The head of Walt Disney and Pixar animation, John Lassiter, announced at last week's COMIC-CON that work on the Oscar-winning Beauty and the Beast, continues as the classic animated tale is being given the full 3-D treatment for release in 2010.
A short clip was shown during a panel discussion, the heroine Belle's introductory musical number and the vast multiple layers of imaging wowed the crowd.
The new version of Beauty and the Beast will debut in theaters on Valentine's Day 2010.
Creating a Disney Digital 3-D version of "Beauty and the Beast," which won two Oscars(R) and is the only animated feature to ever receive a Best Picture nomination from the Motion Picture Academy, will be handled entirely in-house at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and will utilize innovative proprietary software, along with the latest techniques and advances in 3-D technology. Overseeing the project from the creative end will be the film's original team of acclaimed filmmakers -- producer Don Hahn, and directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. A team of technical experts at Walt Disney Feature Animation will be headed by Sara Duran-Singer, senior vice president of Worldwide Post Production. The re-rendering is expected to take about nine months to complete, and will require a painstaking frame-by-frame analysis of the film's original computer files in order to create new images for each eye.
Don Hahn, producer of the original "Beauty and the Beast" feature as well as the upcoming Disney Digital 3-D version, adds, "It's a real thrill to be reunited with the film's original directors, Kirk and Gary, in bringing new magic to this beloved animated classic. By going back to the original animation files, which have been carefully archived for 17 years, and using the separate background, effects and character animation elements, we're able to come up with a fun and unique 3-D experience for existing and new fans of the film. With its exciting story, dazzling musical numbers, and landmark computer animated ballroom sequence, 'Beauty and the Beast' lends itself particularly well to the 3-D process, and moviegoers will feel more connected than ever with the fairy tale world of Belle, Beast and the castle's enchanted objects. It's wonderful to revisit some of our favorite animated friends, and to bring them to life in a whole new way."
Originally released in 1991, "Beauty and the Beast" proved to be a major success at the box office (the first animated feature to cross the $100 million plateau in its initial release), a favorite with moviegoers all over the world and an important milestone for the art of animation. In addition to its unprecedented Oscar(R) nomination for Best Picture, it received five other nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (and won trophies for Best Song and Best Original Score). The film also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy/Musical and garnered two Grammy Awards.
A Broadway stage musical, based on the film, played from 1994 through 2007, and became the sixth-longest running production in Broadway history with 5,464 performances.
