‘Rise Of The Guardians,’ ‘Pacific Rim’ Will Be Released In Dolby Atmos

Director Peter Ramsey’s Rise of the Guardians and Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim are among the new films which will be mixed in Dolby Atmos, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dolby Laboratories recently revealed that these films, as well as director Alfonso Cuaron’s science fiction flick Gravity, will feature the immersive sound system when they arrive in select theaters. The technology allows for a remarkable 128 channels of auditory bliss delivered at the same time. For that to happen, the soundtrack makes use of speakers positioned on the ceiling and front, rear, and side walls of the theater.

Other films that make use of Dolby Atmos include Taken 2, Chasing Mavericks, and Ang Lee’s Life of Pi. Disney and Pixar’s The Brave debuted the technology over the summer. However, it was the announcement that director Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey would be mixed in Dolby Atmos that brought it to the mainstream.

“[Peter Jackson] felt it was going to make a big difference in how he tells stories,” Dolby’s senior technical marketing manager Stuart Bowling explained to The Associated Press. “He doesn’t want people to just go and observe his movies. He wants you to feel like you’re part of the experience of the stories that’s he’s trying to tell on the screen and allow you to be part of Middle Earth.”

Since Dolby Atmos isn’t available in every single theater on the planet, moviegoers should make sure the location of their choosing supports the technology if they want to experience the enhanced soundtrack in all its glory. However, the company hopes to have the system in over 1000 theaters by the end of next year. Dolby also revealed that over 15 major Hollywood movies will be mixed in Atmos in 2013.

Are you looking forward to the release of Pacific Rim and Rise of the Guardians? Will you try to catch the movies in theaters that support Dolby Atmos?