See The Nightmare Before Christmas In 4D!?

Posted by on October 13th, 2010   Filed under: Animation, Fantasy, Technology
Source: Hero Complex

Get ready to have your minds blown because we’re heading into…the fourth dimension. That’s right, Disney is once again thinking outside the box, presenting Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in 4D at Hollywood’s famous El Capitan Theater later this month. So, what exactly does 4D entail? Apparently it’s just Disney’s usual 3D presentation “plus special effects in the theater itself, such as wind and fog.” I’m not sure if wind and fog will be the extent of the extra in-theater effects, but either way the event sounds more like a theme park ride than a movie-going experience. In addition to the 4D experience, Danny Elfman is scheduled to attend the Oct. 21 screening, providing an intro to the film.

I can appreciate special events like this, mostly because it reminds me of old William Castle-type gimmickry like Emergo or Percepto, but at the end of the day, it’s just that: a gimmick. Still, I’ll admit, if I were in the area, I’d be tempted to check it out. It’s certainly not something I’d want on a regular basis, though. What are your thoughts on in-theater effects? Can you see something like this catching on?



  • Werner

    Not too big of a gimmicks-at-the-theater fan but if its a zombie flick where they spurt pig blood and throw entrails at the crowd…..

  • Tomoo

    It would be terrible as something that happened in theaters all the time but that would never catch on. However, they do have this “4D” experience in a lot of theme parks and it is fun and I have to admit I would defiantly pay to see The Nightmare Before Christmas.

  • Not to nit-pick, but the 4th dimension is typically thought of as “time”. We watch EVERY movie 4th dimensionally, until they find a way to just instantly download the movie into your brain. Even the so-bad-it’s-good movie “The 4-D Man” from 1959 got that correct. They should have thought of a different name.

    All that said, this would be one of the few movies that I think would be fun to watch in today’s version of Smell-O-Vision.

  • I remember seeing Captain Eo (Michael Jackson 3D film) at Disneyworld back in the late 80’s. They had actually lasers that shot into the crowd and flash bangs and what not to try and add to the experience. I think the seat in front of me lit up a couple of times when there was an explosion on screen.