Robert Neuman – “Aladdin 3D is definitely something we want to do…”

Creative Chair talks to Robert Neuman, Disney’s stereoscopic supervisor behind The Lion King

When we go to see a 3D film at the cinema, it is unlikely that we will be aware of the artistry that goes into the stereoscopic setup of each shot. Enter Robert Neuman…

There are but a handful of individuals working with the major studios who are capable of harnessing the potential of stereo 3D in computer-generated films, and Robert Neuman (IMDb) is one of them.

Talking to him today, I’ll get an exclusive insight into the process of making 3D films, and we get the inside scoop on the long-awaited stereoscopically re-mastered 3D Aladdin production.

Hi Robert, thanks for talking to me today. To kick off, you were the man behind the box office smash re-release of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and the upcoming release of The Little Mermaid, but I think the question on the nation’s mind is, when are you going to produce a 3D remastered version of Aladdin?

That’s a good question, but I can’t give you a definitive answer at this time. It’s definitely something we want to do, but there are other considerations that need to be taken into account

Would it be fair to say that, Aladdin is definitely the next Disney title in the pipeline to be converted?

I really can’t say at this time, maybe.

I think from that we can infer that Aladdin is indeed the next Disney cartoon to get a 3D makeover and that the other considerations are probably the sales figures on the upcoming Little Mermaid 3D.

Having pioneered many of the techniques associated with stereoscopic conversion, there’s no doubt that Robert Neuman is Hollywood’s go-to guy for the post-production process, but Robert takes issue with the phrase ‘post-production’ “I prefer to think of is a stereoscopic 3D re-mastering”.

Outside the world of 3D re-mastering, Robert Neuman is no stranger to the world of native computer generated filmmaking with titles such as Tangled and Wreck-it-Ralph, it was interesting to learn Roberts’s thoughts on the difference between the two types of project.

“The approach for a film like Wreck-it-Ralph is very similar to a post-production project like the Lion King. There is a great emphasis on Stereo Roundness” Robert also shared another tip “less shallow depth of field is usually better for 3D, you don’t want to have near field objects out of focus as the human eyes will attempt to focus on it.”

With all of the finesse that goes into Robert Neuman’s 3D projects, it’s no surprise that the director describes the 3D version of Wreck-it-Ralph as the definitive version of the film.

In an earlier interview with Wreck-it-Ralph logo creator Michael Doret, he noted that Disney films are getting so good that they’re almost at a Pixar level, and Robert Neuman had an interesting insight about the processes the two companies use “Pixar will do more things in-camera whereas we will do more in the comp”.

Like many others, we will be eagerly awaiting future projects and crossing our fingers for the 3D remastering of  Aladdin with the old Robert Neuman magic!