What Is The Deal With 3D?

I feel like Jerry Seinfeld here, but I'm a little curious on why every new 3D animation being produced is made for a 3D viewing experience. My assumptions are either it makes more money in the box office this way, companies are trying to stick with this new trend, or it really does enhance the viewers experience. Personally, I first saw one of these new 3D films when Monster House came out, and the way objects jumped out at you was very interesting. But why can't good animation be enough for an audience? I did enjoy Monster House in it's story and particularly it's characters. It would have been just as successful without the 3D viewing experience, but still both Disney's Bolt and Dreamworks's Monsters VS Aliens are pushing for this new trend in animation.


There is an interesting post on /film by Peter Sciretta about this new trend.

"Katzenberg explained that filmmaking has been through two great revolutions, the first being the transition from silent film to talkies, and the second being the transition from black and white to color. He insists that 3D is the next great revolution."

“The movie theater experience has not been innovated in any meaningful way in decades. Meanwhile, the home experience with the big flat screen tvs and surround sound, blu-ray and everything else has just become amazing. So one experience has stood still while the other has continued to rise up.”

Movie attendance continues to fall as the popularity of the home theater and on demand movie watching builds. This leads us to Katzenberg’s passionate plea to keep the movie theater experience alive.

I think there are some interesting points here about keeping the movie theater experience fresh and new. To read up on the full post check it out here.

Also, if anyone has any insights or comments on the subject, let me know.