Synopsis

A laboratory accident sends a professor and his malfunctioning robot assistant, M.A.X., on a chaotic tour through the history and technology of 3-D cinema. As the professor demonstrates his experimental Real-O-Vision system with Elvira, technical failures turn the presentation into a comic showcase of stereoscopic effects, classic film clips, computer-generated imagery, and objects seemingly bursting from the screen.

Factoids & Trivia

• Released in 1999, the 40-minute film was made for large-format 3-D exhibition and combines documentary-style explanations with deliberately broad science-fiction comedy.

• Much of the production was computer-generated. The live-action performers were inserted into larger digital environments, while the human footage was shot on 35mm film because the figures occupied relatively small areas within the computer-generated scenes.

• The film's educational material surveys stereoscopic photography and early 3-D movies before shifting toward contemporary large-format attractions and computer-generated effects.

• A visible title-card error spells "third" as "thrid." The mistake is incorporated into the opening gag, where M.A.X. attempts to correct the malfunction and causes further chaos.

• Elvira performs the song "Haunted House," written by John Paragon and Holly Knight, as part of the film's demonstration of its fictional Real-O-Vision system.

• The theatrical trailer was narrated by Don LaFontaine, one of the best-known trailer voice artists of the period.

• The film was later issued on DVD in both conventional 2-D and stereoscopic versions, with 3-D glasses included for the latter presentation.