Why is PIXAR prepping 3D re-releases?
Now anyone who’s talked film with me knows that I’m a huge fan of PIXAR and all the amazing work they do. Also, if you’ve ever listened to my podcast, you’ve heard me talk about how much I support the use of [good] 3D in film. I truly believe that, when handled correctly 3D has the potential to add a sense of size and scale that simply cannot be achieved in normal 2D film. All that being said, I just can’t figure out why PIXAR is prepping a re-release of Ratatouille.
You’d think that I’d be excited about it. I love PIXAR. I love 3D. Ratatouille is arguably my favorite film of the PIXAR collection. It’s a CGI film, so making it 3D just involves rendering out a second camera’s viewpoint. The director Brad Bird is open for the idea of adjusting the composition of various shots to make them work better in a 3D presentation. Everything about the idea is good. So where does the issue lie for me?
PIXAR simply doesn’t have a good track record with 3D in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, they’re 3D technology isn’t “bad” (i.e. on par with Clash of the Titans, Alice in Wonderland, or The Last Airbender), but their policy has proven to be that 3D should be incredibly subtle. I saw both UP and Toy Story 3D in theaters and never once was I awed by a sense of depth or scale. In fact, there were times in both films where I would take my 3D glasses and continually flip between on and off just to see if I could tell what part of the scene was actually in 3D.
One film involved a man floating his house off it’s foundation with a million helium balloons and the other was a film about toys come to life. Both films have immense scale built in to their concept, yet PIXAR couldn’t communicate that in any meaningful way through the use of 3D. Why would I want to shell out $20 to re-watch a film in 3D that I could own on Blu-ray for the same cost? Especially if the 3D isn’t going to add to the experience.
my name is Christopher Schnese
and this is my reel perspective
