DreamWorks Animation's 'Rise of the Guardians' To Be Released in Barco Auro 11.1 Sound

Barco’s Auro 11.1 sound format got a big boast from DreamWorks Animation, which selected the sound format for its Oscar contender Rise of the Guardians, which opens Nov. 21.

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"Barco's superior technology will add an extra dimension of sound to Rise of the Guardians and further elevate its memorable score by Academy Award-nominated composer Alexandre Desplat," said DreamWorks Animation's chief marketing officer Anne Globe in a statement. "We believe these dynamics will serve to immerse audiences across the globe even deeper into the adventure-filled world created by our filmmakers."

Based on William Joyce’s book series The Guardians of Childhood, DWA’s upcoming stereoscopic 3D adventure tells the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and Jack Frost. When an evil spirit known as Pitch threatens to take over the world, the Guardians must join forces to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of all children.

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Auro 11.1 uses 11 channels of sound plus a subwoofer and is installed in roughly 35 theaters worldwide, including Edwards Grand Palace Stadium 6 in Calabasas, Calif. (though it was not clear at press time how many of those theaters would be showing Guardians). The first Auro 11.1 release was George Lucas-produced Red Tails, which opened in January.

"The fact that DreamWorks Animation -- the world’s leading animation studio -- has selected our revolutionary Auro 11.1 3D sound technology for the sound mix of their next animation movie is truly a great honor for us," said Brian Claypool, senior director of strategic business development of Barco’s entertainment division.

In addition to Barco, there are a few companies with new sound formats that are also vying for the digital cinema sound market including Dolby with its Atmos format, which can accommodate as many as 128 channels, or what Dolby now refers to as simultaneous sound elements or objects. That launched last spring at the newly named Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and was used for the first time for the premiere of Disney/Pixar’s Brave at the theater’s grand opening. Fox’s Taken 2, which opens Friday, will be available in Atmos at 13 theaters in North American and two in China.