Cinematical got an early start on Thursday at the San Diego Comic-Con, commensurate with the effort put forth by the studios this year: in just one day, Disney, Fox, Summit, Sony, Overture and Focus all promoted big movies they're releasing between next week and 2011. The 'Con itself made history by offering the first panels in its 40-year existence that made serious and substantial use of 3D presentation, showing eight films at four separate panels, all of which looked terrific, even in the cases of the few that employed the technology as a gimmick rather than a storytelling tool.

But rather than boring you with the minutiae of a day spent making one's butt sore in Hall H, the geek-mecca of Comic-con, we figured we'd just give you a list of the best moments of the day, whether they were reinforced by the rest of the attendees, or simply segments or even seconds that rewarded our dedication, if not our relinquished personal time.

1. Avatar: James Cameron has been trumpeting his latest as the end-all be-all of cinema almost as long as he's been off the fiction-film grid (12 years, for the record), but after seeing 25 minutes of footage, we're ready to drink his Kool-Aid. The 3D rendering is breathtaking, and yet it doesn't compromise either the character design – much of which is purely computer-generated – or the action set pieces, which are as fast-paced and exhilarating as any of Cameron's sequences in his earlier films. (Check out the first teaser image of the Navi below)



2. Tron: When I entered Hall H today, this 28-year follow-up was the film I was most excited about, not the least of which because Jeff Bridges has returned to reprise his role as Flynn, and Daft Punk is doing the film's score. Although it wasn't addressed, I'd almost guarantee that the French duo recorded the music that accompanied the panel's title announcement for the film, now officially called Tron: Legacy. Meanwhile, watching the original teaser from last year, updated and in 3D, was a thrill that got me excited for the film all over again.



3. Twilight (seriously): As the boyfriend of a Twilight fan, much less a critic who often follows genre material, I'd been curious to see how the new Twilight film New Moon would turn out. (Especially since whether I was assigned to cover it or was just dragged by my better half, I hoped it would be better than the first one.) Thankfully, the new footage, which was directed by Chris Weitz (About A Boy), looked pretty good both technically and dramatically, and given the wealth of pubescent beefcake on display in this particular installment (both male stars, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, remove their shirts), I can almost understand why the rest of the mostly-female crowd was cheering so loudly they couldn't hear the dialogue. (Although that, too, might have been a deliberate decision.)

4. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus: Terry Gilliam seems set to make a proud return to form with this fantastical tale, which also happens to be Heath Ledger's final on screen performance. Gilliam confessed he brought the boring bits so audiences would get their money's worth when they saw the finished film, but his trademark visual splendor is on display and his sense of sinister wonder is fully restored. It remains to be seen how the footage all fits together, but as an introduction to his latest bizarre and beautiful world, this panel was a terrific primer for what's to come.

5. Kick-Ass: Call this Thursday's biggest surprise, not only for me but for Comic-Con. Matthew Vaughn indicated that his follow-up to Stardust hadn't yet secured distribution, but if the reaction Thursday was any indication he should have a solid theatrical release schedule by the end of the weekend. Combining graphic violence with inappropriate language and teenage and especially under-age kids, the series of sequences that were screened received a standing ovation from attendees and suggested we might finally have a fun, reckless "real-life" adventure that understands the conventions of superhero movies and action films well enough to both embrace and subvert them.