Intel and DreamWorks Animation team up to revolutionize 3-D filmmaking

Scene from Monsters Vs. Aliens movieIntel Corporation and DreamWorks Animation today announced they have formed a strategic alliance aimed at revolutionizing 3-D filmmaking technology, beginning with Monsters vs. Aliens, which is slated for a domestic release date of March 27, 2009. As previously announced, DreamWorks Animation has committed to producing all of its feature films in stereoscopic 3-D beginning next year.

The alliance will take advantage of Intel’s visual computing products and tools and DreamWorks Animation’s expertise in content creation to advance the in-theater entertainment experience.

To meet the increased demands of creating 3-D animated feature films, Intel will provide DreamWorks Animation with the latest high-performance processing technologies, including future chips with multiple processing cores. Intel software engineers will help to optimize DreamWorks’ applications for these advanced processors. By converting its computing infrastructure to an Intel-based system, DreamWorks Animation will enable its artists to work with new, state-of-the-art 3-D authoring tools to render higher quality images more quickly and to modify them with greater ease.

“This alliance unites the best in computer-generated moviemaking and computing performance to deliver a new level of in-theater entertainment,” said Paul Otellini, Intel CEO. “The high level of inventiveness at DreamWorks Animation has positioned it as a leader in entertainment technology, and incorporating the Intel platform allows them to deliver incredibly rich digital 3-D content to the big screen – raising the bar for the industry as a whole.”

“Our objective is to significantly heighten the movie going experience using DreamWorks Animation’s ground-breaking 3-D filmmaking tools,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation. “Technology plays a significant role in enabling our artists to tell great stories. By utilizing Intel’s industry-leading computing products, we will create a new and innovative way for moviegoers to experience our films in 3-D.”

In addition to working with DreamWorks Animation to enhance the in-theater entertainment experience for consumers, Intel will work to develop and promote next-generation 3-D viewing experiences and technology on a range of other platforms, including home theater, personal computers, video games, online environments and mobile devices.

Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live.

DreamWorks Animation is devoted to developing and producing computer generated, or CG, animated feature films. The Company has theatrically released a total of sixteen animated feature films, including Shrek, Shrek 2, Shark Tale, Madagascar, Over the Hedge, Shrek the Third, Bee Movie and Kung Fu Panda. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa opens in theaters on Nov. 7 and Monsters vs. Aliens, the company’s first film produced in 3-D, is slated for a domestic release date of March 27, 2009.

Film Fetish Trivia: Speaking of animation, the city of Tokyo, Japan is investing millions of dollars in a new incubator for animation, film, gaming and other creative industry start-ups. Called the Tokyo Contents Innovation Center (TCIC), the facility, to be located in Tokyo, is set to open on August 1, 2008.