“Beauty and The Beast” and “Lion King” coming in 3D

Disney Home Entertainment announced its plans to release 15 movies in 3D Blu-ray in 2011. Among the fifteen are a pair of 3D-conversions of two classic hand drawn films, Beauty and The Beast and The Lion King.

A 3-D version of Beauty and the Beast was announced a year and a half ago (we first mentioned it in 2008) and was expected to be re-released theatrically for its anniversary. A clip of the 3-D version was presented in Hall H at the San Diego Comic Con in 2009. Instead, Beast and Lion King will go straight to video, where the 5% of of the public who have 3D flat screens can enjoy them.

“As our contemporary library of 3D content continues to grow, and the original artists and filmmakers meticulously ‘dimensionalize’ their work for release on the 3D Blu-ray format, we will be offering movie-lovers the most incredible in-home entertainment experience they will ever have,” said Lori MacPherson, EVP and GM, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Word is that Disney is “meticulously dimensionalizing” The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book, Cinderella and about six others. I’ll be interested in seeing these. If they work, maybe someday they’ll dig into the vault and convert such titles as The Old Mill, The Three Caballeros and Der Fuehrer’s Face!