3D movies are traditionally associated with horror, science fiction and animation, but in the wake of Avatar’s monolithic success expect to see the third-dimensional playing field substantially widened to accommodate a much more diverse array of pictures. With this in mind, it’s not all that surprising that Australia’s first 3D flick will be a nature documentary about – wait for it – cane toads.
Cane Toads: The Conquest, set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month, was written and directed by Mark Lewis, who is well-versed in the field of slimy yellowy things that croak. In 1998 Lewis made a BAFTA-nominated short doco called Cane Toads: An Unnatural History, which analysed the disastrous ecological impact incurred after cane toads were introduced in Queensland in 1935 in an attempt to control pests.
“There was no precedent at all for making the kind of film I like to make in 3-D,” Lewis said in a recent interview. “So that was the challenge – to see if I could adapt it to my own niche and use 3-D as a tool to bring a world of storytelling, comedy, characters and animals to life in a visceral and fun way.”
The film has been described as (check this) “a documentary horror film about the environmental devastation left in the wake of the giant toads’ unstoppable march across Australia.” Sounds like the title could have been ‘March of the Cane Toads.
I can’t help but picture a horde of thousands of croaking toads angrily hopping across the Australian countryside. Imagine each of them carrying tiny marching band musical instruments, and that’s one very amusing mental image.

Cane toads3D movies are traditionally associated with horror, science fiction and animation, but in the wake of Avatar’s monolithic success expect to see the third-dimensional playing field substantially widened to accommodate a much more diverse array of pictures. With this in mind, it’s not all that surprising that Australia’s first 3D flick will be a nature documentary about – wait for it – cane toads.

Cane Toads: The Conquest, set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month, was written and directed by Mark Lewis, who is well-versed in the field of slimy yellowy things that croak. In 1998 Lewis made a BAFTA-nominated short doco called Cane Toads: An Unnatural History, which analysed the disastrous ecological impact incurred after cane toads were introduced in Queensland in 1935 in an attempt to control pests.

The new film will pad out the material to a feature length running time.

“There was no precedent at all for making the kind of film I like to make in 3-D,” Lewis said in a recent interview. “So that was the challenge – to see if I could adapt it to my own niche and use 3-D as a tool to bring a world of storytelling, comedy, characters and animals to life in a visceral and fun way.”

IMDB describes Cane Toads: The Conquest as “a documentary horror film about the environmental devastation left in the wake of the giant toads’ unstoppable march across Australia.” Sounds like the title could have been March of the Cane Toads.