3-D Revival Story in Wired, Focused on 'Beowulf'

Wired Magazine used to be the place you read about trends and new technologies first...now it often seems like they're chasing stories a year or two after the mainstream media.

In the current issue, Frank Rose realizes that:

More than 50 years after its first run, 3-D is staging a comeback — this time in digital hi-def. Once a nausea-inducing fad, it's now touted as the biggest gun yet in Hollywood's ever-growing arsenal of f/x. When Beowulf comes out in November, it will premiere on nearly 1,000 3-D screens — the most ever.

It includes quotes from two of Hollywood's biggest proponents of 3-D filmmaking, James Cameron and Steve Starkey (Bob Zemeckis' producing partner.)

'Beowulf' Begs the Question: What is animation, anyway?

The debate is already starting as to whether Robert Zemeckis' 'Beowulf' (coming in November) will be eligible for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, since it uses live actors and performance capture as a foundation. The Oscar rules require animated movies to have been created "using a frame-by-frame technique."

(Aside: is there anyone else who wishes Zemeckis would just go back to using actual non-animated actors in his movies? Let's start a petition...)