Three-dimensional stereoscopic images were invented in 1838, but it took 145 years for the first 3D animated feature to be made. Australian cartoonist Alexander Stitt is best known for creating the ‘Life. Be in It’ advertisements, along with characters from the ‘Slip-Slop-Slap’ ads, but in 1983 he made Abra Cadabra. This 3D cosmic fantasy stars John Farnham and Jacki Weaver in an adaptation of the Pied Piper story. It creates depth by using the Triangle 3D anaglyph system and special ‘AbraGoggles’ designed by Stitt. Unfortunately, the sale of Channel Nine meant the film wasn’t released, but it did screen on Nickelodeon in the 1980s and at film festivals.
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On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
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The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-08. Immersive Innovations → MI-08-C01