DISNEY - 3-D FOR ALL DISNEY FEATURE CARTOONS

All future Disney and Pixar animated features will be released in 3-D, beginning with next year's Up, Disney Animation chief John Lassiter said Tuesday. Speaking at New York University, Lassiter gave a rundown of the company's slate of animated features, which includes Toy Story 3 to be released in June 2010 (bearing the Pixar banner) and The Princess and the Frog to be released in December 2009 (bearing the Disney banner). Next up for the company is the Pixar-produced WALL-E, coming on June 27 and Disney's Bolt, set for November 26 (Thanksgiving weekend). Also included in the release schedule is the direct-to-DVD-and-Blu-ray release of Tinker Bell North of Never Land. But the film creating the most buzz is Disney' s planned release of King of the Elves, based on a Phillip K. Dick short story, for Christmas 2012. In a statement, Lassiter said, "The thing I love best about my job is that I get to work at both Disney and Pixar with filmmakers who are passionate about their projects and who are the absolute best in the business. We're excited to be pushing the boundaries of 3-D and computer technology to tell our stories in the best possible way. At the same time, we're drawing on our past to emphasize memorable char acters, original edge-of-your-seat stories, and believable worlds."

09/04/2008