Do traditionally animated classics have a future as 3-D releases? Disney seems to think so. According to Daily Variety, the studio is planning to add some dimension to the 1991 Oscar-nominated family film Beauty and the Beast for stereoscopic presentation in theaters in 2010. Disney artists and technicians will use the same technology and techniques used to make 3-D versions of The Nightmare Before Christmas and the two Toy Storymovies.
Producer Don Hahn and directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale will oversee the 3-D conversion of their own film. Also involved is Sara Duran-Singer, senior VP of worldwide production at Walt Disney Feature Animation. The entire process is expected to take roughly nine months.
The new Disney Digital 3-D version of the first Toy Story will debut on Oct. 2, 2009, with Toy Story 2 in 3-D following on Feb. 12, 2010. While these two are being converted for stereoscopic screening after the fact, Toy Story 3 is being produced as a 3-D motion picture event. Veteran Pixar filmmaker Lee Unkrich, co-director of Toy Story 2, is helming the production, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 18, 2010. Other upcoming Disney flicks, including Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Robert Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol, will be 3-D releases.
