Disney/Pixar is planning on re-releasing their back catalogue of CGI animated films in 3-D, and Ratatouille will be the first to be converted.
Bloggers Hey U Guys recently chatted with Bob Whitehill, the Stereoscopic Supervisor for Toy Story 3, and he dished the news that director Brad Bird is interested in making subtle changes to his 2007 movie in order to make it more 3-D friendly.
"Ratatouille is one that we’re exploring doing and Brad Bird is very open to some changes, some very subtle changes but slight re-framings," Whitehill told Hey U Guys. "If a character’s reaching forward and a pinky goes off screen, we’ll adjust the camera and the character a little bit to have the hand on. So that said, if the director’s open to minor modifications on a library title then that’s wonderful and we’re really excited about doing that."
Will Ratatouille Be the First of Pixar's Back Catalogue to Get a 3-D Re-Release?
Disney/Pixar initially seemed a lot more reluctant to jump on the 3-D bandwagon, especially when compared to rival DreamWorks Animation. However, the Emeryville-based studio has made up for lost time: Up got the 3-D treatment in 2009 and Toy Story 1 and 2 got a limited theatrical release in a 3-D double-bill last October.
"With Toy Story 1 and 2," Whitehill says, "they're such beautiful classic movies that we didn't change them much at all."
While Whitehill didn't explicitly say that Disney/Pixar is planning to re-release all of their other films in 3-D, it's not much of a stretch to say that if Ratatouille gets the 3-D treatment then the others will swiftly follow. Pete Docter and Bob Peterson signed off on releasing Up in 3-D, so it's not much of a stretch that they'll roll with a Monsters Inc. conversion, especially if it comes out as a teaser for the upcoming Monsters Inc. 2. Ditto for John Lasseter, since he already signed off on the Toy Story franchise in 3-D and he has Cars 2 coming out in 2011.
One thing to count on with any Pixar 3-D conversion is that it will be a subtle thing: Pixar animators have long mocked the overt 'paddle ball' effects found in films like DWA's Monsters vs. Aliens so don't expect to dodge Nemo's fin or Mr. Incredible's fist in future releases.
"We want the 3-D effect to feel emotional and real, but not so much that it will detract from the emotional point of the movie," says Whitehill.
There's as yet no word on when a Ratatouille 3-D re-release will be announced. Stay tuned for further details.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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