The Lion King in 3D

I once again had the opportunity to attend a movie premiere in lovely LA. But this wasn’t just any premiere y’all! This was the premiere of one of my favorite childhood films: The Lion King! But this time, it’s done in 3D and it was an absolutely amazing experience watching it in the El Capitan Theater.

While I was in LA for the event, I had the opportunity to learn more about the animators, how the film was turned into 3D, stayed in the Beverly Wilshire (Oh.My.Gosh.) and even did some shopping on Rodeo Dr. It was a fun couple of days, that’s for sure.

During my stay, I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Henn, Supervising Animator of Young Simba and Tony Bancroft, Supervising Animator of Pumbaa. The interview with these two guys was incredibly fun. I watched in amazement as they drew Simba and Pumbaa and laughed as Mark and Tony bantered back and forth. They both love their job and you can definitely sense their passion.

While I was there, I learned a little more about how the film was converted to stereoscopic 3D. Robert Neuman’s goal was to create a stereoscopic 3D version of The Lion King by taking the two dimensional images created by the animators with pencil and paper and transforming it into a three dimensional image that would feel real on the big screen.

Robert had to review 1,197 individual scenes to create the script that maps out the depth of the 3D effects. The entire project took 4 months from start to finish and a team of 65 to complete the project.

The producer, Don Hahn along with the voice of Young Nala, Niketa Calame also took time out of their schedules to meet with us. Both of them were incredibly down to earth and I enjoyed hearing them talk about the film. One of the things that really stood out to me was when Niketa was talking about when she forgot how to scream while recording the part where Simba and Nala go to the Elephant Graveyard. So now, each time the movie comes to that part, I kinda giggle.

I definitely recommend going to the theaters on September 16, 2011 when the all-new 3D version of The Lion King hits the big screen. Seeing all the characters that I loved as a child look so real and almost like you could reach out and touch them gave me goosebumps.

And yes, if you’re wondering, I still cry, even as an adult.

I’m not sure I would have taken the children to watch it in the theaters, but after watching it myself, it’s a must-watch for the kiddos. The scene towards the end where Simba and Scar are fighting was one of my favorite parts. I’m usually not a fan of fighting scenes, but the 3D effect along with the slow motion was breathtaking.

Go see this one…really. You can thank me later!

You will also be able to add The Lion King in 3D to your collection. It will be available on October 4, 2011 on Disney Blu-ray Hi-Def for $39.99 and Blu-ray 3D $49.99.