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DreamWorks Animation at forefront of 3D revolution

Jeffrey Katzenberg

Story by Rob Carnevale

CINEMA fans should brace themselves for a new 3D revolution over the coming years as filmmakers look to use advances in the medium as a way to bring people back to the cinemas.

Some of the most successful directors in contemporary cinema are at the forefront of incorporating 3D into their films, from James Cameron (Avatar) to Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.

George Lucas, meanwhile, has plans to re-release all six Star Wars movies in 3D format, while Disney and Pixar anticipate 3D versions of all their new releases, as well as classics such as Toy Story.

DreamWorks Animation also believes so strongly in 3D that it has re-tooled its studio for the medium.

Speaking in London on Monday, Jeffrey Katzenberg, head of DreamWorks Animation, outlined some of the reasons why 3D is now at the forefront of the new cinema revolution… and a pivotal tool in providing audiences with an experience they’ll no longer be able to get at home.

Gone are the days of cheesy, uncomfortable cardboard coloured glasses, and ever more hokey special effects (Jaws 3 anyone?), replaced instead by state-of-the-art on-screen images that enhance the story and heighten the senses, while not being cumbersome when being perched on your nose.

“We believe this represents an opportunity to re-energise audiences world-wide and give them something that can actually only happen in the movie theatre,” he explained, before previewing footage of DreamWorks’ first major 3D release, Monsters Vs Aliens

“But for it to really be an immersive experience, it has to enhance the storytelling… so first and foremost it has to be a great movie in 2D. 3D can do many things… but it won’t make a crappy movie good.”

Katzenberg hopes that his latest release, Monsters Vs Aliens, ticks all of those boxes. Boasting a typically strong vocal cast (including Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Seth Rogen and Hugh Laurie), it’s the story of what happens when aliens invade Earth and the government is forced to rely on a ragtag group of monsters it has secretly been hiding to combat the threat.

Read our first-look feature on Monsters Vs Aliens