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It’s the hot new fad. Yet again. In fact, there are 30 more movies that will soon be leaping off a screen near you — and that’s not even counting the soon-to-be released Coraline …
1. Avatar
This eagerly awaited sci-fi adventure, about the battle over a biologically diverse planet called Alpha Centauri B-4, is James Cameron‘s first nondocumentary feature film since 1997’s Titanic. Next-big-thing Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) stars alongside Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez. The buzz around the film’s CG effects is already deafening. (12/18/09)
2. Godzilla 3D
Say it loud, and there’s music playing; say it soft, and it’s almost like praying. Godzilla 3D. GODZILLA TO THE M.F. 3-D! My inner eight-year-old is turning cartwheels at the very thought of such a thing. (2009)
3. The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn
The classic Hergé character leaps onto — and off of — the screen in this much-anticipated motion-capture adventure from director Peter Jackson and producer Steven Spielberg. The impressive cast includes Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Andy Serkis and MacKenzie Crook; depending on how things go, Jackson and Spielberg may make one or two more Tintin adventures after this one. (2011)
4. Frankenweenie
Tim Burton and frequent collaborator John August (Big Fish, Corpse Bride) will team up for this feature-length adaptation of Burton’s short film about the resurrection of a deceased family dog. While the original was live-action, this 3-D retelling will feature stop-motion animation. (2011)
5. Up
The trailer for this Pixar adventure-comedy — which features Ed Asner as an old curmudgeon who sets his entire house aloft with lots and lots of helium-filled balloons — is already bowling over audiences, so let’s hope the film can deliver on its coming-attractions promise. (5/29/09)
6. G-Force
Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Tracy Morgan provide the voices for a team of commando guinea pigs who fight to stop an evil billionaire (Bill Nighy) from taking over the world in this live-action/CG-animation hybrid family flick. The usually-too-ribald-for-Disney Zach Galifianakis co-stars. (7/24/09)
7. The Legend of Spyro
This adaptation of the popular video-game series about a heroic dragon will feature the voices of Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman. (Christmas 2009)
8. Tr2n
That sound you heard was 1000 nerds’ heads (my own included) exploding when Disney announced a sequel to its computer-animation classic; that second explosion came when the studio said it would be released in 3-D. Jeff Bridges returns, and the young ‘n’ hunky Garrett Hedlund (Four Brothers, Eragon) stars. (2011)
9. Newt
It’s not about the girl from Aliens or the witch in Monty Python and the Holy Grail; this CG rom-com (courtesy of Pixar) tells the story of two blue-footed newts in a community college lab who can’t stand each other — but when they discover they’re the last two left of their species, they have to put aside their differences and, ugh, mate. (Summer 2012)
10. Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
They were the opening gig for last year’s successful Miley Cyrus 3-D concert movie, but this time the JoBros get to headline. And now, the screaming starts. (2/27/09)
KEEP READING: Porn, Potter and Alice![PAGEBREAK]
11. Monsters vs. Aliens
The no-doubt-inescapable marketing onslaught for this animated comedy-adventure kicks off with a much-hyped 3-D commercial during the Super Bowl. Seth Rogen, Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Colbert, Will Arnett and Rainn Wilson provide the voices. (3/27/09)
12. Horrorween
Directed by Joe Estevez — whose acting work is not unknown to fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 — this horror comedy boasts cameos by William Shatner, Jenna Jameson, Dom DeLuise, Alice Cooper, Donald Trump, Flavor Flav, George Clinton, and Troma Films producer Lloyd Kaufman. (2009)
13. Amateur Porn Star Killer 3D: Inside the Head
This horror-satire apparently makes fun of the two previous films in the series; at press time, the film’s official website was selling Executive Producer credits for $99, apparently for people desperate to start their own IMDB page. (Mid-2009)
14. Alice in Wonderland
Director Tim Burton has assembled an all-star cast for this live-action Lewis Carroll adaptation, including Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter), Anne Hathaway (White Queen), Alan Rickman (Caterpillar) and Little Britain‘s Matt Lucas (Tweedledum and Tweedle-Dee). (3/5/10)
15. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Warner Bros. is presumably giving this sequel the Superman Returns treatment, with IMAX viewers getting to enjoy select sequences in three dimensions. (7/17/09)
16. How to Train Your Dragon
This DreamWorks CG animated feature, based on the children’s book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, boasts a voice cast that mixes Gerard Butler and America Ferrera with Judd Apatow repertory players Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. (3/6/10)
17. Step Up 3D
The energetic choreography of the first two Step Up movies gets more in-your-face with this 3-D threequel; John Chu, who directed Step Up 2 the Streets, is slated to get behind the camera once again. (2010)
18. Rapunzel
Disney’s all about their princesses, so it was only a matter of time before they decided to animate the gal with the golden locks. Wicked and Pushing Daisies star Kristin Chenoweth seems perfectly cast in the lead role, especially if they give ‘Punz some good songs. (Christmas 2010)
19. Cars 2
Pixar looks to be mixing original films with sequels to their biggest hits: This follow-up to their 2006 automotive comedy sees racecar Lightning McQueen and tow-truck Mater traveling around the world, but no word yet on how the recent death of Paul Newman will affect the return of his Doc Hudson character. (6/24/11)
20. Final Destination: Death Trip 3D
You know the drill — a teen has a vision of an accident, stops it before it happens, and then the people who were supposed to die get theirs in a grisly, elaborate fashion. Given that the FD franchise has always featured inventive deaths, here’s hoping the filmmakers are as clever with their use of 3-D technology. (8/21/09)
KEEP READING: Toy Story 3, Oscar nominee Beauty and the Beast![PAGEBREAK]
21. Toy Story 3
Pixar adds a new dimension to its most beloved franchise; this time, Buzz, Woody and the gang are unceremoniously dumped at a day-care center when their beloved owner, Andy, goes off to college. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn, Don Rickles, John Ratzenberger and Estelle Harris will return. (6/8/10)
22. Digger 3D
A grave digger on a killing spree crosses paths with a college student searching for the secret horror behind her nightmares in this new 3-D horror splatterfest. (2009)
23. King of the Elves
Philip K. Dick’s fiction has inspired the likes of Blade Runner and Total Recall, but this marks the first time one of his stories has been adapted into a Disney cartoon. A band of elves in modern-day Mississippi crown a human as their king when he helps them defeat a vicious troll. (Christmas 2012)
24. Carnaval 3D: The Magic & the Music
Brett Ratner directs and Quincy Jones produces this 3-D documentary about Brazil’s legendary annual street party and festival in Rio de Janeiro. If you hate crowds and have a phobia about pickpockets, this might be the next best thing to being there. (2010)
25. Beauty and the Beast
The only animated film ever to receive a Best Picture nomination — and if Wall-E couldn’t manage it, this might wind up being the only one ever to be so honored by the Academy — returns to the big screen in a never-before-seen 3-D version. Get out your handkerchiefs and tuck them under your glasses. (2010)
26. Around the World in 50 Years
This ecologically-minded animated film about a turtle noting the effects of global warming during his half-century lifespan features the voice talents of Jenny McCarthy, Tim Curry, Kathy Griffin, Anthony Anderson, Melanie Griffith, Stacy Keach, Pat Carroll and Ed Begley Jr. (2009)
27. Return to Everest 3D
A team of courageous doctors climbs the legendary mountain to conduct experiments on how extreme altitude affects the human body in this new IMAX documentary. Watch them take blood and tissue samples at 29,035 feet above sea level — in 3-D! (Feb. 2012)
28. The Bear and the Bow
Reese Witherspoon provides the voice of a Scottish princess who renounces her family name in order to pursue her dreams of archery; Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Pixar regular John Ratzenberger co-star. (Christmas 2011)
29. Disney’s A Christmas Carol
A few years ago, director Robert Zemeckis pioneered motion-capture animation with the holiday tale The Polar Express, featuring Tom Hanks in multiple roles. This year, Zemeckis will use the same technology (updated, obviously) to adapt the Dickens classic, with Jim Carrey playing Ebenezer Scrooge and all three Christmas ghosts, while Gary Oldman co-stars Marley’s ghost, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim. (11/6/09)
30. Dino Mom
Three time-traveling children are taken in by a motherly dinosaur in this animated adventure co-directed by the maker of the direct-to-video Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. (2009)
KEEP READING: The worst 3-D movies ever![PAGEBREAK]
Yes, House of Wax, Kiss Me Kate and Bwana Devil were the 3-D hits of the ’50s, but in the last 50 years, most attempts at the gimmick have laid big, three-dimensional eggs — like these 10 flops
1. Robot Monster (1953)
Granted, this legendary 3-D turkey — about gorilla-suited moon men who wipe almost everyone off the face of the planet — was made so cheaply that it probably couldn’t have avoided turning a profit. But the sheer awfulness of this movie certainly didn’t help the nascent format’s reputation among audiences.
2. Man in the Dark (1953)
After Bwana Devil became a hit, Columbia Pictures stopped shooting on this routine action flick (starring Edmond O’Brien and Audrey Totter) and rewrote the script to accommodate 3-D effects. The movie was rushed onto screens — production lasted 11 days — so that it could open before House of Wax, and the slapdash nature of its creation showed. Thanks to its terrible script and clumsy cinematography, many experts call it one of the worst 3-D movies ever.
3. Arena (1953)
When the fad of 3-D was new, audiences would sit through almost anything to see it in action — even sudsy duds like 1953’s Sangaree, starring Arlene Dahl and Fernando Lamas, drew in crowds despite unenthusiastic reviews. One of the first studio 3-D movies to fail was Arena, a Richard Fleischer–directed rodeo drama with Gig Young, Jean Hagen and Lee Van Cleef. It probably didn’t help that MGM refused to shell out for the Natural Vision process (the industry standard at the time) and, instead, tried to invent its own (crappy) in-house 3-D instead.
4. The Nebraskan (1953)
Legend has it that this movie was so terrible, a San Francisco filmgoer actually punched a theater manager in the face for screening it.
5. Taza, Son of Cochise (1954)
Audiences weren’t wild about this Western, but its lack of success can’t be pinned entirely on 3-D; after all, would you buy Rock Hudson (in tan makeup) as an Apache?
6. The Bubble (1966)
Writer-director Arch Oboler (The Twonky) flopped with this tedious science-fiction movie that resembles an overlong Twilight Zone episode. Although it boasted a new and improved version of 3-D, audiences stayed away — but never underestimate the power of a good title, since The Bubble did much better in a 1976 reissue, under the name Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth.
7. Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror (1968)
This Mexican werewolf movie, hustled into American theaters in 1972 in an attempt to cash in on the popularity of The Stewardesses, didn’t click with moviegoers. One critic memorably called it “Frankenstein’s bloody bore.” Not to be confused with 1973’s Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein, which was a huge hit.
8. Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983)
Several major studios embraced 3-D in the early ’80s after the surprise success of Comin’ at Ya! Universal’s sci-fi-action flick died a quick death, taking in only about a third as much as the same year’s moderately successful Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone. (1983 was a big year for colons, apparently.)
9. The Man Who Wasn’t There (1983)
The biggest flop of the Reagan-era 3-D flicks was this supremely unfunny invisible man comedy starring Steve Guttenberg. Roger Ebert noted, “Not in recent memory has a movie, even a bad movie, offered less for your money.” The title, at least, was put to better use by the Coen brothers in 2001.
10. Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006)
You’d think people would learn to leave George Romero’s seminal horror classic alone; every time there’s a remake, or a colorized version, or an anniversary edition that mucks about with the original, the fans get pissed, and rightly so. So it’s not surprising that zombiephiles stayed away from this 3-D remake in droves; the opening weekend of its one-week release drew a paltry $1,484 per-screen average.
