Official Press Release for Disney Treasures Delay.

[canon]

On Jerry Beck's wonderful website (http://www.cartoonresearch.com) he has posted this letter from BVHE Publicity:


Dear Journalist,
Due to the overwhelming consumer demand and retailer orders for Buena Vista Home Entertainment's WALT DISNEY TREASURES Wave 3, we have rescheduled the release to May 18, 2004.
Growing in popularity with each of the two previous debuts, demand for the four titles in the upcoming wave has exceeded BVHE's ability to manufacture enough of the highly-collectible, individually numbered, limited series.
WALT DISNEY TREASURES debuts some of Walt Disney's greatest wonders - uncut and uncensored, as never assembled or released on DVD before. Each exciting two-disc DVD volume is packaged in a collectible tin, with an exclusive lithograph. The limited series volumes contain individually numbered authenticity certificates. Fully restored, each volume is hosted by noted film historian Leonard Maltin.
The exciting Third Wave of the line (now debuting May 18, 2004) includes:

"On The Front Lines" the Disney Studio's rare and historic World War II-themed productions, including recently declassified military training films and the feature-length film "Victory Through Air Power," collected together for the first time.
"Mickey Mouse In Living Color (Volume Two)" features rare and never-before-seen Mickey Mouse animation. It is a continuation of the 2002 debut of Volume One.
"The Chronological Donald" presents a first-ever compilation of Donald Duck's shorts from 1936 to 1941.
"Tomorrowland" showcases Walt's historic TV shows on outer space and space travel.

These special sets are chock-full of supplemental features such as rare or unseen archival material, story sketch sequences, still-frame production art galleries, historical publicity and memorabilia galleries, artist interviews and more. Available for a limited time only on Disney DVD from Walt Disney Home Entertainment, each of these four new DVD volumes is priced at US$32.99 (S.R.P.) and Canada $36.99 (S.R.P).
Please don't hesitate to call or e-mail with questions, or check the BVHE Publicity website (www.BVHEpublicity.com) for continually updated information about this and all releases from Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Sincerely,
BVHE Publicity

-------------

Just thought I'd post this in it's own original thread. Luke, if you want to move it, that's fine with me.

peace,
c.

[Chernabog]

Good to know, but what is this with the dates really?
First May the 2nd, later the 10th and now the 18th!!!
I hope it´s settled now (THE 18th)

[donaldduckfan]

so the price for them has now changed apparently. i ordered all 4 at something like 23 bucks a piece back in september on amazon. now amazon has them listed as 28.04 a piece. now on my order sheet the prices haven't changed though. has anyone heard whether or not the price change will affect orders that have already been placed. i can understand(although it's hard) delaying the release date to comply with demand but i don't at all appreciate the idea of raising the price. nothing is being added to the sets, they're just being delayed. anyone know anything about this? i know it's technically just about 4-5 bucks difference but that still sucks.

[canon]

It's always been standard $32.99 (the SRP is Standard Retail Price). That's just a basic retail price given out to retailers. It's up to whomever sells the things to discount it or price it however they choose. What Amazon offers is a fairly decent discount and that's what you got.

Aside from the price and dates, it's nice to know that Disney is at least TRYING to get this right.

[Luke]

Uh-oh, Jerry's going to get heat for leaving the link in.

[Joe Carioca]

Hey, canon, could you give me Mr Maltin's e-mail adress? If there is no problem, of course. You can PM me if you want.

[Luke]

so the price for them has now changed apparently. i ordered all 4 at something like 23 bucks a piece back in september on amazon. now amazon has them listed as 28.04 a piece. now on my order sheet the prices haven't changed though. has anyone heard whether or not the price change will affect orders that have already been placed. i can understand(although it's hard) delaying the release date to comply with demand but i don't at all appreciate the idea of raising the price. nothing is being added to the sets, they're just being delayed. anyone know anything about this? i know it's technically just about 4-5 bucks difference but that still sucks.

As long as your order stills valid through next May, Amazon won't screw with your price. It's like when in the summer of 2000, people who pre-ordered the Ultimate Toy Box when it was $41.98 got that. I waited a week, it went up to $47.98.

And I'm almost positive Amazon will leave the orders in place - and I sure hope they do, too. I'd sure hate to lose the hundreds of orders that have gone through the site and I'm only getting a small Associates percentage.

[canon]

Uh-oh, Jerry's going to get heat for leaving the link in.

Did I do something wrong?

[Luke]

Uh-oh, Jerry's going to get heat for leaving the link in.

Did I do something wrong?

No, not you...but the people at [address removed] don't like receiving applications to [address removed] from people without legitimate credentials. So, when people see [address removed] on the press releases and graphics that are posted, sign up and say that they were referred by UltimateDisney.com - the [address removed] people got kinda ticked at me.

[poco]

Now that I have prayed much over my grief experience of not seeing hte 4 Treasures in December (cough: Eisner must repent), I have to ask, should I just order them on-line or wait until they come out in stores? The last wave I picked up at Sam's Club pretty cheap and was hoping to do that again for wave 3. If there is such a high demand, I guess it would better to just get them on-line for fear they will never show up in stores.

Does anyone have any thoughts to this: Are they going to sell them in stores?

[Eeyore]

Now that I have prayed much over my grief experience of not seeing hte 4 Treasures in December (cough: Eisner must repent), I have to ask, should I just order them on-line or wait until they come out in stores?
Does anyone have any thoughts to this: Are they going to sell them in stores?

I wouldn't worry at all. The whole reason they delayed them was to make sure that everyone and his dog (down Pluto!) will be able to get one in May. I foresee at least a double run on them.

In fact, I think this move is going to hurt them. The perceived scarcity led to the high pre-orders. I bet a large number of pre-orders were by folks with plans to sell them. Even normal folks might have added an extra copy or two to their order, with the plan of reselling the extras.

When they announce the final print runs, I bet a lot of folks cancel their pre-orders, and they end up hardly needed the extra run, or the delay. Plus, I think they would sell more at Christmas than in mid-year. I think you'll see a ton of these available.

[Chernabog]

When they announce the final print runs, I bet a lot of folks cancel their pre-orders, and they end up hardly needed the extra run, or the delay. Plus, I think they would sell more at Christmas than in mid-year. I think you'll see a ton of these available.

I think so too!
Which maybe will bring the position back to point zero again!

[ghost999]

I also agree with Eeyore. If the grand plan is to hold off issuing wave 3 just so they can fill orders then the whole premise is out of whack. To make anything collectible you need short supply and high demand. Making the numbered tins for "collectors" and a general run in a slightly different package will sort out the collectors from masses. From reading some of the posts, many people just want a good DVD. Some, like myself want the good DVD and the fact that it is "collectible". Too many things are shoved out to the public with the label "collectible" on them and they are not. These tins were and Disney should have been proud that they came up with a winning formula that worked. As we all know in Disneyspeak, "Gone Forever" is never true. Look at what was delivered this year to Costco (and should have been available everywhere).

[2099net]

But everyone who is wanting the release now is under the impression that they will be able to pick up the set come December 4th no matter what. You would not be able to do this.

The simple fact is, as it stands nobody would be guarenteed a set. All retail orders would be allocated. Most retailers probably wouldn't recieve enough stock to service their pre-orders.

True, the retailers could allocate the stock themselves - no multiple copies for example (based on the theory that multiple purchases were for speculators) - but is this in itself fair? Some people have multiple copies ordered for gifts for family members etc.

It's also unfair that people in built-up areas would have an advantage in picking up the sets over those who live in the more rural areas.

Fact of the matter is - people advocating a release in December may quickly change their minds when December 4th came and none of their local shops had copies, or online e-tailers cancel your pre-orders.

There's lots of reasons for the increase in demand - one is more appealing sets, another is greater public awareness.

As for the Disneyland and Davy Crockett sets still being available in some stores, the demand for the Tomorrowland set was never an issue. It's simply Donald, Mickey and Front Lines.

I just wonder if they would change their tune if they were unable to get a set for themselves, and could only watch as EBAY users pushed the price well out of anybodies reach within days. Would they be happy waiting for 6 months then, knowing that other people were already enjoying their sets?

[canon]

It's also unfair that people in built-up areas would have an advantage in picking up the sets over those who live in the more rural areas.

But isn't that the reason for the success of Amazon.com and basically the whole internet shopping experience?

Fact of the matter is - people advocating a release in December may quickly change their minds when December 4th came and none of their local shops had copies, or online e-tailers cancel your pre-orders.

I don't buy that. Pure speculation. You never know. I may be wrong here, too--but that's my point. We NEVER know. Until December comes, we'll just have to see.

As for the Disneyland and Davy Crockett sets still being available in some stores, the demand for the Tomorrowland set was never an issue. It's simply Donald, Mickey and Front Lines.

And I'd have to put my two cents in here. Sure, Mickey, Donald and Front Lines are the main attractions here, BUT--there are TONS of people who are frothing at the mouth for the Tomorrowland set. Those short films from the 50's practically got the nation chomping at the bit for space travel. There's quite a stir among artists, animators, filmmakers, people who collect 1950's memorabila, among many, many others (Baby Boomers who remember watching those films on TV) that may garner a higher interest for the Tomorrowland set than what you think.

I just wonder if they would change their tune if they were unable to get a set for themselves, and could only watch as EBAY users pushed the price well out of anybodies reach within days. Would they be happy waiting for 6 months then, knowing that other people were already enjoying their sets?

And have you checked out eBay lately? Mickey in Living Color garners the highest price: from $60 to $100. Goofy, Mickey in B&W get about $40 to $70. Silly Symphonies about $60, but sometimes you can get it for about 40 bucks. So really the only one that is way out of the ball park is Mickey in Color. Mickey in Color 2 and Donald 1 will be the only sets that may be fetching high prices in the future, but since this is speculation on my part, and the fact that Wave 3 will have higher production numbers, who knows??? The only reason Mickey Color 1 is highly sought-after is because of the limited availability and the interest of Mickey himself. (But mostly because it was very limited.) I really don't think these Wave 3 sets will garner sky-high prices on eBay. Maybe $40 to $50 bucks at the most, but that'll be it.

And you can quote me on that one.

[Joe Carioca]

More info on the Treasures delay and on the "Front Lines" set, from DVD File:

Treasure Tales - 12:21am

Where's Walt? Last week, Buena Vista Home Entertainment announced a five-month delay for the latest four releases in the studio's highly popular Walt Disney Treasures collection, which has caused a small furor across the Internet about the true reasoning behind the postponement.

The Treasures collection, a series of limited edition tins that contain extensive collections of classic Disney animated shorts, television specials and vintage archival material, are usually released every December to commemorate Walt's birthday. The four titles - The Chronological Donald Volume 1, Mickey Mouse in Living Color 2, Walt Disney on the Front Lines and Tomorrowland - were originally scheduled for a December 2nd street date, and have now been pushed back to May 18th. But it is Walt Disney on the Front Lines that is causing all the controversy among enthusiasts, with many fans speculating that Disney has intentionally delayed the release to make alterations to the set in lieu of potentially controversial content.

To quell the mounting backlash, Disney has publicly denied the accusations of self-censorship, instead citing a simple problem of supply and demand. "We had the fortunate problem of having much higher demand than we had anticipated," says Disney executive Lori McPherson. "We thought orders would be a little bit higher because we knew there was going to be a lot of demand for the Disney on the Front Lines volume, but orders came in about fifty percent higher than even our most aggressive projection."

Unlike most DVD releases, which come in standard keepcase-like packaging, the Walt Disney Treasures series is also housed in a custom collectible tin, which must be imported from overseas and necessitated the delay. "There was no way (the studio) could get them in time," McPherson adds. "We were in a situation where we would have to allocate orders out to retailers, and that, combined with the fact that it is such a busy fourth quarter led us to decide that the best thing to do with these releases was to move them to May 18th."

And in what McPherson calls an "incorrect supposition," internet speculation has many fans worried that the Walt Disney on the Front Lines that will premiere in May will be different from what would have arrived in December. But "we are not changing anything," McPHerson assures. The discs "are already done and have been done for a number of months. I think some consumers were just surprised that we were releasing the war shorts, because we have never released them before."

Like all of the Walt Disney Treasures titles, Walt Disney on the Front Lines will be available only for a limited time, which McPherson believes is the main reason for the sudden surge in interest. "Retailers are realizing that we are only releasing them once. We are not repromoting them all year long. They really do go away."

[Chernabog]

I hope it is so - that we will not have something different than actual planned, on the Fronline set.
But how should we really really know and be sure of what they saying is the truth?
Noone will have a disc in December and can not tell if they do some changes during this five months delay!
Sorry to say that, but I don´t trust Disney Home Entertainment on anything anymore!
And that is all their own fault....

[2099net]

As you have posted Joe, Disney does confirm that stock would have to be allocated. Allocated stock does mean a few disappointed shoppers. We won't know how many, but there would be some people who would want a copy and through no fault of their own couldn't get a copy. It could be you, or Loomis, or Prince Phillip or anybody else on this forum. And how would they feel, knowing others had their copies? Are they likely to be more or less annoyed with Disney for persisting in this limited issue thing or would they rather Disney had waited and upped the numbers?

As for shopping at Amazon etc. Their stock would be allocated too, so all etailers would be likely to sell out just as fast.

I'm also not sure what that 50% figure is. Take Mickey Mouse Vol 2 for an example.

If it's 50% above the original print runs (orders were 187,500 for a print run of 125,000 - but in actual fact a print run of 165,000) then yes, everybody probably would be able to get a copy if they put their mind to it. If it's 50% above the revised print run then I would say nothing would be certain (order for 247,500 for a print run of 165,000). I guess we'll never know, but the second set of figures means the demand would roughly double the initial estimate. We don't know how far along the manufacturing they were - we the revised numbers being manufactured or not? It could be an order for 247,000 for a print run of 125,000. It's quite easy from the second set of figures to see why Disney made their decision - all retailers would be sent roughly half their order.

As for Tomorrowland, I was not dismissing the contents of the set, only pointing out that the non-animated sets, have less demand than the animated ones. I also believe when the revised numbers were announced the Tomorrowland set was reduced not increased - showing that demand (either real or assumed) was not as great as the other three sets.

Some people here think that the system for the Treasures sets was working OK before. It obviously wasn't - especially for selected titles. Second-hand sales have shown this. Of course, the whole Limited Issue thing is what's causing the problem, but in all honestly it probably was needed for the first wave, just to get the ball rolling. (Of course, simply more general publicity from Disney would more than likely have negated this need - for example why were the Treasures only included in the Sneek Peeks of other Treasure sets?).

As for EBAY prices should Disney have chosen to release the sets, MMILC2 would only have a print run of 15,000 more than the initial MMILC set. So that could go up to $60-100 quite easily (especially if everyone hears the 'hype' about stock allocation). It's safe to assume most of the owners of the first set would want the second, leaving very few 'spare' copies floating around for people who would just want to pick it up for selected shorts on the discs. And Donald Duck is the main set that's has exceeded demand. Donald would (I would guess) go up quickly to a similar price.

I'll admit the Frontlines set is an unknown quantity - I do think most "average" viewers would be quickly bored by this set (Victory Through Airpower is a very "dry" viewing experiance). But it could also do well on EBAY just because of it's reputation (as being held back last year has added to it's reputation).

If Disney really wants to clear up this whole mess for the 4th wave, they need to re-release all the sets tinless for a lower price and in future (starting with the new Wave 3 releases) release limited tin sets and cheaper non-limited sets at the same time.

[canon]

I think we're all getting too caught up in this issue and we'll just have to wait. Splitting hairs, anyone?

And as for the Tomorrowland set-- "Man In Space," "Man And The Moon," "Mars And Beyond," are all animated, directed by the late great Ward Kimball. Some of the other titles are animated with live-action segments. This is not like the Disneyland set, where all that was from the Wonderful World of Disney TV show--all live-action.

Mickey in Color 2 will have some demand, but the content is not as rich as the first set-- that was a great set, with penciltests! The second set will have that "gotta complete my collection" interest, but that's about it. Honestly, I'm not all that impressed with the second Color Mickey set. It'll be great to have some of the early 40's Mickey with the Freddie Moore "realistic" ears, and to have Runaway Mickey--but have you seen some of the 50's Mickey's? Weak animation and stories.

Donald won't go up too much because of the amount of sets produced. 250K! I doubt Donald will hit $100.



And thanks, Joe for your post. Very interesting.

[2099net]

Well, my take on the situation is:

1) Initial pressings of 125,000 were decided.

2) Some point further down the line some early order figures came in and Disney thought - we're going to need more sets.

3) Disney decided on the revised figures, including booking the additional manufacturing slots and materials but did not manufacture anything extra straight away they had to wait for empty production windows in the factories etc.

4) Final figures came in. Disney had another rethink - even the extended manufacturing plans wouldn't cover demand. ("50% over their most aggressive estimates"). There was simply no way to meet demand in time - at best they could only deliver their "most aggressive esitmates". It's all they budgeted for schedule wise.

5) Disney decided to use the booked factory time for manufacture more Nemo, Pirates and Lion King discs to help satisfy demand for these products, rather than manufacture Treasures discs that wouldn't satisfy demand at all. They also decided to keep any extra tins that may or may not have been ordered, and order some more. A date of May was decided upon - not as this was the soonest, but it fitted in with their Marketing calendar.

So even if Disney did manufacture more (as they intially planned), they would only be satifying roughly 66% of the demand. Why would Disney want to release a product which could only purchased by 2 in 3 of the potantial customers. More important and none business releated, why would you all be so selfish and demand a release of a product that can only be enjoyed by 2 in 3 of the people who want to enjoy it?

From a Disney executive point of view it's likely to simply be a money issue, but from a Disney fan's point of view it's about getting the contents of these sets out to as many people as possible.

I'm not defending Disney's limited edition policy. If you remember, I was critisising their print-runs before the initial print run was released. I've always questioned if they even need to be limited. But I think Disney have acted the only way they could - their PR is trying to spin this to save face, but it fails. We all know Disney have (like so many large companies before them) simply failed to grasp the popularity of their own products.