Platinums = Fluff Features

[Porce]

I wish Disney would go back to their Collector's Edition format instead of Platinum Editions. The features on Beauty and the Beast were mostly fluff, except for that one 50-minute documentary. Also there was some compression on the first disc. From the looks of it, Lion King's platinum looks the same. I don't want long, tiresome menus and boring new games.

[jabroni76]

Well, snow white was a pretty nice set. eh? Probably one of the best! And I myself, like the platinum. Sometimes, there just isn't stuff to put on films. But either way, I like both Collectors (even though they MSRP very high), and Platinum!

[Matty-Mouse]

When the release it (and providing its the same as the laserdisc version) then Cinderella will be a great Platinum DVD.

[2099net]

Sometimes, there just isn't stuff to put on films.

But for Beauty and the Beast they had the original "making of" hosted by David Ogden Stiers which they just ignored. Instead they just ran the same sections of their new documentary repeatedly depending on which option was choosen.

Plus the music feature was disappointing - originally it was to include one of the demo tracks for a song (just like the Tarzan Collectors Edition includes some Phil Collins demos). We know that some CDs feature demo tracks, so why was this dropped from the disc?

There was also a lot more Disney could have included - what about something from the Beauty and the Beast On Ice show? What about more information on the early treatments? Originally Beauty and the Beast was to be a live action film. What about more information on the Broadway show and details of more of the songs written just for the stage? How about a live action clip from a "Sing Me A Story with Belle" - people may not like it, but I would be curious to see it, not having had the chance before.

I find it almost impossible to think that Disney could have dug up much more informative material for Snow White than a film that they made during the late 80's/early 90's. Ther format of the Beauty and the Beast disc was decided, based not on what they could find, but on who they wanted the disc to appeal to.

I can't complain too much about Beauty and the Beast - I found the 2nd disc to be disappointing, but the presence of the "Work-In-Progress" version earns lots of Kudos. I couldn't really care about the new song - I think Disney should never have done it (as I do with remixed soundtracks). And the picture quality is wildly improved on the PAL disc, so compression isn't really an issue.

I just feel that The Lion King will be a bigger disappointment than Beauty and the Beast regarding supplements - without a major bonus like a Work-In-Progress cut, I think lots of people will be disappointed.

BTW - Does anyone think that Disney are aware of the disappointment over the BatB disc with Disney collectors, and this is the reason that they are releasing a Gift Set with an Art book - to give the hardcore Disney fans something extra?

[Disneykid]

I didn't know there WAS a gift set with an artbook...or are you referring to TLK?

[2099net]

Yes

[Jack]

I agree that Beauty and the Beast was dissapointing - nice extras, but extremely pale compared to the absolutely fantastic Snow White.

I have a feeling that while TLK will not be as good as Snow White, it'll improve over the BATB disc. Why? Because all of the games and kiddie stuff has been moved to the first disc, and all the descriptions of the material on the second disc sounds more geared to the movie buffs.

[Loomis]

Yea, I have to agree with the general consensus.
Snow White was a GREAT set, and probably one of the best Disney classics I own (and given the age of the film, the stuff they were able to put together was phenomenal).
Beauty and the Beast was disappointing for me for a number of reasons (mainly, it skips about all over the place on my main player - both the R1 & R4 versions, but plays fine on my PC). Some of the extras are great (the commentary is gold I think), as well as the interesting extras such as the WIP print.
Yeah, they could've done more - but it is great to have the film on DVD after all this time...

[Porce]

I just think with that Beauty and the Beast an oppurtunity was wasted to provide customers with decent special features. If Disney needed to have their idiotic games and long, tiresome menus on there they could have released two versions. A so-called "Platinum" and then a REAL "Collector's Edition" for the fans. From the looks of it, TLK will be getting the same childish DVD treatment. I hope that this doesn't happen to all the other Platinums...

[The Lizard King]

I just think with that Beauty and the Beast an oppurtunity was wasted to provide customers with decent special features. If Disney needed to have their idiotic games and long, tiresome menus on there they could have released two versions. A so-called "Platinum" and then a REAL "Collector's Edition" for the fans. From the looks of it, TLK will be getting the same childish DVD treatment. I hope that this doesn't happen to all the other Platinums...

This is the one reason why I held on to my Japanese LD box set of BATB. There is a very nice "making of" documentary in this set narrated by David Ogden Stiers (Cogsworth) that is not on the Platinum DVD.

TLK

[Jack]

I just think with that Beauty and the Beast an oppurtunity was wasted to provide customers with decent special features. If Disney needed to have their idiotic games and long, tiresome menus on there they could have released two versions. A so-called "Platinum" and then a REAL "Collector's Edition" for the fans. From the looks of it, TLK will be getting the same childish DVD treatment. I hope that this doesn't happen to all the other Platinums...

But like I said, if you check out the descriptions of what is on disc 1 and disc 2, it seems like Disney has put all the kiddie stuff on disc 1, and has left the entire disc 2 to more quality "collectors-ish" extras.