Robert Zemeckis Back in 3D With TO REACH THE CLOUDS Starring Joseph Gordon Levitt

Now this is VERY interesting indeed! The project has me very excited with the return of Robert Zemeckis to 3D, the use of cutting edge technology to push the bounds of the cinematic experience (like GRAVITY, where Tom Rothman got the idea for this project) and seeing star Joseph Gordon Levitt in an Oscar worthy role.

That role is Philippe Petit who walked for 45 minutes across a 450 pound tightrope suspended between the two World Trade Center towers in 1974 using a 26 foot long balancing pole. The whole thing is treated as a crime thriller as of course what he was doing was illegal. Expect amazing 3D visuals as the camera whirls up and around Levitt walking across the chasm.

If it sounds familiar, it is. There is also a critically acclaimed, Oscar winning documentary out there called MAN ON WIRE which is definitely worthwhile watching. Clearly the content is strong. With Zemeckis and Levitt involved with cutting edge 3D? I'm definitely in! Should be too hard to suspend our disbelief with this tension inducing high wire act. :-)

More when I get it...

Sources: Deadline | Twitch

Zemeckis Returning To 3D - MAJOR MATT MASON Has Greenlight With Tom Hanks

You may have heard that Robert Zemeckis is back into live action with a Denzel Washington topped 2D thriller in FLIGHT. So what's next on his plate?

Back to 3D! Zemeckis is casting Tom Hanks (or is Hanks casting Zemeckis as director?) in the Universal distributed MAJOR MATT MASON (which we covered back in June), an adaptation of the children's classic 1960's action figure. Remember SPEED? Yes that now classic "movie on a bus" starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock - was written by Canadian Graham Yost (who's father, Elwy Yost is very well known in Ontario - actually sent Graham to school late once with a note saying: "Graham is late for school because I had him stay up late to watch Citizen Kane."). Needless to say, the passion of movies was inherited. Graham Yost has co-written MAJOR MATT MASON with Tom Hanks and I expect nothing short of a STELLAR story from this tandem.

Here's Graham Yost on what to expect:
“The story is set on the moon, near future, and it’s a team of people on a base on the moon, on the south pole of the moon. And of course everything goes wrong. There’s no bad guys. There’s no aliens. Nothing like that. It’s just, can you survive? It’s really fun, and it’s just been a blast working with Tom on that. We had such a good time on ‘From Earth to the Moon’ that it’s sort of like, ‘We’ve got to go back to the moon. Some way, somehow, let’s go back to the moon.’”

“Who knows what’s going to happen with [timing], because Tom is very busy now acting in a bunch of things. I think he’s doing ‘Cloud Atlas‘ now over in Europe, [and then] I think probably going into the Maersk Alabama thing (Somalian pirate drama ‘Captain Phillips,’ directed by Paul Greengrass). So we’ll see if it happens. I hope it does, because we both love lunar exploration.”

I love that this is going to be a realistic survival thriller. No aliens. Just the lunar elements. And the Tom Hanks - Robert Zemeckis chemistry? Who can argue with that? FORREST GUMP? CAST AWAY? Simply amazing movies. Throw in 3D which Zemeckis knows like the back of his hand and we have a truly event worthy movie to look forward to.

Sources: Reuters | The Wrap via Collider

Oh YEAH! Zemeckis is BACK! In Talks To Direct Hanks In MAJOR MATT MASON!!

I could not be happier - I am beside myself. I simply love Robert Zemeckis' live action movies (and the ROGER RABBIT hybrid) and it is with great pleasure that I pass on to you (via Variety) that Zemeckis is in talks to direct Tom Hanks in MAJOR MATT MASON.

Yes, the Oscar winning team are at it again! It gets better. Hanks has championed this for a couple of years now and in fact co-wrote the screenplay with Graham Yost (I am a HUGE fan) of SPEED, BAND OF BROTHERS, THE PACIFIC fame. Graham is the son of Elwy Yost who fronted SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES for 25 years (I lived in the Toronto area for 10 years). Their family oozes credibility.

Gary Goetzman is producing.

MAJOR MATT MASON will be a S3D release, but no official word that it will be native or conversion. My bet is native given the toys that Zemeckis could play with these days! Hanks' Playtone Productions has done one other 3D production to date: MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION: WALKING ON THE MOON 3D.

The budget is pegged at over $100 million and it is based on the retired (but probably soon to return) Mattel action figure.

Here's a brief Wikipedia description of the Mattel character:
Major Matt Mason was an action figure created by Mattel, an astronaut who lived and worked on the moon. When introduced in 1966, the figures were initially based on design information found in Life Magazine, Air Force Magazine, Jane’s, and other aviation- and space-interest periodicals. Later, the line would attempt to transition into the realm of science fiction.

Tom Hanks in space again!! Brilliant. More when I get it!

Zemekis' YELLOW SUBMARINE Has Been Sunk By Disney; Zemeckis Said To Be Mulling Return To Live Action

Listen - I had zero confidence in MARS NEEDS MOMS other than that it was aimed at family audiences. I thought THE POLAR EXPRESS was amazing in it's day (and still is in a nostalgic way), but A CHRISTMAS CAROL barely passed muster with me. The sole saving grace of what Zemeckis' ImageMovers studio has done in 3D was BEOWULF personally.

Sadly, it is time for Zemeckis to get the heck out of mo-cap - at least "ImageMover's" style mo-cap. Why not get back to his live action roots? We all loved BACK TO THE FUTURE, CAST AWAY and FORREST GUMP! Am I right? Even the hybrid WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT was amazing.

So now Disney has killed his planned mo-cap production YELLOW SUBMARINE which at worst would have featured outstanding music. Can you blame them? No, not really. A CHRISTMAS CAROL did not do so well and MARS NEEDS MOMS? Pulled in a scant $6.9m against $150m production cost. The box office disappointment was the last straw for Disney.

THR is reporting that Zemeckis has flown to Montana to think it all over and indeed he is looking at a live action movie. Robert, if you are reading this - go back to the live action we all know you excel at and keep it in stereoscopic 3D too. It'll be a blast.

New MARS NEEDS MOMS Trailer

Robert Zemeckis' MARS NEEDS MOMS third trailer has been released by Disney and we've got it for you.

The movie is CLEARLY aimed at family audiences. Don't expect anything more than that guys! You know what to expect.

Official storyline:
Take out the trash, eat your broccoli – who needs moms, anyway? Nine-year-old Milo finds out just how much he needs his mom when she’s nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. Milo embarks on a quest to save his mom – a wild adventure that involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader. With the help of a tech-savvy, underground earthman named Gribble and a rebel Martian girl called Ki, Milo just might find his way back to his mom – in more ways than one.



Release is set for March 11 in IMAX 3D and Disney Digital 3D everywhere.

Will Zemeckis' YELLOW SUBMARINE Enjoy A 'Sea Of Green'? Shooting Starts In April!

Catching up with the Robert Zemeckis' 3D production of YELLOW SUBMARINE we have an brief interview clip with star Cary Elwes (via MTV) from New York's Comic Con where he was promoting SAW 3D:



George Harrison's visage (through motion capture) and voice will be portrayed by Elwes and he has been very pleased with the support of the Harrison family: "I know the family a little bit and they're very happy about it. I think the film will be really extraordinary thanks to 3-D. Today we're able to reinvent the film in a way that will be very, very exciting."

Not sure who is doing the soundtrack yet... anyone? ;-)

Disney Converting THE LION KING To 3D And The ROGER RABBIT Sequel Is Happening!!

Disney is full of good news lately! Not only are they converting BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to 3D (2011) but they have now teed up THE LION KING to add to their 3D library.

We got word through Empire who recently spoke with Disney producer Don Hahn. Hahn stated: “I’m actually trying to work out a 3D conversion of The Lion King. I’ll be doing that when I go back to the States in a couple of weeks. It’s going to be spectacular – we will do a good job for ya! The technology is tremendous. We did A Nightmare Before Christmas a few years ago and Tim thought it was better than the original because it allows you to walk onto the set.”

It's a no-brainer that Disney is going to convert their classic library to 3D for new generations of kids (and adults!) to enjoy but the bigger question was in what order will they do it? So far we have only 2 blanks filled in: What movie do you think they will convert next?

**AND** some really exciting news is that Disney is still proceeding with the WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT sequel (which we have been following since May of 2009).

Hahn commented: “Yeah, I couldn’t possibly comment. I deny completely, but yeah… if you’re a fan, pretty soon you’re going to be very, very, very happy.”

Didn't like A CHRISTMAS CAROL all that much? Zemeckis still has some more magic up his sleeves - don't worry :-) Should be a blast!

3D Movie Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL - 7/10

Jim here. Saw Zemeckis' wonderful interpretation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL (ACC) last night and I was more impressed than I thought I would be. But do I think it is in the caliber of AVATAR? Heck no. More on that later. No real spoilers here at all - read the whole thing!

I arrived 45 minutes early for the last show of the evening at 9:40PM and the lineup was already 200 deep. ACC is doing VERY well at IMAX, thank you very much. It will be interesting to see the 2D vs. 3D numbers!!

No AVATAR trailer in front of it at IMAX 3D. Saw ALICE IN WONDERLAND though and that was an unexpected treat. Looked, well... wonderful. 

A CHRISTMAS CAROL does exceptionally well with it's 3D, environments and excitement. I saw the movie in IMAX 3D and while there was some ghosting going on (not a pun!), I blamed it on the projection system and not the distribution. Could be a local event too, but these wrinkles need to be worked out. Several times through the showing dust dropped on the Projector lens and it was VERY distracting in 3D. It blew off about a minute later. Could hardly focus on the screen at all - interesting phenomenon. 

Jim Carrey is a genius. He really is. To pull off so many characters through facial expressions and vocally must have been quite a task. I can think of no one better suited for performance capture - and that includes Andy Serkis (did I say that?). You have to see JC's performances! 

Zemeckis did a heckuva job with the ghosts too. I was skeptical at first and still believe the 2D versions of them would not hold up nearly as well - but they were superb. Especially the Ghost Of Things To Come. If you have kids under 10 years of age you should strongly consider not bringing them. At least I won't be. 

ACC's old London was riveting! I love that era. Let's put it this way - if I had a holodeck in my basement, old London would be one of the first I would be dialing up. Sure it was kind of candy coated, but it's the holidays! And the close to first person flybys of the countryside is as close as you can get to a Disney ride in the theater :-) 

Does it compare to expectations for Cameron's AVATAR? No. No way. There are some similarities, like for example ACC is completely CG and performance captured - while AVATAR is about 60% CG and perfcapped. But the comparison ends there. The characters in ACC are clearly, CLEARLY CG, not photo real and no where near crossing the "uncanny valley". And yes, some of the characters were doing inhuman feats of acrobatics and I guess that helps with the feeling that "you shouldn't be thinking of these characters as human". But you can see the tremendous work that was put into the show and let me tell you to have something so well put together, end to end in pure CG is an awesome feat. Someday Zemeckis' expertise will be on top of the heap simply because that is where we are eventually heading. But for now? Good entertainment. Just not AVATAR. 

Oh and to Alan Silvestri I say well done on A CHRISTMAS CAROL's score! A pleasure to listen to indeed. How would I improve it? I would have scored it much better had they elaborated on the ending more - turn on the happiness faucet and sprayed goodwill all over the audience. As it is, it is far shorter than something like IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. The potential is clearly there and it would atone for the darker scenes for family viewing. 7 out of 10 for the ride. It could have been an 8 with the right emotions though.

ROGER RABBIT 2 Is A Drawn Out Process - But Ramping Up: Zemeckis Hires Original Writers!

**UPDATE: Nov 3 - Zemeckis confirms his use of performance capture and 3D for ROGER RABBIT 2. As if we didn't know that!! :-)

Jim here. Well pretty much knew Zemeckis was going to revisit ROGER RABBIT back in April/May this year, but now it seems Robert has announced that the original writers are attached to pen the script for ROGER RABBIT 2. Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman are hard at work on it (via MTV).

Good to see some follow up on this project! It is going to be wicked to see 3D live action (most likely knowing Zemeckis!) mixed with flat 2D hand drawn animation: "I will tell you this - if that ever does happen, the 2D animated characters will remain 2D. They will not be dimensionalized, but that doesn't mean other parts won't be in 3D," (Zemeckis at Comic Con 2009).

:-) Should be spectacular!!

New A CHRISTMAS CAROL Photos And BTS Shots...

Jim here. My good friends George Roush from LatinoReview and Mike Sampson from JoBlo got their hands on some exclusive images from Disney's A CHRISTMAS CAROL and so I am passing them on to you guys - love the behind the scenes (BTS) shots. Course I am a sucker for those as much as George is for Patron Silver. :-) Be sure to click through to see them all!

Interesting how Zemeckis prefers to not paint the volume floor (save $?) where Jim Cameron leans toward battleship grey. Further evidence of Zemeckis' frugalty (ala Scrooge) during the production? He did not even allow the purchase of tables for the laying out of scenes. "SCENE PREP - take a knee!" (See photo below!)

Seriously though, my exuberance has increased tenfold since the original trailer which I was not terribly impressed with really. Subsequent promos have been far superior, which I am tremendously happy about. I do believe Disney and Zemeckis have a winner here and a classic for years to come.

New Trailer For Zemeckis' A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Jim here. In one of the more anticipated 3D movies of the year - Disney's A CHRISTMAS CAROL - we see Robert Zemeckis delivering his finely tailored performance capture wizardry once again.

Now comes a new trailer showing us some more scenes from the classic tale starring Jim Carrey as, well, just about EVERYONE :-) Check it out...

3D Geek Alert: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Pre-order Items Available Online

Jim here. Thanks to the heads up from James, I can now list some of the items now available for Disney's A CHRISTMAS CAROL by either pre-order or email notification:

Disney's A CHRISTMAS CAROL "The book of the film" paperback and you can also drop a hint to the guys at Amazon that you would like to be able to download and read this on your Kindle.

Should be your standard movie storyline transposed to paperback with tons of illustrations and/or movie screen shots.

You can also sign up to be among the first notified when A Christmas Carol [Theatrical Release] DVD is available for purchase on Amazon - or the Blu-ray edition.

There is also another paperback available entitled SEASON'S GREEDINGS which will be released on September 22 for only $3.99. The description is as follows:

"The timeless tale of an old miser who must face Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come, is re-imagined by cinematic visionary Robert Zemeckis. The three Ghosts remind Scrooge of the man he once used to be, the cold truth of who he is today, and what will happen if Scrooge does not strive to be a better man for tomorrow! Set during the holidays, A Christmas Carol is sure to stand out as a classic holiday film for years to come."

This edition has 8 pages of photos from the movie.

Last but not least is the Nintendo DS game version of the movie.

You can also play dominoes with it apparently and select classic Christmas songs to play.

The game is rated for 10 year olds and up and will be released on November 3.

The screen shots look compelling for young children without question. My kids are heavily in Nintendo so I will be picking this one up undoubtedly.

We All Live In A 3D YELLOW SUBMARINE...

Jim here. In case you missed it I had better put this one out there: Robert Zemeckis has been tapped to use his steadily improving mocap expertise to tackle YELLOW SUBMARINE for Disney. It will of course be in stereoscopic 3D with Zemeckis at the helm.

Further, Disney has designs on adapting the movie for Broadway as well as a Cirque du Soleil show.

I still have not seen Beatles LOVE show in Las Vegas as my wife is a huge McCartney fan and I am saving that for her, but this one looks very intriguing too. With Zemeckis handling the creative, anything is now possible for this psychedelic trip.

Disney is looking to get this movie out before the summer of 2012.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A First Low Quality Glimpse

Jim here. For those that have not seen the new trailer for Robert Zemeckis' A CHRISTMAS CAROL here is a low quality bootleg copy from YouTube featuring an Italian version.

I have seen this footage in full quality and while it is no where near what AVATAR is going to bring us, I see improvements since BEOWULF and the way the scenes are played in 3D it will be sure to please.

One scene in particular with Scrooge being shot up through the atmosphere with old Victorian London beneath him will be spectacular in three dimensions. So have a look:



I have said all year that A CHRISTMAS CAROL will be one of the finest 3D achievements of the year - stay tuned for more.

Disney's A CHRISTMAS CAROL Update: Cannes Interview - Photos - Concept Art! And More ALICE!

Jim here. Got wind of a great video of Jim Carrey and Robert Zemeckis' stage discussion of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Cannes, through my friend Graham Fortin of Movieset. These guys do a great job. Check out the clip below!

Isn't Jim Carrey a likeable guy? Just watching his discussion here underscores what a treasure he is. Hope the kid never dies inside you man!

Oh and ANOTHER great Zemeckis interview right here. I hate it when embedding is disabled! :-(

Further 3D news: The Russian site Filmz.ru (via /film) has landed what seems to be authentic concept art from ALICE IN WONDERLAND. It appears real due to the uncanny resemblence to an actual film capture of Alice approaching a large outside door. I have a couple of shots embedded here, but click through to see the rest.

I have said all along that A CHRISTMAS CAROL is going to surprise people and be one of the best of 2009. I think they are firing on all cylinders here. I hope the early clip of ACC was just a working reel - as it seemed very out of place. I believe that once we are immersed into the Dickens classic through Zemeckis' eyes, we will all be haunted by lingering thoughts of how great the movie is! :-)

And sure I harbor some concerns over the conversion of ALICE IN WONDERLAND from 2D to 3D, I think the project is going to be wild! I hope I am convinced that 3D conversion is viable for first run movies through this project.

First Footage and Still from "A Christmas Carol"!

Hi, Michael here with the first official image and footage from Robert Zemeckis' upcoming 3D performance capture A Christmas Carol!

Click on the picture for a high-res version.

Also, our friends at Latino Review have snagged the first ever footage from the movie.  Check it out to see Ebenezer Scrooge visited by one of the ghosts.  This looks great so far- Zemeckis' Beowulf in "true" IMAX 3D (not Liemax, mind you!) is still the most amazing 3D experience I've had.  Click here and scroll to the bottom to check out the clip.

Also be sure to check out the first trailer for A Christmas Carol in front of Disney/Pixar's Up later this month!

A Christmas Carol opens in the US on November 6

New A CHRISTMAS CAROL Posters From Cannes Film Festival

Jim here. My friend Alex Billington from FirstShowing is over there in Cannes, France right now and he grabbed some poster shots of A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

These look damn good! I am loving the vibe I am getting from them. The candle effect is cool too - one of the ghosts I presume?

This movie is going to be a keeper guys. In fact I see it playing every Christmas for all eternity! Seriously, there should be nice returns for Disney and Zemeckis on this one. Can't wait to see this.

PerfCap + Real Time Live Action = Robert Zemeckis' ROGER RABBIT 2... in 3D?

**SAME DAY UPDATE: Check out this new affordable motion capture technology from MIT - Second Skin!

Jim here. Just a quick note to make sure you guys know that Robert Zemeckis hinted at going back to ROGER RABBIT with a second movie using today's tech - which he is undoubtedly referring to 3D perfcap.

Here is his quote to MTV: "I’ll tell you what is buzzing around in my head now that we have the ability—the digital tools, performance capture—I’m starting to think about ROGER RABBIT."

Moreover, the fine investigators over at MTV went further and contacted Michael Lantieri, the special effects supervisor on the original ROGER RABBIT. What Michael told them had my eyes wide open with anticipation: "He talked about how very soon filmmakers will be able to combine performance capture with outdoor, real-time photography."

Hello. I had been hoping for some time now that this eventuality would take place sooner rather than later and here we go! This means numerous things, but for ROGER RABBIT it most likely means being able to introduce real-time, live action backgrounds, actors and objects into a performance capture 'Volume' feed to the director for shooting AND final processing.

Imagine a perfcap Volume scene with say Bob Hoskins as Eddie Valiant riding a motorcycle with an actor in a perfcap suit playing Roger Rabbit - Zemeckis can see this happening on his monitors WITH a real time, live action bar fight taking place on another set IN HIS BACKGROUND. He can order his real time actors and set design around to suit his perfcap action needs. As he adjusts his virtual camera throughout the Volume, it is coordinated with the live action set cameras in real time!

You can bet that Michael Lantieri would return for any ROGER RABBIT sequel.

I don't know about you, but I personally love seeing this technology being born in our generation. We are witnessing the beginning of a cinematic revolution; nothing short of the introduction of sound and color. Take part in it. Relish in all these movies and don't let the naysayers ruin the experience for you - in 10 years it is they who will say: " I should have stopped and watched." Watched guys like Cameron, Spielberg, Jackson, Burton, Scott and Zemeckis play in a brand new sandbox.

I welcome your comments on how this new technology could be used for upcoming movies. Do you think Cameron has already done something like this with AVATAR?

Concept Art: "Disney's A Christmas Carol" & Spoilers

Jim here. Collider got their hands on some scans of DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL concept art and it is right along the lines of what I have already posted here and here from the actual movie poster and stills.

I will reiterate that Disney is keeping the imagery to be very Dickens indeed and old London looks stunning and inviting (at least the shots I have seen). Insert Robert Zemeckis' wonderful performance capture prowess and you have what should be an instant Christmas classic to be watched on future Christmas Eves on your 3D Home Entertainment system... of course!

How far can Zemeckis take us down this journey? All the world is a canvas with motion capture so it is really only limited by his imagination - and one would imagine that Jim Carrey is ready and willing to fulfill any wish that he might have in this pic.

I am reprinting some of the spoiler info that was originally posted here back in March 2008 as I thought there is some very interesting items in it in light of the poster and stills we have seen:

**SPOILERS BELOW** Highlight the white text below to read the contents:

OVERALL COMMENTS:
- A Christmas Carol is full of Jim Carrey humor: Lots of yelling, screaming and facial expressions.
- He plays 4 characters at least - Scrooge and the ghosts. This is not new info of course, but confirmed.
- Michael J. Fox is DEFINITELY in the movie (IMDB shows it as a rumor). He has plenty of lines that are pure Fox humor - always down on himself, and very SARCASTIC. My source did not pass on what role he is playing however, although IMDB has him as Tiny Tim.
- There is a "Beggar" character that is constantly piping up with witty one liners throughout the movie. He will be seen carrying a cup.

JIM CARREY RELATED:
- There is a scene where ALL THREE of Carrey's ghost interact. They don't speak English either exactly - they speak with thick accents and the words don't sound right. There are actually spaces -or gaps of silence - between their words. Weird! Sounds awesome, but very odd. Right up Carrey's alley to be sure!
- Jim Carrey does A LOT of improvisation here. This is to be expected, but now it has been confirmed by a source. Apparently this improvisation has been a part of the movie since it was written! This openness to creativity has all been approved and made to happen by Zemeckis. Good on you Bob! They have a lot of confidence in Carrey and justifiably so. The guy cracks me up - always has.

SANTA CLAUS RELATED:
- YEP! THE BIG GUY IS IN IT. Remember little Sammi Hanratty letting this slip? Well it has been confirmed by my source.
- Santa wears - get this - a red and PURPLE Santa suit!
- My source heard John Goodman could be the actor in this role but he was NOT sure, so do not count on this. Only count on seeing Santa Claus in it.
- You can expect the REINDEERS to talk! Yep. Apparently Rudolph doesn't like Blitzen and they all have very unique voices.
- Santa and the reindeer don't have a very big impact on the film as far as storyline goes, but you can expect this part to be HILARIOUS. It's more like a cameo appearance :-)
- Apparently Santa is thinner in this movie than others.
- Sammi Hanratty is the character that interacts with Santa and the reindeer. I suspect it is her catching him performing his "Christmasly duties".

**SPOILERS ABOVE** Highlight the white text above to read the contents:

So, yeah - I am pretty hyped about this movie; that's why it is number 3 on my list of the Top Ten Most Anticipated 3D Movies of 2009. Stay tuned for more when I get it! :-)

More A CHRISTMAS CAROL Images

Jim here. Got another "pic within a pic" here for you - hard to see too much in it as their is reflections and such, but you can get an idea where Zemeckis is taking it. Again this was a section of a much higher resolution image sent to me by a source. You can see the new poster for DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL right here.

You can see that a great deal of attention is being spent on the environments - warm sunlight effects, deep shading and meticulous details like in the London street scene on the right.

Looks like an interior shot of a bank or dining hall perhaps on the top left, with the bottom left being the shot used for the original poster.

Time is of the essence with Zemeckis' style of directing and motion capture post production and he has had a lot of time to perfect his craft here. BEOWULF was a huge step forward for him from THE POLAR EXPRESS and I think he has gone to the next level with ACC.

Stay tuned for more!