Childhood memories BUT BETTER, Lion King being re-released in 3D

I would say this was inevitable, but really I don’t quite understand it. Producer Don Hahn was recently speaking to Empire about a number of his upcoming projects (including ROGER RABBIT 2 which he claims will make fans “very, very, very happy”) and he let it slip that he’s actually working on a 3D conversion of THE LION KING to be released in theaters for extra cash.

This news joins the fact that BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is also slated for the same treatment, but honestly, I don’t quite understand it. He talks about how great the tech was, and how happy Tim Burton was with his NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 3D conversion, but this seems different to me.

Other movies that have been upconverted to 3D are either live-action (ALICE IN WONDERLAND), CGI (TOY STORY) or stop-motion (NIGHTMARE). And I would argue that most of these looked pretty shitty when they were done. So how is a 3D conversion of a 2D animated movie going to work exactly? I’m racking my brain, but I can’t think of a film I’ve seen in that kind of format before. I’m picturing something like a school project diorama, with paper cut out lions in front of paper cut out hyenas in front of a background of hand drawn trees. Yeah, it’s 3D, I guess, but is it a worthwhile effect?

I can envision that one ballroom dance scene in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST looking pretty good, but I just can’t picture it otherwise. Am I crazy or does this not really make sense to anyone else? I get how you could make the background have depth, but the 2D characters themselves? I’ll have to see it to believe it, and maybe I’m just doubting the wonders of technology.