..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington

People go to the movies for all sorts of reasons, and the opportunity to check out exciting new technologies certainly has been one of them for most of the last 100 years. When Hollywood is particularly proud of an innovative format, it sells it to the public as if it were a new flavor of ice cream. For many, the temptation is too attractive to pass up.

You’d have to be close watcher of the trades to appreciate just how much stock the studios are putting into the future of an old concept: 3-D. It was the talk of the recently completed ShoWest, where exhibitors were able to see examples of digitally rendered 3-D in action.

They also learned that DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg was committed to releasing all of the studio’s pictures in 3-D format, as well as traditional 2-D, starting in 2009. That’s when the installed base of 3-D compatible systems in the U.S. is expected to reach several thousand, from today’s installed base of around 600. NASCAR has followed the NBA into ranks of the converted, as well.

"I’m willing to accept the fact that I was wrong (about 3-D), because I did not believe it would be as big of a catalyst as it is now," allowed John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners. "3-D is becoming a much bigger value-add than I originally thought. Chicken Little and Nightmare Before Christmas blew the socks off all our members."

This weekend, audiences will be given a choice of seeing Disney’s new animated feature, Meet the Robinsons, in 3-D or 2-D formats. I’m not a movie critic, although I occasionally play one on the Internet, so I won’t make any pronouncements about its aesthetic value, one or way or the other. I suspect critics will divided on the picture, if only because early buzz labeled the project "troubled," and negative gossip can be as tough to kick as a virus.

It’s true that Meet the Robinsons underwent major surgery last year, after the folks from Pixar entered the financial picture at Disney. Kids, of course, couldn’t care less about corporate intrigue (or critics, for that matter) and they’ll have the final say on its success or failure. The studio launched an ambitious marketing campaign -- complete with a video-game tie-in -- so, whatever was done to it must have met with approval, somewhere.

For what it’s worth, I enjoyed it … but I haven’t been a kid for a long time. More recently a parent, however, I can easily recommend the 3-D Robinsons experience to moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas who may want to see what’s become of the format since the days of Bwana Devil, Jaws 3-D and cardboard and cellophane glasses.

First and foremost, the technology has evolved to the point where subtlety and nuance can be part of a filmmaker’s palette when working in the medium. No longer is 3-D all about assaulting a willing audience with leaping lions and deceptively close encounters with sharks. Indeed, many advocates of 3-D filmmaking -- James Cameron, Bob Zemeckis and Robert Rodriguez -- will emphasize depth-of-field and verisimilitude over optical illusions.

Meet the Robinsons represents the grandest launch of a 3-D feature, yet, with an initial rollout on 600-700 screens. Its entire 90-minute length makes use of the stereoscopic process, thereby eliminating the practice of cueing viewers as to when they should put on the lightweight, sunglass-size frames.

At one time, 45 minutes was considered the limit on exposure to 3-D, after which viewers risked headaches. The digital rendering provides a much gentler ride, and audiences can focus on the narrative, as well as the optics.

It isn’t likely 3-D will make anyone forget 2-D, IMAX, 70mm or, even, Smell-O-Vision. Still, if the product comes through as promised, strapped exhibitors are likely to benefit most from its growth.

For one thing, people seem to enjoy it: In 2005, Disney's animated Chicken Little opened on 84 3-D-equipped screens in 2005, in addition to 3,500-plus 2-D screens. The 3-D version made three times the per-screen box-office gross of the non-stereoscopic version.

Second) New and old classics can be retrofitted and re-released as special events. Last Halloween, Tim Burton's 1993 stop-motion-animated The Nightmare Before Christmas was re-released in 3-D and earned $8 million on 168 screens.

Third) Exhibitors can easily simulate a special-event atmosphere in their theaters, based on interest in watching high-profile sports and music events in super hi-def. Last month, for example, thousands of people stood in line at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to watch a live 3-D simulcast of the NBA All-Star Game and its sideshows. Opera lovers in culturally deprived backwaters are now going to the local multi-plexes to see live performances uploaded from the Met.

Fourth) The hardware no longer is an insurmountable hassle: Companies such as RealD have created devices that allow digital projectors to convert to 3-D, practically with the flick of a wrist.

Fifth) Audiences will pay extra for the privilege: Time and again, consumers have demonstrated a willingness to cough up a couple extra bucks per ticket, if they’re being given something of value not available at home.

"When you can take a product that’s been around for a while, and bring it out and make $9 million, that’s impressive," Fithian told ShoWesters.

Along with the usual array of plush toys, books and T-shirts, Disney’s Interactive division is releasing a Meet the Robinsons video game for several different gaming platforms. It won’t be available in 3-D, because there aren’t enough machines yet capable of doing the product justice (at least, in a cost-effective way). A Chicken Little-themed 3-D game was teased on a giant screen at ShoWest, and it looked terrific.

Meet the Robinsons will be shown with a 3-D animated short from 1953, Working for Peanuts, featuring Donald Duck and Chip and Dale. In some theaters, a pre-recorded U-2 concert movie -- also shot in 3-D -- will previewed.

One person who doesn’t feel as if this incarnation of 3-D is a passing fancy is Roy E. Disney. His Shamrock Holdings Inc. last week announced plans to invest an estimated $50 million into Beverly Hills-based Real D. If that doesn’t indicate a willingness to gamble on the creative potential of a format once considered to be merely a gimmick -- feasible primarily for large-frame venues and amusement parks -- it’s still a pretty good place to start.

March 29, 2007

- Gary Dretzka

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