CANNES , France ( CNN ) -- Dark glasses are de rigueur on the sun-kissed French Riviera , but this year glamorous cineastes attending the opening night of Cannes were matching another kind of face wear with their tuxedoes and designer dresses . The crew of `` Up '' pose for photographers ahead of the animated movie 's premiere at Cannes . The audience donned 3D glasses as they attended the premiere of Pixar 's `` Up , '' an animation in 3D , which marked the start of world 's most prestigious film festival . It is the first time in the festival 's 62-year history that Cannes has opened with an animation . `` Up '' will show out of competition . John Lasseter , chief creative officer of acclaimed filmmaker-led animation studio Pixar described the moment as `` one of the greatest things that has happened to us in our careers . '' He said : `` To have your movie actually open it is really , really exciting -- and to be the first 3D film too . '' The festival 's surprise choice , in the wake of the recent success of 3D pictures `` Coraline '' and DreamWorks ' `` Monsters vs. Aliens '' earlier this year , is perhaps the boldest message yet that 3D is being embraced by the mainstream as the format of the future . According to Lasseter , who is also chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios , Pixar 's tenth film also marks a major shift for both studios . `` All of our films from now on will be made in 3D both at Pixar and at the Disney Animation Studios as well , '' he said . `` Up , '' co-directed by Pete Docter and Bob Petersen , tells the story of a grouchy 78-year-old widower who ties thousands of helium balloons to his ramshackle house and floats away to realize his dream of visiting South America . The heart-warming tale , which took four years to complete , is visually stunning , using 3D to make the screen like a window into the world of the film . `` We really tried to use depth in the same we use color and cinematography , and that is to further the emotion of the scene , '' said Docter of the philosophy behind the team 's use of 3D in `` Up . '' The computer animated drama showcases the strength of the format to immerse viewers in the narrative -- especially when it is in the hands of talented storytellers . Docter and Petersen steer clear of using 3D to create wow factor with the visual gags the format can provide . Lasseter agrees that 3D should be used as an aid to storytelling and not just for cheap visual thrills . `` 3D has a tendency , especially when you do all that 'comin'-at-you ' stuff , everybody laughs , but now they 're out of the story , so we try to restrict that . '' Lasseter who co-founded the legendary animation studio behind animations `` Toy Story ' ( 1995 ) , and `` Monsters Inc. '' ( 2001 ) , is one of many high profile 3D advocates . DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has said that 3D is a film revolution akin to the inception of sound , which ushered in the era of the `` talkies '' in the early 20th Century . Pixar made its first 3D film , `` Knick Knack '' in 1989 . `` The problem was that there was no theater in the world that you could see it in , '' said `` Up '' producer , Jonas Rivera . `` We were waiting 16 or 17 years to see it in 3D . '' The problem of 3D screens has been solved by digital cinema , and although the roll out of 3D-enabled cinemas has been dealt a blow by the economic downturn , exhibitors are continuing to install screens all over the world . Hollywood is also squarely behind 3D , green-lighting features from directors like Tim Burton and George Lucas . The studios hope it will be the format global audiences will be watching films in the future -- in the cinemas and not in their living rooms . In April , DreamWorks Animation 's latest feature , `` Monsters vs. Aliens , '' opened on 2,000 3D screens in the U.S and there are high hopes that James Cameron 's 3D title `` Avatar '' will be a 2010 Christmas blockbuster . This year at Cannes , there are even some 3D films screening in the market including , `` Station 21 , '' a sci-fi thriller from French director , Olivier Parthonnaud . Pixar 's innovation in filmmaking will be honored later this year at the Venice Film Festival , when the studio will be presented with a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement -- the first time in the festival 's history that a studio has been awarded this prize .
Disney 's ` ` Up '' is first animation to open Europe 's most prestigious film festival . The success of 3D pictures such as ` ` Coraline '' and ` ` Monsters vs. Aliens '' DreamWorks Animation : 3D is a film genre akin to the inception of sound . Much of 3D cinema has been solved by digital cinema .