After watching the excellent documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty, I’ve been dying to revisit some of the animated movies Disney released in the early ‘90s — especially The Lion King, which was easily one of my favorite movies from my childhood.
While I haven’t had an opportunity to hunt down a copy of the out-of-print DVD for The Lion King, it looks like I may have a chance to see it again in theaters — with the added bonus of a third dimension.
Empire reports from Don Hahn, director of Waking Sleeping Beauty and resident Disney producer, that a 3D conversion of The Lion King is currently in the pre-production stage.
Don’t expect the 3D version of The Lion King in theaters anytime soon, though. Disney is apparently taking their time — to make sure they do it right.
Among the other stuff Hahn talked about in the interview is news about the long-awaited sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
“Yeah, I couldn’t possibly comment,” Hahn said. “I deny completely, but yeah … if you’re a fan, pretty soon you’re going to be very, very, very happy.”
Finally, Hahn broke the bad news that The Snow Queen, a rumored hand-drawn Hans Christian Anderson adaption, is dead in the water. Script issues are blamed for the project’s shelving.
Don’t completely count out the possibility that Snow Queen will ever happen, though. Hahn brought up the fact that Beauty and the Beast, another classic Disney film currently being converted to 3D, sat in development hell for years before being made. It’s entirely possible that Snow Queen will live again sometime in the future.
The Buzz: Despite my growing apathy towards 3D films, I am kind of curious to see what a 3D hand-drawn animated movie looks like. I have a feeling it might look a lot like those 3D comics I used to read as a kid — which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.
What do you think of this news? Are there any other classic Disney cartoons you’d like to see dusted off and given a new dimension?
Personally, I’d just settle for theatrical re-releases of some of the older Disney cartoons. I have fond memories of going to see some of the classic animated movies in theaters as a kid — movies that were first released far before I was ever born. While this practice was before Disney had ventured out into the home video market and today families might be a little less willing to fork over $20 to see a movie on the big screen when they can just watch it at home, I do believe there is a market for those who want their children (both physical and mental) to experience the cartoons they grew up with on the big screen.
