Disney, Zemeckis to Make CG Pics

The Walt Disney Studios has joined forces with the award-winning team of Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey to set-up a new company that will produce movies using the performance capture technology employed for The Polar Express, Monster House and the upcoming Beowulf. Zemeckis, Rapke and Starkey will produce all of the films with Zemeckis expected to direct a number of the projects. The Walt Disney Studios will handle worldwide distribution.

“The creation of this new company is yet another step in our leadership role in cutting edge technology as it relates to the movie industry,” says Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook. “Bob is an amazing director who continues to push the envelope in creating the best in cinematic experiences. Along with his partners, Jack and Steve, they are one of the finest producing teams in the business. They have a real pulse on the future of motion pictures especially as it pertains to the creativity and technology of motion capture and 3D film experiences. They are true leaders in every sense of the word and we are proud to be partners with them in this new endeavor.”

Zemeckis adds, “Jack, Steve and I are looking forward with great excitement to be working with Dick Cook and his team. In addition to being an enthusiastic champion of 3D movies, The Walt Disney Studios is committed to the advancement of digital cinema in all areas including performance capture.”

Developed by Sony Pictures Imageworks, performance capture involves digitally recording actors’ movements and feeding that data into a computer to drive animated characters. The process is based on motion capture but aims to translate an entire performance to digital animation. Zemeckis, Rapke and Starkey first used performance capture on Polar Express, which Zemeckis directed. Zemeckis then served as exec producer on the Academy Award-nominated feature Monster House and is currently directing and producing a digital adaptation of the classic Anglo-Saxon tale Beowulf. Rapke and Starkey are also producing that project, which is scheduled to hit theaters in 2007.