As you’ve probably heard, the Star Tours ride at Disneyland was recently overhauled in a big way. If you missed the original ride, or are just feeling nostalgic, animator Gregory Noacco spend months putting together a CG recreation that you can view after the break in both 2D and 3D versions.
Check ‘em out while you can—just in case Lucasfilm decides to pull the plug.
Unless you’ve been living in the desert of Tatooine you know that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is being re-released in 3D next Friday. Lucasfilm is really marketing it to the kids, too. Just think, there’s an entire generation of kids who have only known Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series and have never seen Star Wars on the big screen. Maybe they’ve never even seen the prequels. They’re a prime demographic to focus marketing towards. However, if they’re trying to attract the same kids watching The Clone Wars, they’ve missed a beat.
The Clone Wars stars incredibly talented voice actors and often features pretty heavy and dark material. A war is spreading across the galaxy. Kids that watch the series are used to seeing an edge. The trailer for The Phantom Menace is voiced with a peppy, after school special tone that just rings as laughable. He actually says, “Chill out, Artoo.” Huh? It might be one of the most ridiculous bits of voiceover work ever. And keep in mind that I actually like the movie, so I’m not transferring feelings of hate.
I understand going after the younger crowd but give them some respect. View the trailer in all its silly glory after the break.
The new poster for the upcoming 3D release of Star Wars: Episode 1—The Phantom Menace has arrived. Not surprisingly, there are several notable character omissions in this version (compared to the original pictured after the break) as Lucas and company choose to focus on the stronger aspects of the film.
Speaking of Darth Maul, keep in mind that his character will be miraculously resurrected from the dead for the Cartoon Network Clone Wars series.
It’s also interesting to point out that the poster mentions that the film will get a simultaneous 2D re-release in select theaters when it arrives on February 10th 2012.
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If you think the current obsession with 3D is a fad, history is on your side. The infographic after the break includes every 3D movie ever made, and it illustrates how the popularity of 3D movies has ebbed and flowed over the years.
Recent history has proven to be the biggest boon for 3D in history, but does that mean it’s here to stay?
There was a time when 3D was new and exciting with people wearing cute little cardboard glasses. They ate their popcorn and waited for things to pop out of the screen and scare them so badly they’d spill it into their laps. Fast forward a few years, okay more than a few, all the way to Avatar. Now 3D isn’t a gimmick, they say, it’s an experience. They even give it a cooler name, RealD, which seems to be merely an excuse to make me wear horribly uncomfortable glasses and charge me a few extra bucks. I find it distracting and cringe when I see movies released only this way. I still see them, rubbing behind my ears and adjusting those stupid glass for half the movie, but I’d much rather just see things in good old 2D. This weekend my dislike of 3D reached new heights when it became partly to blame for me not getting to see the movie I wanted to see. It officially became my nemesis.
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The following video is the result of an experiment with the Kinect and Processing. People stand in front of the Kinect and they can be virtually frozen in carbonite. Apparently, the people behind the project are exporting the models for 3D printing and they plan to release the open source software soon.
A little crude but promising. Check out the video after the break.
As 3D printing and vision technology starts to move into consumer space and become common in smaller institutions and even at home, 3D scanning is still struggling to catch up. There are some “low cost” scanning options out there for people who need 3D models, but most truly affordable scanners are still in early development. Read on to find out about the best affordable 3D scanners that currently do exist, and find out a bit about what is still to come.
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Oh dear God no.
We knew it was happening, but now it seems real. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace will hit theaters in 3D come February 10th 2012.
So if you hate Episode 1 and the fact that Star Wars is going 3D, you’ll probably be wishing Lucas is right about that whole Armageddon thing.
(via Star Wars.com)
I’m not sure if artist Ansel Hsiao has ever done any professional 3D modeling for films, but he should—his attention to detail is extraordinary. Just take a look at this Imperial Star Destroyer pictured above.
Check out more examples of his work after the break.
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As 3D movies and TVs become more popular, there seems to be increasing interest of getting rid of the familiar glasses. However, if this is the route the world is going to take, I think I’ll continue to wear to my pair.
Check out the video on CubicleBot…
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