UltimateDisney.com's Reviews - Feedback, 2/05 - 1/06

[Pasta67]

I loved the Cinderella review, Luke. It was very well done and it's nice to hear your honest opinion of the film, even if it may not be all praise. I think it has a better effect that way.

By the way, the Cinderella review isn't accessible from the animated classics page. I just thought I'd point it out. I know, I'm picky.

[AwallaceUNC]

Just wanted to say thanks to the feedback that has been given for my last couple of reviews too, and a thank you to all of you who do take the time to read the reviews, as a lot goes into them. Thanks!

-Aaron

[orestes.]

I've enjoyed the reviews for a while and while I don't read all I read most. My favourites are of television shows, classic material and the more obscure movies.
I haven't read any of the Sing Along Songs reviews yet though. I may do it but I have zero interest in ever buying them. (until the day... someday I have kids I suppose!)

I'm hoping for another CCF review soon. ...oh and I hope to see a 'Lost' review even if I have the show on DVD already.

[Luke]

I'm hoping for another CCF review soon. ...oh and I hope to see a 'Lost' review even if I have the show on DVD already.

Well, I can deliver you the first wish right this very moment:

Classic Cartoon Favorites: Volume 8 - Holiday Celebration with Mickey & Pals
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/ccf8-celebration.html

I was quite excited to cover the first DVD title inspired by our own MickeyMousePal, but I must say the lack of "Holiday Celebration" is a little puzzling, especially when there are more relevant shorts that could have been included. Not a bad lot as it was, but the colorization is just lame.

Sorry that a whole week went by without any new reviews until now. As you'll notice in the first post, the list of upcoming reviews has been growing and is rather an imposing roster. Myself, I've got just two more DVDs to do before November's onslaught arrives. Please keep reading them. Even on a title like CCF: Volume 8 where I could basically copy and paste the Intro, Audio/Video, and Bonus Features sections from any other CCF review, I made sure to write something unique to this disc with hopes that people actually read what I'm writing. It's a labor of love, but as any other UD reviewer can attest to, there is a lot of labor involved. Which is why feedback is, as always, appreciated. Thanks to all those who put thought into that.

[Escapay]

Finished reading the CCF8 review, Lukester. Good job! Have a pink elephant on me.

Anyways, I agree that it's not really holiday oriented in terms of the stories on the shorts, but they are kind of holiday viewing. It's like how they always show The Ten Commandments during Easter, and It's A Wonderful Life during Christmas. They're fitting for the season. The shorts presented are a kind of holiday viewing. Like, if it were a cold December Saturday night and I don't have a date (well, that's pretty common anyway, poor me), I'd probably curl up on the sofa, pop this disc in, and watch some wintry fun a la Disney. Then I'd probably slip in Carpenters: Christmas Portrait and read A Christmas Carol for the umpteenth time.

God, I need a girlfriend...

Escapay

[Robin Hood]

Great job on the review, Luke.
My Wal-Mart doesn't carry the new wave of CCF, what's up with that?

[Escapay]

My Wal-Mart doesn't carry the new wave of CCF, what's up with that?

They probably didn't order it in time. It's happened at other Wal-Marts. Mine fluctuates in the DVDs they have on shelves. One week it's there, the next week it's not, the next week it's there again.

Escapay

[JiminyCrick91]

Nether have mine but I checked Zellers and they have 'em and BTW I got my CCF:V9 at Costco.

[AwallaceUNC]

The review for the new Tarzan Special Edition DVD review is now up:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/tarzan-sp ... ition.html

-Aaron

[Alan]

^Excellent Review Aaron.

[Pasta67]

I loved the Tarzan review, Aaron. Your review of the movie itself is pretty much the same way I feel about it, and I like how you included some of your disgust that it's only a single disc version in the review as well. I'm glad to see that the audio/video quality is superb, seeing as how that's what really matters in the long run.

Well, as much as I hate to say it (and I REALLY hate to say it), I'll be getting this release. Make no mistake, I want this DVD to get very low sales and I want Disney to learn their lesson for the false advertising/lazy effort; it's just that Disney has backed me (along with many, many more people) into a corner here. I do not have Tarzan in my collection at all (not even on VHS), and it's one of my favorite 90's classics. I'm not really in the mood to get a copy of the Collector's Edition for $50+ online, so this is my only choise for now. Sadly, I think many people will purchase this release for the exact same reason. I'll get this DVD and enjoy the movie, and if I just so happen to bump into the Collector's Edition one day while I'm walking down the street, I'll double-dip and slap that baby right onto my shelf.

Hey, the video quality is great, the audio commentary is included, the coverart is one of Disney's better ones, and there's (slightly) better audio quality on this release, so I won't feel as bad as I normally would.

[Alan]

^I won't be getting this release. I'm gonna hunt all the gamestops in the boston area to search for the CE. I know Escapay bought his Tarzan CE for like 17 bucks. Why would I have to pay $50+ online when I can just search around the gamestops near me to see if I can find it?

[Robin Hood]

Great job on the Tarzan review, Aaron.
I'll definitely be picking up Tarzan this week at Best Buy.

[Escapay]

. I know Escapay bought his Tarzan CE for like 17 bucks.

*cough**thirteen**cough*

Escapay

[Robin Hood]

. I know Escapay bought his Tarzan CE for like 17 bucks.

*cough**thirteen**cough*

Escapay

That was a good find Escapay!

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

I'm gonna hunt all the gamestops in the boston area to search for the CE. I know Escapay bought his Tarzan CE for like 17 bucks. Why would I have to pay $50+ online when I can just search around the gamestops near me to see if I can find it?

Well if you're going to hunt down "all of the gamestops in Boston" you'll be wasting alot of gas money so you might as well just get it for 50 bucks of Amazon.

Anyway excellent review Aaron. I have the VHS, and I'd rather buy the CE for alot of money instead of buying this edition. It's not the cheapness that bothers me, (though the Disney executives were quite cheap) but because of the false advertisment. Hey at least The Lion King and Fantasia had 2 disc sets.

[AwallaceUNC]

Thanks for all the kind words, everybody. My reviews don't usually get this much feedback. It sucks that this Tarzan was such a frustrating release, but it could be worse. I myself am torn over whether I should try to track down the CE. My wallet's going to answer that one for me anyways. Tsk tsk, Disney. I'm still kicking myself over memories of holding the Tarzan CE in my hands in the store and deciding to wait a while on it.

Luke, your review of the other lametastic release of this week was a good one. I agree with your take on the movie (except I say Treasure Planet is better ). As a spirited, adventuresome comedy, it works very well. Plus David Spade is great. I'm glad they ended up <i>not</i> going the all-Sting route, and while I think TENG turned out really well, I've still always been really curious to see what the original, more dramatic approach would have turned out. Maybe since the final product ended up being so different, they can still produce something more in line with original plans one day. Anyways, it's a good thing I have the CE of this one.

The most recent CCF review was good as well. I also think that their way of viewing the shorts is preferable, if not the most practical. Part of me wants to buy them-- especially the holiday ones--- just for that purpose (plus I like the cover art ), but I know I won't spend even the low $ amount just for a little convenience. Too bad the included shorts aren't very holiday-esque. My favorite part of the review:

But even with a multi-disc DVD player, that would require some effort, or at least more effort than Disney expects from viewers who are so lazy (or incompetent) that they invented a system which negates the need to press remote control buttons.

-Aaron

[Luke]

Thanks for the feedback, Aaron. It's nice to hear comments from people who have read a review, especially when it's clear from the comments that they actually have read a review.

Anyway, there is a new review today, of the <b><i>Cinderella</i> Collector's Gift Set</b>. This critique doesn't deal with the DVD inside (I already covered that two weeks ago <a href="http://www.ultimatedisney.com/cinderella.html">here</a>), but instead with the stuff that you won't get buying just the Platinum Edition. The review was written by the forum members that you know as "The Little Merman" and "Disney Duster" - they wrote about all the contents and took pictures of them. I've yet to upload the front page blurb and fully integrate it with the <i>Cinderella</i> DVD review, but you can now check it out here:

http://www.ultimatedisney.com/cinderella-giftset.html

[Disney Duster]

Luke, thank you for posting about the Cinderella Collector's Gift Set review in the forum, and of course, for letting me help with the review in the first place. It took a while, but I am so glad to have done it. It feels like a real honor to actually have reviewed something at Ultimate Disney. It's like being a part of an elite group, even though this review was open to anyone. And because of Cinderella I'll make the extremely cheesy metaphor: You invited people to the ball, and you picked TheLittleMerman and I to dance. A dream come true...as me reviewing something for Ultimate Disney was only dream until this opportunity came up.

I wanted to add that I think you made very nice captions for the pictures, and the last two were pretty funny. That DVD Gift Set is so seductive...will I ever look at it the same way again?

I also wanted to comment just a little on your own review of the Cinderella DVD itself. Since Cinderella is my favorite movie, of course I didn't like everything you said about it, but I have to admit it was true. Even I have felt that the movie is slight. The whole movie is simple, yet I think it is beautiful. And maybe one can view Cinderella's simplicity as something that separates it from the rest of the Disney canon. It may be their simplest film.

I enjoyed the review of the film's bonus features more than the review of the film. It was, as usual, both informative and funny. I especially liked what you said about the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, and that comment "Yes, The Raven", cracked me up. Something odd is that at my high school I actually heard some girls say they love Disney Channel and the "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" music video they made. Even though I'm glad they thought Cinderella was cool and bought the DVD, when one said that the Disney Channel's stars, "made Cinderella cool", it certainly was worthy of barfing.

Another thank you goes to you about all the work you've done on the site for the Cinderella Platinum Edition. You posted many times about it, and you even made a Preview page for it. Not to mention the additions of pictures from the California and New York premieres of the restored film. You even gave the Ultimate Disney banner a temporary image of a scene from Cinderella. I know you did all that work because so many members and visitors of Ultimate Disney love Cinderella and were highly anticipating it's release on DVD, but it still was a lot of work from someone who doesn't like the film very much.

You did a great job on the DVD review, and I still enjoyed reading it even with your non-flattering comments on the film itself. Thank you once again for letting me help with the review. I am ever grateful and honored.

[The Little Merman]

I'll make the extremely cheesy metaphor: You invited people to the ball, and you picked TheLittleMerman and I to dance.

"Oh, and when we danced! I don't think even Disney Duster himself could have matched"