Disney Digital 3-D

Last updated

Disney Digital 3-D
Disney Digital 3D logo.svg
Product typeMotion picture exhibition
Owner The Walt Disney Company
IntroducedJune 23, 2005;18 years ago (2005-06-23)

Disney Digital 3-D is a brand name used by The Walt Disney Company to describe three-dimensional films made and released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures mostly under the Walt Disney Pictures label and shown exclusively using digital projection.

Contents

Disney Digital 3-D in itself is not a presentation or a production format or technology, but rather purely a marketing concept. Films advertised as Disney Digital 3-D come from a number of sources, film, digital camera as well as animation software, and can be presented using any digital 3D technology, including RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D and MasterImage 3D. There is no specific handling involved.

History

Pre-2005 Disney 3-D films

Disney had previously released two 3D animated shorts in 1953, Adventures in Music: Melody , the first American 3D animated short, [1] and Working for Peanuts , starring Donald Duck and Chip 'n' Dale.

Disney also produced 3D films for its theme parks, including Disneyland's 3D Jamboree (1956), featuring the Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeers and including Melody and Working for Peanuts; Magic Journeys (1982), Captain EO (1986), Muppet*Vision 3D (1991), Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (1994), It's Tough to Be a Bug! (1998), the film portion of Tokyo DisneySea's Magic Lamp Theater, and Mickey's PhilharMagic (2003). [2]

Between 2003 and 2005, Dimension Films (then-owned by The Walt Disney Company) had made a couple of 3D films. Two of them were Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D .

Post-2005 Disney 3-D films

The first Disney Digital 3-D film was Chicken Little , which was released in late 2005. [3] For the release, Disney collaborated with RealD to install RealD's 3D digital projection system featuring Christie CP2000 2K DLP projectors along with silver screens for 84 screens in U.S. theaters. [4]

The computer-animated film Chicken Little was followed by a re-release of The Nightmare Before Christmas on October 20, 2006, a 1993 stop-motion film distributed by Touchstone Pictures, was originally shot in 2D on 35mm-film to digitally remastered with the 3D version generated by Industrial Light and Magic from this source using computer technology.

In 2007, Disney re-released the film Working for Peanuts with the theatrical release of the 3D version of Meet the Robinsons .

The first live-action Disney Digital 3-D release was Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert , which followed in 2008. In 2009, G-Force became the first film in Disney Digital 3-D from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , also produced by Bruckheimer as well as directed by Rob Marshall, was one of the first big adventure films to shoot in 3D on location in jungles, beaches, and the streets of 18th-century London rather than against green screen or entirely on soundstages. [5]

On May 29, 2009, Disney released Pixar's Up , the first Pixar film to be presented in 3-D. This film was then followed by a 3-D double feature re-release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on October 2, 2009, although neither of these films' animations was altered. Subsequent Pixar films, such as Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 , were also released in Disney Digital 3-D.

Two of Disney's traditionally animated films were reissued with 3D conversions in 2011; The Lion King – released on August 26 internationally and on September 16 in North America, [6] and Beauty and the Beast – limited to 13-day run in September at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles for North America, as well as short runs in New Zealand, Japan, Australia, India and Spain in 2010. [7] [8] These re-releases were being supervised by Don Hahn, who produced both films. Beauty and the Beast in 3D received a wider release on January 13, 2012. Two more films were reissued in 3D in 2012; Finding Nemo on September 14 and Monsters, Inc. on December 19. The Little Mermaid was going to be re-released in 3D on September 13, 2013, but was cancelled due to the underperformances of the other Disney 3D re-releases until further notice. The 3D version of The Little Mermaid did, however, play for a limited engagement at the El Capitan Theatre from September to October 2013. [9]

List of Disney Digital 3-D films

Feature films

Original releases

TitleRelease date
Chicken Little November 4, 2005
Meet the Robinsons March 30, 2007
Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert February 1, 2008
Bolt November 21, 2008
Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience February 27, 2009
Up May 29, 2009
G-Force July 24, 2009
A Christmas Carol November 6, 2009
Alice in Wonderland March 5, 2010
Toy Story 3 June 18, 2010
Tangled November 24, 2010
Tron: Legacy December 17, 2010
Mars Needs Moms March 11, 2011
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides May 20, 2011
Cars 2 June 24, 2011
John Carter March 9, 2012
Brave June 22, 2012
Frankenweenie October 5, 2012
Secret of the Wings October 23, 2012 (Blu-ray)
Wreck-It Ralph November 2, 2012
Oz the Great and Powerful March 8, 2013
Monsters University June 21, 2013
Planes August 9, 2013
Frozen November 27, 2013
The Pirate Fairy February 13, 2014 (international) [10]
April 1, 2014 (Vudu)
Maleficent May 30, 2014
Planes: Fire & Rescue July 18, 2014
Big Hero 6 November 7, 2014
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast March 3, 2015 (Vudu)
Inside Out June 19, 2015
The Good Dinosaur November 25, 2015
The Finest Hours January 29, 2016
Zootopia March 4, 2016
The Jungle Book April 15, 2016
Alice Through the Looking Glass May 27, 2016
Finding Dory June 17, 2016
The BFG July 1, 2016
Pete's Dragon August 12, 2016
Moana November 23, 2016
Beauty and the Beast March 17, 2017
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales May 26, 2017
Cars 3 June 16, 2017
Coco November 22, 2017
A Wrinkle in Time March 9, 2018
Incredibles 2 June 15, 2018
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms November 2, 2018
Ralph Breaks the Internet November 21, 2018
Dumbo March 29, 2019
Aladdin May 24, 2019
Toy Story 4 June 21, 2019
The Lion King July 19, 2019
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil October 18, 2019
Frozen II November 22, 2019
Onward March 6, 2020
Mulan September 4, 2020
Soul December 25, 2020 (countries without Disney+)
Raya and the Last Dragon March 5, 2021
Luca June 18, 2021 (countries without Disney+)
Jungle Cruise July 30, 2021
Encanto November 24, 2021
Turning Red March 11, 2022 (countries without Disney+)
Lightyear June 17, 2022
Strange World November 23, 2022
The Little Mermaid May 26, 2023
Elemental June 16, 2023
Wish November 22, 2023
Inside Out 2 June 14, 2024

Reissues

TitleRelease date
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)October 20, 2006
Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999) (double feature)October 2, 2009
The Lion King (1994)September 16, 2011
Beauty and the Beast (1991)October 4, 2011 (Blu-ray); January 13, 2012
Finding Nemo (2003)September 14, 2012
Monsters, Inc. (2001)December 19, 2012
The Little Mermaid (1989)October 1, 2013 (Blu-ray)
Cars (2006)October 29, 2013 (Blu-ray)
Ratatouille (2007)July 16, 2014 (Blu-ray; Region B only)

Short films

Original releases

TitleRelease dateReleased with
Knick Knack October 20, 2006 The Nightmare Before Christmas
Working for Peanuts March 30, 2007 Meet the Robinsons
Tokyo Mater (Pixar Animation Studios)December 12, 2008 Bolt (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
Partly Cloudy May 29, 2009 Up
Day & Night June 18, 2010 Toy Story 3
Hawaiian Vacation June 24, 2011 Cars 2
Air MaterNovember 1, 2011Cars 2 Blu-Ray
Tangled Ever After January 13, 2012 Beauty and the Beast
La Luna June 22, 2012 Brave
Small Fry July 26, 2012 Vudu release [11]
Partysaurus Rex September 14, 2012 Finding Nemo
Paperman November 2, 2012 Wreck-It Ralph
For the Birds December 19, 2012 Monsters, Inc.
The Blue Umbrella June 21, 2013 Monsters University
Get a Horse! November 27, 2013 Frozen
Feast November 7, 2014 Big Hero 6
Lava June 19, 2015 Inside Out
Sanjay's Super Team November 25, 2015 The Good Dinosaur
Piper June 17, 2016 Finding Dory
Inner Workings November 23, 2016 Moana
Lou June 16, 2017 Cars 3
Olaf's Frozen Adventure (Walt Disney Animation Studios)November 22, 2017 Coco (Pixar)
Bao June 15, 2018 Incredibles 2
Maggie Simpson in Playdate with Destiny (20th Century Animation)March 6, 2020 Onward (Pixar)
Burrow December 25, 2020 (countries without Disney+) Soul
Us Again March 5, 2021 Raya and the Last Dragon
Far from the Tree November 24, 2021 Encanto
Carl's Date June 16, 2023 Elemental

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Toy Story</i> 1995 Pixar film

Toy Story is a 1995 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the franchise of the same name, it was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. It was directed by John Lasseter and produced by Bonnie Arnold and Ralph Guggenheim, from a screenplay written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow and a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft. The film features music by Randy Newman, and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs and Edwin Catmull. The film features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, and Erik von Detten.

<i>Beauty and the Beast</i> (1991 film) American animated musical fantasy romance film

Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the 1756 fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, while also containing ideas from the 1946 French film also of the same name directed by Jean Cocteau. The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton.

<i>Monsters, Inc.</i> 2001 American computer-animated film

Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Mary Gibbs, and Jennifer Tilly, the film was directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Lee Unkrich and David Silverman, and produced by Darla K. Anderson, from a screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Daniel Gerson. The film centers on two monsters, the hairy James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (Goodman) and his one-eyed partner and best friend Mike Wazowski (Crystal), who are employed at the titular energy-producing factory Monsters, Inc., which generates power by scaring human children. However, the monster world believes that the children are toxic, and when a little human girl, Boo (Gibbs), sneaks into the factory, she must be returned home before it is too late.

3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. They have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion picture industry because of the costly hardware and processes required to produce and display a 3D film, and the lack of a standardized format for all segments of the entertainment business. Nonetheless, 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema, and later experienced a worldwide resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s driven by IMAX high-end theaters and Disney-themed venues. 3D films became increasingly successful throughout the 2000s, peaking with the success of 3D presentations of Avatar in December 2009, after which 3D films again decreased in popularity. Certain directors have also taken more experimental approaches to 3D filmmaking, most notably celebrated auteur Jean-Luc Godard in his film Goodbye to Language.

<i>The Little Mermaid</i> (1989 film) Animated Disney film

The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation in association with Silver Screen Partners IV and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the 1837 Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The film was written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements and produced by Musker and Howard Ashman, who also wrote the film's songs with Alan Menken. Menken also composed the film's score. Featuring the voices of René Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Paddi Edwards, Buddy Hackett, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Ben Wright and Samuel E. Wright, The Little Mermaid tells the story of a teenage mermaid princess named Ariel, who dreams of becoming human and falls in love with a human prince named Eric, which leads her to make a magic deal with the sea witch, Ursula, to become human and be with him.

<i>Knick Knack</i> 1989 film directed by John Lasseter

Knick Knack is a 1989 American animated short film produced by Pixar that was written and directed by John Lasseter. The short is about a snow globe snowman who wants to join the other travel souvenirs in a summer-themed party. However, the glass dome that surrounds him prevents him from doing so, thus leading to his many tries to break out of his snow globe. Knick Knack is Pixar's fourth short and the final short produced during the company's tenure as a hardware company. It was also the final Pixar short film released before the company's first feature-length film Toy Story.

<i>Chicken Little</i> (2005 film) Animated drama comedy film by Mark Dindal

Chicken Little is a 2005 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. It was directed by Mark Dindal from a screenplay by Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman, and Ron Anderson, based on a story by Dindal and Mark Kennedy, loosely inspired on the European folk tale "Henny Penny", known in the United States as "Chicken Little". In this version, the title character is ridiculed by his town for causing a panic, thinking that the sky was "falling". A year later he attempts to fix his reputation, followed by an unexpected truth regarding his past being revealed. The film is dedicated to Disney artist and writer Joe Grant, who died before the film's release. This also marked the final film appearance of Don Knotts during his lifetime, as his next and final film, Air Buddies, would be released posthumously.

<i>Toy Story 3</i> 2010 Pixar film

Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the Toy Story series and the sequel to Toy Story 2 (1999). It was directed by Lee Unkrich, the editor of the first two films and the co-director of Toy Story 2, produced by Darla K. Anderson, and written by Michael Arndt, while Unkrich wrote the story along with John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, respectively, director and co-writer of the first two films. The film's ensemble voice cast includes Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, Jeff Pidgeon, Jodi Benson, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf and R. Lee Ermey, reprising their roles from previous films. Jim Varney, who voiced Slinky Dog in the first two films, died in 2000, 10 years before the release of the third film, so the role of Slinky was passed down to Blake Clark. The returning cast is joined by Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, Whoopi Goldberg, Timothy Dalton, Kristen Schaal, Bonnie Hunt, and Jeff Garlin, who voice the new characters introduced in this film. In Toy Story 3, Andy Davis (Morris), now 17 years old, is going to college. Woody (Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Allen), and the other toys are accidentally donated to Sunnyside Daycare, a daycare center, by Andy's mother (Metcalf), and the toys must decide where their loyalties lie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Animation Studios</span> American animation studio

Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene from its first synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (1928). Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney, it is the oldest-running animation studio in the world. It is currently organized as a division of Walt Disney Studios and is headquartered at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California. Since its foundation, the studio has produced 62 feature films, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Wish (2023), and hundreds of short films.

The Computer Animation Production System (CAPS) was a proprietary collection of software, scanning camera systems, servers, networked computer workstations, and custom desks developed by The Walt Disney Company and Pixar in the late 1980s. Although outmoded by the mid-2000s, it succeeded in reducing labor costs for ink and paint and post-production processes of traditionally animated feature films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS). It also provided an entirely new palette of digital tools to the animation filmmakers.

<i>Meet the Robinsons</i> 2007 animated Disney film

Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 American animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the 1990 children's book A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce. The film was directed by Stephen J. Anderson and produced by Dorothy McKim, from a screenplay that Anderson co-wrote with Don Hall, Nathan Greno, Joe Mateo, Jon Bernstein, Michelle Spitz, and Aurian Redson. The film stars the voices of Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Angela Bassett, Tom Selleck, Harland Williams, Laurie Metcalf, Nicole Sullivan, Adam West, Ethan Sandler, Tom Kenny, and Anderson. It follows an orphaned 12-year-old inventor, Lewis, who is desperate to be adopted. He meets Wilbur Robinson, a young time-traveler who takes him to the year 2037 to visit his eccentric family. They must prevent a mysterious bowler-hatted man from changing Lewis' fate, and, by proxy, the future.

<i>Bolt</i> (2008 film) 2008 Disney animated film

Bolt is a 2008 American animated action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Chris Williams and Byron Howard and produced by Clark Spencer, from a screenplay written by Williams and Dan Fogelman. The film stars the voices of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton and Greg Germann. This was also one of the final film roles for Lipton before his death in 2020, the other being Igor, which was released the same year as Bolt.

<i>Working for Peanuts</i> 1953 Donald Duck cartoon

Working for Peanuts is a 1953 animated short produced by Walt Disney, featuring Donald Duck and Chip 'n' Dale. It is notable for being one of their first shorts filmed in 3D. The tagline of the film is "Walt Disney's Donald Duck & Chip 'N Dale in their first laugh riot in 3-Dimension".

<i>World of Color</i> Nighttime show at Disney California Adventure

World of Color is a nighttime show at Disney California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Conceived by Vice President of Parades and Spectaculars Steve Davison, and designed by Disney Live Entertainment, the show has 1,200 water fountains and includes lights, fire, lasers, and fog, with high-definition projections on mist screens. The show is inspired by Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color anthology television series, as evidenced by the use of its eponymous theme song written by the Sherman Brothers.

Digital 3D is a non-specific 3D standard in which films, television shows, and video games are presented and shot in digital 3D technology or later processed in digital post-production to add a 3D effect.

<i>Toy Story</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise created by Pixar

Toy Story is an American media franchise owned by The Walt Disney Company. It centers on toys that, unknown to humans, are secretly living, sentient creatures. It began in 1995 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, which focuses on a diverse group of toys featuring a classic cowboy doll named Sheriff Woody and a modern spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear.

Dolby Surround 7.1 is a sound system by Dolby Laboratories which delivers theatrical 7.1 surround sound to movie-goers. It is the most recent addition to a family of audio compression technologies developed by Dolby known as Dolby Digital.

<i>Mickeys PhilharMagic</i> 3D attraction at Disney theme parks

Mickey's PhilharMagic is a 4D film attraction found at several Disney theme parks around the world, including Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Park (Paris), and Disney California Adventure. The film was directed by George Scribner, who also directed Disney's 1988 animated film Oliver & Company. Mickey's PhilharMagic is a 12-minute-long show featuring 3D effects, scents, and water, as well as a number of characters from Disney movies. It is shown on the largest purpose-built 3D screen ever made, at 150 feet wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney logo</span> Corporate logo of The Walt Disney Company

The Disney logo is the corporate logo of The Walt Disney Company since 1956. It is based on a stylized autograph of Walt Disney. Aside from being used by The Walt Disney Company, various Disney divisions and products use the same style/font in their logos, although with some differences depending on the company. The D in the Disney logo makes use of the golden ratio three times.

Wonderful World of Animation is a nighttime show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The show is a celebration of all Disney animation, beginning with Mickey Mouse. It premiered on May 1, 2019, as part of the park's 30th anniversary celebration, replacing Disney Movie Magic.

References

  1. "The Original Disney 3-D". MousePlanet. September 16, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  2. Smith, Dave (August 1, 2012). "Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia supplement" (PDF). The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  3. "The Walt Disney Studios and Dolby Bring Disney Digital 3D(TM) to Selected Theaters Nationwide With CHICKEN LITTLE on Dolby Digital Cinema". PR Newswire. June 27, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  4. Carolyn Giardina (March 7, 2007). "New dimension at Real D". HollywoodReporter.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20120131161944/http://media-file.net/7/onstrangertides/images/PIRATES%204%20PRESS%20KIT%20FINAL.pdf
  6. McClintock, Pamela (May 26, 2011). "Disney's 'The Lion King' to Return to Theaters in Digital 3D". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  7. Stewart, Andrew (August 11, 2011). "'Beauty 3D' to single screen". Variety.com. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  8. "(3D) Beauty and the Beast at Hoyts Cinemas". Hoyts.com.au. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  9. Oliver Oliveros (August 27, 2013). "Hollywood's El Capitan Will Be the Only Theatre in the World to Screen THE LITTLE MERMAID 3D, 9/13-10/13" . Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  10. "Mareel - Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy 3D". Mareel. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  11. Brigante, Ricky (July 26, 2012). "'Toy Story Toons' shorts now available on iTunes, "Small Fry" and "Hawaiian Vacation" first in ongoing series". Inside the Magic. Retrieved April 30, 2023.