Chip 'n Dale Vol 2... I cannot find it ANYWHERE!

[Luke]

We seem to be wasting time on the front page reviewing things like Home Improvement that can easily be found elsewhere rather than the Ducktales and Chip N Dale issues.

Whose time is being wasted? And by whom? As stated elsewhere, the "DuckTales" and "Chip 'n Dale" DVDs were the last ones Disney sent out from this week's releases. They were received less than a week before release date, during which time the "Gummi Bears" and "Home Improvement" reviews were well under way. They're also, along with "Gummi Bears", the longest sets to go through. It makes perfect sense to get "Home Improvement" done first rather than to hold it off when the others are to be finished. After all, as good as these Disney Afternoon series are, no one ever intended for over 100 episodes of three different shows to be viewed by two people in a matter of days. Yet, that's exactly what Aaron and I have been doing, while trying to write thoughtful reviews and not lose our minds.

Personally, I think it would have made business sense for Disney to do no more than two of the '80s/'90s Disney cartoons on the same day. It also would have helped in the review process, which is inherently demanding (especially from the levels we aspire to) and all the more so when you've got a release date approaching in about 100 hours from when you get the DVD. The only reviews of "DuckTales" and "Chip 'n Dale" you'll have seen on release date were from people who didn't go through the whole set and I've never seen the use in that. Nor do I see any point in churning out a half-assed review because Disney didn't send out the product on time. That's not fair to the subjects or the readers.

So, a little bit of patience and understanding would be appreciated. After all, the dozens of hours that go into doing the reviews each week ultimately provide something here that can't be found anywhere else and it comes at absolutely no cost to the reader. That's got to count for something.

I must say, however, I'm glad that you, someone who once considered the reviews the one part of this site not worth viewing, have invested in them after all. Guess that all the time and effort isn't being completely wasted!

[Mr. Toad]

Sorry Luke - that was uncalled for. I apologize. I really did not mean for it to sound as bad as it read.

And secondly, I never said the reviews were not worth looking at. All I said was I rarely come in through the front page. At least I think I said that. I anxiously await reviews especially for stuff where no one else reviews them. It helps me avoid purchases like Chip and Dale V1.

I do stand by my comment that reviewing things like Golden Girls and Home Improvement on this site where the links to Disney is tenuous may not be a good use of your time when sites like tvwhowsondvd.com will do it.

I am not complaining as much as noting I dont think it is a great use of your time.

[Luke]

First of all, no need to apologize. Just wanted you to know that I'm not pleased either that the DVD reviews aren't done yet.

As for things like "Home Improvement" and "Golden Girls" getting reviewed, well, you'd think a site like tvshowsondvd would get them covered, but they don't and most others don't either. Truth be told, "Golden Girls", "Home Improvement", and "Boy Meets World" are the source of as many e-mails as any three other properties I can think of, and certainly more than any of Disney's other animated output. And when they do get reviewed by other sites, they don't dissect them the way we do. (Nor should they, since most of them have much more to review than we do.) Anyway, the point is, that even if "Home Improvement" and "Golden Girls" can be found in stores, that doesn't mean people don't want to read reviews before buying them, so they're just as valid as any other DVD review we can provide (and more than most, because they have very savvy fanbases).

Still, I appreciate the feedback and it's not entirely unexpected or unfounded. Site statistics confirm that most of the time, a Disney-branded title's review will get more than a Touchstone/Miramax-branded title's review. But there are exceptions and not all of them make sense. For instance, by far the most-read review on UD this year (and last year).... is <i>Shall We Dance</i> (2004). Bet no one around here would have guessed that it would be such a popular review, yet it's gotten about 8x as many views as the next highest. There are other anomalies too, and even if 0.01% of the people finding these non-Disney reviews bother to check out the rest of the site, it still means expanding our readership, which is a constant goal. Just something to consider.

And now back to my "DuckTales" ...

[Mr. Toad]

Aaron - any thoughts on whether Volume 1 or 2 has better video quality. Sounds like it might have been two as the comments were not quite as bad or was it more of a case of lowered expectations?