"Hugo" & Scorsese Win Big at International 3D Society Awards

Tim here. Martin Scorsese walked away with the Harold Lloyd Filmmaker Award when the International 3D Society honored him and his 3D masterpiece Hugo at the 3D Creative Arts Awards held at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Hugo received three awards, Best Live Action 3D Feature, Best Stereography (Live Action), and Best 3D Moment of the Year. Scorsese also spoke about the restoration of classic 3D movies for Blu-Ray, which was met with thunderous applause.

"My favorites are the old ones," Scorsese said. "There are so many. To see the films at home (on 3D Blu-ray) is going to be really remarkable. And to see them in their original form … seeing Dial M for Murder in 3D, in particular, is an entirely different experience."

Animation also was huge at the awards ceremony as The Adventures of Tintin and Puss in Boots walked away with Best Animated 3D Feature and Best Stereography (Animated) respectively. Chris Miller, director of Puss in Boots said, "(3D) is on the verge of being recognized as a great contributor to cinematic storytelling — and that is what it is. When we added it into any sequence in the film, it was about ‘how can we best (use 3D) to tell the story."

Wim Wenders' Pina received the Jury Prize for Excellence from the Society, and additional Lumiere statuettes were awarded to The Lion King for Best 2D-to-3D Conversion, and Cave of Forgotten Dreams for Best 3D Documentary.

Winners in television include 3net’s Fields of Valor: Civil War, for entertainment programming; Sony Japan’s Ayumi Hamasaki: Arena Tour, for a live event; and BSkyB’s Champions League Final, in live sports.

Sony Corporation of America was honored with the Sir Charles Wheatstone Award for education at its Sony 3D Technology Center in Culver City.

Additional Award winners included:
3D Short Motion Picture/Narrative: "The Foundling" (RSA Films)
Electronic Broadcast Media (Television) – Ad/Commercial: "Best Buy 3D"
Electronic Broadcast Media (Television) – Short: "Foster the People - Don’t Stop" (Digital Revolution Studios)
Special Attraction – "King Kong 360 3D" (Universal Studios Hollywood)
3D Videogame – Portable: "Street Fighter IV" (Capcom)
3D Videogame – Console: "Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception" (Naughty Dog-Sony Computer Electronics)
3D Videogame – PC: "Batman: Arkham City" (Warner Brothers)

International "Jury Prizes" were presented to:
Beijing Film Academy (China) – "The Light of Shanghai Expo"
KT Skylife (Korea) – "3D Microspace"
NHK (Japan) – "The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami"
Nippon Television (Japan) – "3D Baseball Live"
Sony (Japan) – "Final Fantasy"
Bandai (Japan) – "Hipura"
Fuji Television (Japan) – "Tokyo Control"

The Society’s television partner, 3net, plans to air a one-hour special, "Your World in 3D,” highlighting nominated works and red carpet interviews from the ceremony.

Congratulations to all involved!

THE LION KING Earns At Least Another Week In Theaters As The 3D Toon Repeats At Number 1

Even I have to say I didn't see this one coming. I kinda expected THE LION KING to be number one last week with relatively sluggish competition but to repeat at number one two weeks in a row up against Brad Pitt's MONEYBALL and a family dollar splitting competitor in DOLPHIN TALE? Forget it. At least that's what I thought...

Instead THE LION KING rules again taking in $22 million dollars (MONEYBALL swung at $19.5m and DOLPHIN TALE ate $19m)! Can you believe it? Amazing. It only dropped 27% bringing the 10 day take of the re-release in stereo to $61.7 million. Add that to the original release box office and the total worldwide gross now stands at $861 million - 12th best on the all time list!!

But we are not done yet. Not unexpectedly, Disney has decided to keep the king rolling for another week and perhaps even a 4th week if so needed - details are being worked out. That puts it over the Blu-ray release date of October 4! Interesting to say the least...

Uncertain if that jaw dropping 92% of revenue coming from 3D has been maintained, but I suspect it has. More when I get it...

Sources: CNN | Box Office Mojo

Insightful Interview With THE LION KING's Stereographer Robert Neuman: Depth Score Discussion!

Ian Failes of FXGuide sent me a note about this cool interview they did with Robert Neuman, stereographer for Disney's 3D conversion of THE LION KING that is roaring at the box office at the moment ($37,296,568 up to last night and still eaily #1 - Fourth best September opening of ALL time). I encourage you to read the whole thing at his site.

Click images to enlarge...

Here's some excerpts:

Neuman: "We had the privilege of having the original filmmakers to work with, so the first thing we did was have a spotting session with the directors Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers and the producer Don Hahn. We watched the film a couple of times, once with sound and then again with the sound down, and basically I had them tell me from their stand-point what the big moments were and what their feelings were about the use of 3D. I bounced off ideas and made sure everything fit within their vision for the film."

"After that I would watch the film and basically chart out what I felt the emotional content was. I tried to quantify what the peak point of action was and make that a ’10′, and what were the quieter moments with expositional dialogue or that just were a breather in between action or big emotional beats, and these would be a ’1′."

"Then I created these depth mark-ups, which was really the most intense part. For the shots that are 10s, like Scar having his final encounter in the showdown in Simba, or the big emotional moments when Simba sees his father in the sky – for those moments what you want to do is give them the most stereoscopic depth as you can, while keeping it comfortable for the audience. In the quieter moments, I give it the least amount that will still make the shot look good. I want all the shots to have an aesthetically pleasing quality and feel like nothing’s cardboard in them."

I know one reader thought that the movie will probably have a viewfinder effect to it - well that's not the case. Another cool portion of this interview has Neuman discussing how they made the flat hand drawn characters "puffy":

Neuman: "There were three main tools for creating the depth maps. One was just the most basic level for the character, which was just to give them a roundness, a puffiness. It was as if you were going to cut out a mylar balloon in the shape of say Simba and start blowing air into it. What you get is a general puffiness, but you don’t get any specific articulate shape. You don’t have one leg out in front of the other or the muzzle out in front of the mane. But you do have this really good starting point which is a nice rounded character."

"The challenge is then to add structure into that. We have tools to create these primitive gradients – cube primitives, ellipsoid primitives and joint primitives. The cube primitives would be used to add structure to something. A human face or lion face tends to have facial planes – planes of the cheeks or planes along the front of the face. By combining these cubes which we could track in with the motion of the character with the general rounding, we would get something that would have that rounded quality plus have that structure that the cube created. It would be a layered thing – primitive upon primitive."

"Then we could add joint tools, say for the legs. The joint tools would create a gradient that followed along an IK chain. We could then dial in the value at any cardinal point on that chain, and that would allow us to articulate the limbs. For other things, say if we wanted the nose to pop out more, we could track in an ellipsoid primitive. So it was just the layering and combination of these primitives along with the general inflation that would give us something that started to look like the character."

Again, I encourage you to read the whole interview at FXGuide. I simply love reading the "how they did it" type of interviews. Hope you do too... Enjoy!

UPDATED: The Dawn Of 3D Conversion: THE LION KING Roars To Possible $24 $30 Million Weekend Tally! AMAZING 92% Of Business Came From 3D!!

**UPDATE - Sep 18: Revised studio estimate has THE LION KING raking in $29.3 million!! (Box Office Mojo). Moreover, an astounding 92% of all business came from 3D screenings!! So much for the doomsayers. I'm sure they will come up with something next week though.

I am stunned at the outrageous success THE LION KING is achieving this weekend and it certainly bodes well for all of the Disney stable of animations being converted to 3D. According to THR, the early estimates were WAY off and the movie is now thought to be on a $22 - 24 million opening tear.

Clearly many were drawn back to see the beloved story yet again in the theaters. More were attracted to seeing it in 3D and of course children of all ages who have never seen it to begin with are coming in droves.

There could not be a better scenario for Disney. The vast catalog of features they have are begging to be converted and clearly there is a market for it in theatrical 3D. I am SURE the ball is rolling right now to green light conversions of their top tier offerings, like ALADDIN, TARZAN and POCAHONTAS.

We do know that BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is almost set for release too so the mouse house is primed for another round of re-release success. Congratulations Disney!

THE LION KING 3D Opens September 16!

Who's going to see it again in 3D? I know I will be. Remember it is limited to a 2 week engagement only. An amazing story with the creative power of Disney re-released in converted 3D! I have not see examples of this conversion yet, but Disney tends to get these things right and the fact that this is from their priceless library will underscore that.

A nice added perk is that if you see the movie on Friday September 16 in RealD, kids will receive a free pair of Simba 3D glasses that can be reused over and over by them at the movies. They are specifically designed for children 8 years of age or younger. Note that there is a limited supply of these collector glasses.

“The all-new 3D format immerses viewers in the epic settings and puts them face-to-face with these beloved characters,” said Bob Chapek, president of distribution, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s the must-see, must-own title for everyone.”

If you will remember, the storyline goes like this:
A young lion prince, Simba, is born in Africa, thus making his uncle Scar the second in line to the throne. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, thus making himself King. The King is killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, and so flees the kingdom in shame. After years of exile he is persuaded to return home to overthrow the usurper and claim the kingdom as his own thus completing the "Circle of Life".

The voice cast stars Matthew Broderick, Niketa Calame, Jim Cummings, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jeremy Irons, Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, and Moira Kelly.

Further details:
Genre: Family
Running Time: 1hr 29min
Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Screenplay: Irene Mecchi
Official Site: disney.go.com/lionking
Release: September 16, 2011

An amazing soundtrack featuring Elton John / Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer caps off this classic movie! And I don't care how many times you have seen it, bring lots of tissue for all. THE LION KING made close to $800m in the theaters back in the day so obviously it was embraced the world around. Further, look for the 3D Blu-ray release of the movie on October 4.

I am anxious to see BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in 3D too - more info when I get it!

RealD is a sponsor of MarketSaw

THE LION KING 3D Roars Into Theaters In September!

Disney has finally announced the theatrical release date for the much anticipated 3D conversion of THE LION KING. The mouse house will run the classic for 2 weeks only (but if it does well could be extended) starting September 16. Look for the 3D Blu-ray on October 4.

Here's the official press release:

AUDIENCES TO EXPERIENCE DISNEY’S “THE LION KING” LIKE NEVER BEFORE…
TWO FIRSTS FOR OSCAR®- AND GOLDEN GLOBE®-WINNING ANIMATED CLASSIC:

Simba, Mufasa, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa are back and better than ever this fall when Disney‟s “The Lion King” roars into theaters and homes in breathtaking 3D. A special two-week theatrical extravaganza kicks off Sept. 16, 2011, showcasing the Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-winning film on the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ for the first time ever, and its highly anticipated home entertainment debut kicks off October 4, celebrating the Diamond Edition release of the epic movie “The Lion King” in high-definition Blu-ray™ and Blu-ray 3D™.

“The Lion King‟ is the best-selling home entertainment release of all time—and this is “The Lion King‟ like never before,” said Bob Chapek, president of distribution, The Walt Disney Studios. “The all-new 3D format immerses viewers in the epic settings and puts them face-to-face with these beloved characters. We‟re showcasing one of the all-time favorite Disney movies in theaters and making it available in Blu-ray hi-def and in Blu-ray 3D—it‟s the must-see, must-own title for everyone.”

Nearly a decade since “The Lion King” last appeared on the big screen, the upcoming theatrical release invites new generations into the “Circle of Life.” The two-week, 3D-only presentation is a planned wide domestic release—the biggest since the film‟s 1994 debut—and the film‟s first-ever 3D release.

The Blu-ray debut marks the first time “The Lion King” has been available in any form since 2004. Featuring pristine high definition picture and sound, the Blu-ray creates an incredible at-home experience with a host of picture and sound enhancements, interactive features and bonus content, including a new set of hilarious animated bloopers.

“The Lion King”: Diamond Edition home entertainment release will be available from the Disney Vault for a limited time only beginning October 4 as follows:

4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (for the suggested retail price of $49.99 U.S./ $56.99 Canada)

“The Lion King” = Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray 2D + DVD + Digital Copy™
2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (for the suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S./$46.99 Canada)

“The Lion King” = Blu-ray 2D + DVD
8-Disc Trilogy (for the suggested retail price of $100.00 U.S./ $115.00 Canada)

“The Lion King” = Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray 2D + DVD + Digital Copy
“The Lion King 1 ½” = Blu-ray 2D + DVD
“The Lion King II: Simba‟s Pride” = Blu-ray 2D + DVD
And the one-disc DVD Edition will be available on November 15.

“The Lion King,” first released in 1994, won the Oscar® for Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer) and Best Original Song (Elton John/Tim Rice “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”), earning Golden Globes® in both categories, as well as for Best Motion Picture—Comedy or Musical.

The film inspired an immensely popular, Tony Award®-winning Broadway musical, which is currently featured on stages worldwide. It became the seventh longest-running musical in Broadway history in January 2011.

ABOUT THE LION KING:

An unforgettable story, breathtaking animation, beloved characters and award-winning music sets the stage for “The Lion King”, a Disney classic that follows the adventures of Simba, the feisty lion cub who “just can’t wait to be king.” But his envious Uncle Scar has plans for his own ascent to the throne, and he forces Simba’s exile from the kingdom. Alone and adrift, Simba soon joins the escapades of a hilarious meerkat named Timon and his warmhearted warthog pal, Pumbaa. Adopting their carefree lifestyle of “Hakuna Matata,” Simba ignores his real responsibilities until he realizes his destiny and returns to the Pride Lands to claim his place in the “Circle of Life.” The all-star vocal talents—including Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Ernie Sabella, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Robert Guillaume, Cheech Marin and Moira Kelly—rip-roaring comedy and uplifting messages of courage, loyalty and hope make this a timeless tale for all ages. Produced by Don Hahn and directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff from a script by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton, “The Lion King” is rated G by the MPAA.

I've seen portions of this already so really looking forward to the whole thing!

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!