Future of 3-D animation? Anything but ‘Cloudy’

By Michael Avila

updated 2:12 p.m. ET Sept. 16, 2009

This week in Los Angeles, key figures from all levels of the entertainment industry will gather at the 3D Entertainment Summit.

After decades of simply being a tacky marketing gimmick, 3-D appears to have finally come into its own. 

Among the expected keynote speakers at the Summit is Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation. One of the most vocal proponents of 3-D, Katzenberg is on record as saying all DreamWorks animated projects will now be done in 3-D. His faith was rewarded this past spring when DreamWorks’ 3-D animated romp “Monsters vs. Aliens” earned nearly $200 million in the U.S.

“I think ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ heralded the official arrival of the notion ... that you could have long-term success with 3-D animation,” said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Katzenberg was waiting for that movie to open, to determine ... whether or not it was a viable and profitable genre, versus something that might just be considered a fad.”

Disney/Pixar’s summer blockbuster “Up,” with its $291 million tally (the highest-grossing 3-D film of in the U.S.) reinforced the belief that 3-D is here to stay.

Wearing glasses has never been cooler.

Video   ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs’ This animated 3-D adventure tells the story of a scientist who accidentally makes food rain from the sky.

“There’s just something about 3-D animation, almost in a way more than in live-action 3-D, that brings you right into that world,” said Dergarabedian.

Transporting the audience into a spectacular new world, whether it be Paradise Falls or the Ice Age, is what 3-D proponents call the “immersive experience” that only 3-D can offer. (For a look at 10 milestones in the history of movie 3-D, click here.)

While box-office results for live-action 3-D films remain spotty — only three such films have ever earned more than $100 million in the U.S. — recent box-office receipts indicate audiences want to be immersed in animation. The four highest grossing 3-D animated pictures of all time at the domestic box office are all animated and have been released in the past year, signaling 3-D animation may be ready to overtake superhero movies as Hollywood’s newest home-run hitter.

All-time 3-D animated earners in the U.S.: (source: Box Office Mojo)

1. “Up” (Disney/Pixar) – $291.4 million
2. “Monsters vs. Aliens” (DreamWorks/Paramount) – $198.3 million
3. “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” (Fox) – $194.7 million*
4. “G-Force” (Buena Vista) $117 million
5. “Bolt” (Disney) – $114 million (Nov. 2008 release)

*"Ice Age 3" has earned a whopping $667 million in foreign release to-date, making it the third-highest foreign grosser of all time.

“Coraline,” a darker tale adapted from Neil Gaiman’s novel, took in $75 million during its early-year release. The one blemish on 3-D animation’s box-office performance was springtime flop “Battle for Terra.”

Next up
Friday marks the debut of “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs,” the sixth 3-D animated movie released so far in 2009. Sony has high hopes for the family-friendly picture, which is based on a bestselling children’s book.

More than a dozen new 3-D animated films are due out between now and the end of 2010. Some old favorites will try to cash in on the 3-D craze, including the “Smurfs” (due out Dec. 2010), a fourth “Shrek” movie and even the Beatles.

Disney just announced plans to have Robert Zemeckis direct a three-dimensional remake of the Fab Four’s 1968 psychedelic animated picture “The Yellow Submarine.”

Then there is the return of two old pals named Woody and Buzz.

In October, Disney will re-release “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2” in 3-D. Each film has been given a complete 3-D makeover in a process overseen by John Lasseter, the Academy Award-winning director of both Pixar movies. The re-release will also include the first trailer for “Toy Story 3,” which debuts next June, in 3-D of course.

Adding a new dimension to one of its most beloved franchises is just the latest move in Disney’s ambitious 3-D plans. It has a half-dozen such movies in the animation pipeline, including “Cars 2” and the animated musical version “Rapunzel.”

This would seem to paint a bleak picture for traditional hand-drawn animation, which has struggled recently to find audiences.

Disney’s summer release “Ponyo,” from legendary Japanese animated filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, failed to connect with audiences.

“‘Ponyo’ was too Japanese for mainstream American audiences. It’s a kid’s film — aimed at small children,” says animation historian Jerry Beck, who writes about the genre for the Web site cartoonbrew.com. “U.S. audiences are interested in animation that kids and grownups can relate to.”

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