coraline
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How 3D printing changed the face of 'ParaNorman'
We drive around in circles trying to find the place. There's no signage indicating our destination -- no giant, looming cartoon characters or even a logo, just a faceless building in a maze of industrial parks, about 17 miles outside of Portland. It's a beautiful drive of course, sandwiched on a vaguely winding highway by dense Pacific Northwest foliage, past Nike's global headquarters. Compared to the world-class tracks and fields dotting the shoemaker's campus, Laika's own offices are an exercise in modesty (in spite of financial ties to Phil Knight), virtually indistinguishable from the densely packed businesses that surround it. There are, perhaps, certain advantages to such anonymity -- for one thing, it helps the studio avoid random drop-ins by movie fans hoping to chew the ear off of their animation heroes. It also means that our cab driver does a good three passes before finally getting out of the car and asking a smoker standing outside a nearby building where to go. He thinks about it for a moment and indicates a building -- a large, but otherwise indistinguishable space. The lobby doesn't scream Hollywood either, but it certainly offers some less-than-subtle hints that we've found the place: a wall-sized black and white image of classic film cameras (ancient devices, someone tells me, that were utilized on the company's previous film), and in one corner, a tiny room encased in glass, with Coraline seated at a table in its center. This building is the house that she built -- or at least kept the lights on; "Coraline" was released after its planned successor "Jack & Ben's Animated Adventure" failed to materialize. Inside, the cavernous space in excess of 150,000 square feet has become a bustling small town of creatives, laboring away in its recesses, many having traveled through several time zones to be in its rank, like carnies hopping from town to town. Stop-motion animation, after all, isn't the most prevalent of professions, and while we've arguably entered a sort of golden age for the infamously labor-intensive art form, thanks in large part to the success of projects like "Coraline," the number of studios actually investing in the form can be counted on one hand.%Gallery-162720%
HBO lines up 3D programming via video on-demand
If you have HBO's HD VOD via your cable provider (i.e. Comcast or Verizon FiOS) congratulations, as you should also have access to a few 3D movies. Multichannel News reports Coraline, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Monsters vs. Aliens and Clash of the Titans are all available for your viewing pleasure. Of course, since it's HBO we're expecting some cropping/compression malfeasance but why don't you give it a look and tell us how they're doing.
Universal brings Coraline Blu-ray 3D to retail January 4, 2011
So far, promotional exclusives have tied up many Blu-ray 3D titles, but that tide may start to turn, now that Universal has announced it's releasing the previously Panasonic-exclusive Coraline to retail on January 4, 2011. The only extras noted on the 3D disc itself are a commentary track with the director and composer and English DTS-HD MA soundtrack. We're sure fans of the animated flick will be happy to put away those red/blue glasses and get a better quality version, we'll be keeping an eye out to see which title is released from the bonds of exclusivity next.
Panasonic sweetens the 3DTV deal with Coraline, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D Blu-rays
We know what you're thinking: "there's no way I'm buying a 3DTV until there's actually some content available to watch." To tide you over, Panasonic's announced a promotion for new buyers to be among the first to get Coraline and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs on Blu-ray 3D. Buy any VT25 model HDTV (sorry VT20 suckers), send in the UPC and coupon and 8-14 weeks later (we know, lame, right?) you should be getting two discs in the mail. While two toss-in flicks might not be a good reason to spend $2 - $3 thousand dollars at a time, we can always look back to the dark ages of 2009, when you could spend in the same range and get absolutely nothing as a throw in. No word from Twentieth Century Fox or Universal Studios when they'll be unleashing either flick at retail either, so this could be the best way to get your hands on them for a while -- check out the full details in the press release after the break or on Panasonic's registration website.
Engadget HD giveaway: win a copy of Coraline on Blu-ray!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget HD didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. Today we've got not one, but 3 copies of Coraline on Blu-ray ahead of its launch July 21 (tomorrow!) thanks to the good people at Universal Home Entertainment. Each copy includes a 2D & 3D version of the movie, plus four pairs of 3D glasses so you can share anaglyph 3D joy with the whole family. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensurefairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. Three winners will receive one (1) Coraline Blu-ray disc. Approximate value is $39.98. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until July 20th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Coraline Blu-ray disc brings home 3D & 2D versions July 21
Waiting for the next big 3D release to come home? Universal has slotted Coraline for July 21, with a 3D and 2D version included in the 2 disc set, along with four pairs of 3D glasses. Extra features like U-control and Digital Copy are 2D only, but with 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack and D-BOX Motion Code included, it's hard to see anything this release is missing. Of course, it could be proper stereoscopic 3D instead of anaglyph, but until those 3D HDTVs gain wider adoption, we guess this will have to do.
WoW in 3D doesn't work so well
3D seems to be making a reemergence lately -- there was a 3D commercial on the Super Bowl last week, I'm going to see Coraline in 3D this weekend (Neil Gaiman and stop motion for the win), and Nvidia's 3D Vision cards have recently been integrated with World of Warcraft. But not so fast there: apparently while the system does make WoW stereoscopic (sends a different picture to each eye), and while it does work for some media (apparently watching 3D HD content with the system "feels like your monitor is a window"), analyst Rob Enderle over at TG Daily says WoW in 3D isn't all that amazing.Let's not forget, of course, that this is a game going on four years old, and while it has a terrific art style, and has recieved multiple graphic updates since then, we're still dealing with old technology in terms of a graphic engine. So Enderle says that the 3D really makes you realize that there are no real physics in the game -- "the objects," he says, "look like flat cutouts fanned out in a 3D field." The physical limitations are there, too -- you need a special monitor, apparently, and it's only 22" big, which might seem fine for most, but anyone who works all day on a computer (like yours truly), is used to a little bigger screen.Not to mention that, as he says, any technology that requires you to wear glasses isn't quite as cool as it could be yet. But 3D is obviously making progress, and the more popular it gets, the easier it'll be to make and experience. Maybe someday we'll all see Azeroth as a 3D world around us.
Neil Gaiman's Coraline travels to the DS
We know getting our hopes up about a "book turned movie turned video game" always ends disastrously, but this time we really can't help ourselves. Perhaps it's because the software in question is inspired by one of our favorite writers, Neil Gaiman (the genius behind Neverwhere and The Sandman, to name a few). Based on his novella Coraline (which is being made into an animated 3D film this February), the game is a multi-platform "surrealistic adventure" developed by D3. The story revolves around a young girl who enters a parallel universe that's like her own, only more fantastical. There's no definitive date for this title (only Q1 2009), but we'd expect it to come out near the movie's release.
D3 to release Shaun the Sheep this Fall, Coraline in early 09
D3Publisher has announced that it has acquired the rights to make games based on stop-motion animations Coraline and Shaun the Sheep (via Gamasutra). The former, Coraline, is a film adaptation of a Neil Gaiman book directed by Henry Sellick (The Nightmare Before Christmas). The adventure game is expected to ship early 2009 for DS and unknown home consoles alongside the film's February 6 debut. Unlike the film, the game will not be using 3D glasses, according to D3 COO Yoji Takenaka.The other game adaptation, Shaun the Sheep, is based on a British TV show from Aardman Animation (Wallace & Gromit), who previously worked with D3 on a game for Flushed Away. The adventure title will be exclusive to the DS and is due out this Fall.
