As our own Ian White put it so eloquently, "Dorks in ill-fitting costumes rejoice!" His recent predictions about The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey were 100-percent true; Dolby says that the highly anticipated film will absolutely be the next in line to receive a Dolby Atmos Surround mix.
Dolby made the official announcement today, in conjunction with Park Road Post Production. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be mixed in Dolby Atmos, so it can help to transport audiences "into the world of Middle-earth."
Promising a more natural and realistic soundfield that moves sound around and above audiences, Dolby Atmos has the capability to support up to 64 discrete channels of sound.
"I strive to make movies that allow the audience to participate in the events onscreen, rather than just watch them unfold. Wonderful technology is now available to support this goal: high frame rates, 3D, and now the stunning Dolby Atmos system," said Jackson, who is the co-writer, director, and producer of The Hobbit trilogy. "Dolby has always been at the cutting edge of providing cinema audiences with the ultimate sound experience, and they have now surpassed themselves. Dolby Atmos provides the completely immersive sound experience that filmmakers like myself have long dreamed about."
Oscar winners Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, and Michael Semanick (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) will be creating the Dolby Atmos mix at Park Road Post Production.
The Hobbit is officially the fifth film that Dolby has deemed worthy of the audio format. Dolby Atmos first made its big debut with Disney-Pixar's Brave. Back in September, Dolby announced plans to have the format accompany limited releases of the Liam Neeson action flick Taken 2 and October 26's true-life surfer tale Chasing Mavericks. Ang Lee's Life of Pi is also scheduled to be released with Dolby Atmos, on November 21, 2012.
"It's an inspiring time in cinema, with Peter Jackson taking movie-making to new frontiers with Dolby's next-generation audio solutions," said Doug Darrow, Dolby's senior vice president of cinema. "When The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters equipped with these Dolby technologies, audiences will be transported into the journey with the lifelike realism the creative team envisioned."
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released worldwide beginning December 14, 2012. However, the theaters that will be showing The Hobbit with Dolby Atmos have yet to be determined. According to a Dolby spokesperson, anywhere from 80 to 100 screens around the world will deliver the goods. Check back in with the Dolby Atmos website for information on theater locations, when available.
For now, there's no word on whether the sequels, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, will also receive the Dolby Atmos treatment. However, those films will be released on December 13, 2013, and July 18, 2014, respectively.
Read More About Dolby Atmos:
