This is a first! Digital Cinerama out of one hole! The idea started in 2004 with Brian Jamieson (Warner Home Video) to restore the film, based on a suggestion from Greg Kimble and myself to minimize joins lines. The project languished a while until Greg Kimble and I did a test for Cinerama of the opening scenes, which we also showed here two years ago. Eventually Brian Jamieson left and George Feltenstein (Warner Home Video) took up where he left off.
It helped a lot that the elements were in great condition. The original camera negatives had only seen very limited use. They were first used to create a laced dailies print in 35mm scope until they were cut in 1962. Then, they were used a second time (2) after negative cutting in 1962 for the Technicolor auto select system to create the Technicolor matrixes for making the 3-strip IB Technicolor Prints. The negative was retired until 2002 when the negative was re cut to AB rolls to create 2 new 3-strip prints (3 & 4). It was used again some months later (4 & 5) to create 2 new interpositives for future use. Then it was used one final time (6) to scan each panel for this remastering. Each panel was scanned in 2k on its side like VistaVision. The scan file size totaled 10 terabytes. The scans were sent to Bangalore in India to help create the 4k final DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) "print" you are seeing today. So there is a 6k master for future use from which you could do a 70mm print. Over 80 terabytes of storage was used on the project's various versions, including a 16 x 9 version for broadcasting. The Smilebox version was created from the 4k version using MAYA 3D software.