCinema is banking on!

Isn't single-chip consumer DLP mainly associated with large, rear projection screen TV monitors? I had thought there were flat panel TVs driven by DLP, but that apparently isn't the case.

Plasma and LCD TVs have been improving greatly -with LCD-based monitors making really big strides. At Winter CES one of the most popular new items were the new breed of small OLED TVs on display. The OLED monitor panels are freakishly thin.

RPTVs are starting to seem quite obsolete. That can't be good for TI's DLP business. But it sort of serves them right by selling wobbulation DLP chips for TV makers where they can claim the monitor does full "1080p" but really has only half the native pixel count. Guess TI will need to concentrate more on the computer projector market -provided their competitors don't blow them out of the water with higher resolution alternatives at less cost.

As far as Toy Story in 3D goes, it might pretty decent -provided they don't change things in the story to add obvious 3D sight gags into the show. If they treat it in a similar fashion as The Nightmare Before Christmas the 3D version may work pretty well.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-01-2008, 12:17 AM:

I'll bet "The Lion King 3-D" will be next after all the Pixar movies have been regurgitated.

Never mind that it will look crappy.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-01-2008, 12:46 AM:

The Lion King would look crappy in 3D because it is hand-drawn 2D animation. It would have to be processed in that tedious yet still mostly fake look faux 3D stuff.

With any CGI animated stuff, they just work on rendering a 2nd eye view -provided there is archival 3D animation data and assets to use in re-creating it.

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 02-01-2008, 02:06 PM:

Actually, I am surprised to see this. When Ratatouille came out, a lot of people wondered why it wasn't in Digital 3D. Pixar stated that they felt that movie goers should want to go and see a film because of the quality of the storytelling, not because of some 3D gimmick.

Now that said, I am ECSTATIC at this news. Toy Story was the film that first got me interested in animation, and I cannot wait to see it again on the big screen.

As far as Lion King goes, I would give a limb to see it in IMAX again.