Where Should I Go With My Collection Post-Pixar?

[consultant]

About a year and a half ago, I finally decided (now that I'm "older" 38 and had some cash to spend) that I wanted to start some sort of collection. Well it happened to be Disney's 50th Anniversary and taking my kids to the park rekindled how much I loved most everything about Disney. I began introducing them to the animations a few years ago (they are 5 and 6-years old now) and with the 50th Anniversary I decided it was time to start a collection. I decided to start some Disney collections:

Select Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Memorabilia (my crown piece is the Kinkade Artist Proof Giclee on Canvas)

Pirates of the Caribbean Memorabilia, mostly limited edition of 1000 or less, focusing on the ride, not the movies.

A few limited edition Haunted Mansion items.

Walt Disney Treasures - the entire collection with absolute perfect tins (boy that was a chore - and stupid in retrospect, I need to learn to live with a ding!)

The entire collection of feature animation DVDs.

I thought my motto in life was to keep things simple. With all this "stuff" cluttering my shelves and storing all the saved boxes, I feel like I've betrayed my life motto of keeping things simple, although compared to some collectors, my collections are probably pretty small/modest.

We all know all the feature animations will eventually be re-released on the latest format. Making them worth as much as the VHS version is today. (A mint Beatle 8-Track tape goes for about $8 on E-bay right now.) So I checked values on all my feature animation DVD's today (they are all new condition-unplayed, but no longer sealed) I determined aside from the Fantasia Anthology, Snow White, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast and my Collectors Gift Sets of Aladdin, Cinderella, and Lion King, it wasn't even worth the time to try to sell all the other ones. But money is really not the issue. It's having "stuff" that you really don't need.

My kids are 5-1/2 and the other is almost 7. They are bombarded with some much other media, new movies, etc. I began to feel my feature animation collection is kind of pointless and a waste of money and shelf space (I can hear the gasps.) But then I'm really into the history of Disney's feature animations. I feel it is one of the most impressive art forms and developments in entertainment that has happened in the past 50 years. So I'm thinking, how can I have something small and simple to gaze at to represent that history? Ya know, the answer is, those DVD cases sitting on the shelf take up very little room, a lot less than if I had a framed cell from each movie on the wall. And best of all, on ocassion, I can pop the DVD out and watch the entire original movie! There may be lots of things to collect in life, but these DVD's actually are an inexpensive, very entertaining, and compact representation of 50 years of Disney Animations achievements! My sick 5-1/2 year old came into my office today asking to watch one of the movies too. That's when I realized I'd be crazy to get rid of them all, even though I can have one delivered to my door from Netflix anytime I want within 2 days. Having instant access and the chronological representation on my shelf is well worth it. I'm glad I spent the time and money to build it. (I can here you saying - Duh!?)

A side note, the Treasures are a different story. They are limited edition and I can't simply rent one whenever I want (as far as I know). They are definitely keepers. I'm sure they will be eventually re-released in a new format but that's probably a LONG LONG time coming, like 20+ years would be my guess. They are priceless. Me and my sons watched The Hardy Boys. We were GLUED to the TV and that chant in the song at the beginning "pieces of eight, pieces of eight, pieces of eight" brought back a wonderful very early childhood memory that I TOTALLY had forgotten about. What a wonderful and strange experience. The depth and breadth of Walt Disney's productions is simply incredible. My kids are MESMERIZED watching the old Mickey Mouse Club. Those DVD's are worth their weight in gold to any Disney enthusiast (I know I'm preaching to the choir here.)

So why this long winded post? Well, while I'm pairing down my Pirates of the Caribbean collection to only my most cherished pieces, I find that I feel a lack of sense of direction regarding my mass production feature animation DVD collection. I know some of you collect much more than Treasures and features animations and are probably laughing at me. What troubles me is the purchase of Pixar?

While I think the Pixar animations are shear genius (especially Toy Story 1 & 2), it was easy to leave them out of my collection (I did buy the Toy Box and then sold it trying to "keep it simple" and true to Disney created films) For me, the most amazing thing about Disney Feature Animations is that they are all for the most part hand-drawn except for Chicken Little and some portions of the other releases. Each frame is a work of art. So it was easy to leave Nemo, Toy Story, and Dinosaur out because they didn't come out of the traditional Disney Animation House (or whatever it's called.) But now with the purchase of Pixar, I can see (due to lower costs and expectations of a new generation of high-tech media maniac kids) a lot of computer animations probably coming down the pipe. I can only hope and pray that Roy Disney's victory over Darth Vader (aka Mike Eisner) will keep the hand-drafted feature animation well alive at Disney. The computer stuff is just so... sterile or something, and I'm a totally high-tech guy.

So, I find myself in a quandry. I guess in actuality, I've already caved because Chicken Little is on my shelf. But I'm dreading the day a few years from now when there is only 1 or 2 hand draw animations on my shelf post Chicken Little and 4 or 5 computer animations. This makes me think, if I put those on the shelf, then I should go back and put Dinosaur, Nemo, Toy Story and other Disney produced Pixar features up there that were not technically considered a Disney-made animated feature. I guess the question boils down to this:

Is my collection all animated features created by Disney, all animated features created or produced by Disney, or all hand-drawn animated features created by Disney. I can't decide. If Dinosaur and Chicken Little weren't so, so-so, maybe I'd think differently, but I'm in it for the art as much as the storyline. Toy Story is a monumental film but it really isn't a Disney creation. And even making a living all my life off computers, I simply can't bring myself to consider Toy Story as much of a creative masterpiece as Snow White or Peter Pan. But it is not like those movies were not created without the help of machines. The computer is just a new machine. But it is doing a lot more of the work then the old machines did. It's replacing more of the human element.

I guess the correct answer would be to collect what you like. But it's not just about the individual movie, but about showing the complete history of the achievements of one company (or man or group of people), including the less steller releases. So I guess if that's the case I need to stay true to the official Disney created Feature Animations. But the lines seems so much more blurry with the evoluition of the Pixar era. I still am unsure what to do. Not like it's a big life decision though.

[consultant]

P.S. I am getting rid of my Collector's Gift Sets. I can't fit the entire collection on one shelf with them so I need to replace them with just the regular 2-disc version. So that's my "simplifying."

[Disneykid]

Well, my personal Disney DVD collection goes like this (and in this order, with each section having its respective films in chronological order):

* Feature Animation
* Pixar
* Live-Action
* Other Animation (this is films like Dinosaur and James and the Giant Peach)

I don't know how much shelf space you have. If it's really that small, then just put the feature animation films up there, and that would include Chicken Little, but not Dinosaur (Dinosaur was made by a special studio division at Disney that closed down after the film's release). Where do you keep your other DVDs like the Disney Treasures? If those aren't on the shelf, then just keep your Pixar films (as well as Dinosaur) with them. I know you may find it annoying having Chicken Little on the shelf when it's the only CG film in Disney's feature animation division, but that'll soon change with films like Meet the Robinsons. According to the new policy of John Lasseter (who's now the head of feature animation), each film's director will choose whether or not they think their film should be hand-drawn or computer-animated. Because of this, the feature animation canon is going to be more diverse than ever. If you drop Chicken Little now, you'll end up alternating between films with some on the shelf and some not. This will make your animated feature collection look incomplete. Approximately how many more DVDs can you fit on that shelf?

[consultant]

I've got as much shelf space as I want to clear out really. It just so happens though if I replace the Gift Sets with the normal 2-disc cases, I've got enough room for the entire Feature animation collection on one shelf and room probably for another 7 or 8 releases.

I guess I treat my Animation Collection more like an Art Collection. I like A LOT of Disney Movies, CGI, Live, and whatever else but I figured out early on I needed to devise some type of contraint or method to the madness so it wouldn't get out of hand, hence I settled on Treasures and Featured Animations. I guess I'll just have to live with the forthcoming CGI stuff. But being a "Disney Animation Purist" so to speak I'm not going to go back and add Toy Story, Nemo, Dinosaur and the like. Toy Story is really tempting though as it is a landmark film. I think the Toy Box is probably one of the most collectible DVD sets out there (along with Fantasia). Despite new formats, I can see the Toy Box value going up and up as long as they don't release a new Toy Box.

[dvdjunkie]

I don't understand why people use eBay as a 'price guide' for collectible stuff. There are still some pretty good prices being paid for VHS Disney stuff at collector's swap meets. You just need to read the newspaper and find out where the next one will be, and then talk a walk through and see what the prices are. e-Bay is not the end-all for pricing of collectible stuff. I never use them for that. There are books you can buy at Walden Books or Barnes & Noble that will tell you what they are worth to collectors. Your Beatles 8-track tape is worth a heck of a lot more than $8 they are getting on eBay. Do some searching in other places. Ask questions at collector's meets. Gold Mine magazine is a good place to find where the next collector's meet is in your area.

[Escapay]

And even making a living all my life off computers, I simply can't bring myself to consider Toy Story as much of a creative masterpiece as Snow White or Peter Pan. But it is not like those movies were not created without the help of machines. The computer is just a new machine. But it is doing a lot more of the work then the old machines did. It's replacing more of the human element.

"We believe when you create a machine to do the work of a man, you take something away from the man."
-Sojef, Star Trek: Insurrection

If we were to live with that frame of mind in terms of what's worth keeping and what's worth losing when it comes to the art of animated movies, then we must shun DVDs, as a machine makes it, it writes the data onto the disc, and all we do is manuever icons on a screen to watch it. The DVD may be a record of the thousands of hand-drawn "pieces of art", but it's only a record, and not the real thing. No human element at all.

At the same time, we could argue that the human element would be to only limit ourselves to live stage performances rather than recorded and edited ones (or hand-drawn and animated ones). To get even more extreme, we could even claim that the only true human element of art (in a state of motion and movements) would be live and improvisational performances without rehearsal, as it's a human constantly thinking and creating without the reliance of familiarity with material.

Escapay

[dcp3y]

I can certainly appreciate your dilemma and only offer my opinion since you asked. Pixar is top shelf stuff and is included in my animated collection. I skip out on all the near misses (Valiant, The Wild, etc), but to me the Pixar canon stands right up with the traditional animated classics. I don't analyze it from the technical aspects, but rather from enjoyment aspects. I also have the Dinosaur collector set for good measure. I have the full set of Treasures and really enjoy all the historical aspects they entail. I have 40 of 45 animated classics (waiting for 4 PEs and a CE to be released). I picked up the Legacy set. I generally avoid all direct to video sequel stuff as it seldom lives up to its billing {my opionion}. I really think that Pixar saved animation from extinction - so I welcome them to the Disney family tree and did a happy dance when Disney bought them last year. Choice is yours, but I don't think you should feel the least bit guilty putting Pixar beside DACs. Best regards.

[Bill Freiberger]

If you want to simplify and save space why not get a couple of those DVD binders that hold 48 discs in individual sleeves and put all the DVDs in there. Either throw away the cases or box them up and put them in the garage or attic crawlspace.

That will take up very little space but still allow you to enjoy all the movies as often as you like.

Bill

[thomashton]

In the past I used to collect everything. That stopped very abruptly at Cinderella II. Now I am picky. I do have every animated classic with the exception of Home on the Range--just didn't like it. I also have a ton of other Disney DVDs including all Platinums, Treasures (collecting from Day 1), Legacy, Vault Disney, other stuff ie Darby O'Gill, Blackbeards Ghost and the like. This collection is several hundred DVDs strong and does include Pixar.

My wife would not allow that kind of shelf space to be used up and in my mind rightfully so. So, everything goes in dvd booklets. I have about 4 large ones dedicated to Disney. All the cases get thrown away--yes, including Treasures tins (although I do still have this years' tins and all 4 Legacy packages if anyone wants to pay shipping for them).

I am in the process of transferring them all to a big, hoopty server in my home from which I can stream them to my tv and choose them from there like a digital library. All I really need them for when that is done is for back up copies and then they will be stored in my wiring closet in those same booklets.

I know many of you will freak out hearing this ("Throw away a case?!?! I wouldn't even DREAM of throwing away a slipcase!!), but it works for me and I can keep over 1000 dvds in one little cabinet under my tv.

[ichabod]

I see your dilemma and way of thinking is much like mine.

This is what the way I view my Disney collection.

First and most important for me important for me is the animation, the feature animation, the 45 films (soon to be 46 with Meet the Robinsons) that comes from the Walt Disney Feature animation department. Regardless of whether or not the last 2 are CGI, they come from the same studio that produced the traditionally animated features, yes there's a difference in technique and obvious changes have taken place, but nonetheless they are still I feel part of the same legacy.The animated shorts too are of equal importance to me, these were Disney start and what led into feature animation and I find them truly fascinating.

Second to me in importance is the live action works of the Walt Era. Theatrical films and television productions like 'Disneyland' and 'The Mickey Mouse Club'. I have to say I both hate and feel sorry for those people who will buy everything related to the animated films but won't even give any live action work a second glance. Yes it's a different format, but they are still the product of the same studio. Half of them being made with the same cast and crew as the animated features, to me I view the live action of the Walt era as an integral part of the history of the studio. It gives a greater understanding of the way the studio and Walt's mind worked, the way Walt wanted to expand and try new ideas the way he moved from animation into live action and then into Theme parks. Ideally I too would love to collect all live action works from the Walt era on DVD. As far as the post Walt stuff is concidered I take it or leave it depending on my enjoyment.

Aside from the feature animation and shorts the rest of the animation with the Disney label on it is a sticking point for me too. But the way I view it is like this. I am a Disney fan and that it that, so anything else gets bought on a basis of whether I like it or not. Disney is Disney and Pixar is Pixar as far as I'm concerned. Even that now Disney has bought Pixar, it is still as seperate entity as far as I'm concerned and If I don't have everything Pixar make It doesn't bother me. The TV shows like The Gummi Bears and DuckTales, the ones I buy I buy because I like them and the bring back childhood memories. I do not intend to buy them all, even though the stories were written by the Disney studios the animation was not by Disney and was mostly done by independant studios.

There are some things I do refuse point blank to have in my collection because they are just simply not Disney in my opinion. Titles such as 'Valiant', 'Lizzie McGuire', 'Even Stevens' and 'The Brave Little Toaster' are not Disney, Disney simply holds the distribution rights to them in North America. Take 'Valiant' for example it was made in the UK by Vanguard animation studios completely independently of Disney. Disney had no say in its story or production. In fact outside the US and Canada the film does not have the Disney name on it. Now just because Disney picked up the distribution rights to it in North America that does not in my opinion make it a Disney movie, in what way shape or form could it be? I know a lot of people would buy it because it has the Disney name on it and therefore it has to be Disney. But I don't buy things simply because the DVD has a corporate logo slapped on it. The same goes for the Muppets. I know someone who really didn't like the Muppets, but when Disney bought the rights to the back catalogue and released them on DVD with the Disney logo on it they went out and bought the lot because they were Disney and she had to have them. Now again how can a TV show made in the 70s, which had existed for 30 years suddenly become Disney just because it they bought it? Just because something has the Disney name on it that does not make it automatically Disney in my book!

Well this has turned into a bit of a rant hasn't it

Anyway that's how I view my Disney collection. The Theme Parks don't really have that much of an impact on me at present but I'm sure they will in the future.

Two other points I'd like to make, as has already been mentioned if space is an issue you can probably pick up a DVD wallett which holds about 120 discs for about $20 and then you can have a load of discs at hand which take up little space and hide the cases in the basement or something. Don't forget it's the discs that are important and their contents as sometimes people forget. It really gets me annoyed when people buy one of the Treasures DVDs with rare material digged up from the vaults which is of significant value historically and artistically, some of which hasn't been seen in decades and all they can do is complain because the cheap 59 cent metal coffin they come in has a dent in it. Get a life! As long as you have the discs at hand does it matter if they are in their case?

Second even though films will be released again, the bonus features will probably change completely. When Fantasia resurfaces it will probably have all new bonus features or, if the current trend of SEs continues a future edition might just use half of the stuff from the anthology set.Do you really want to get rid of it, even if some of the galleries of drawings, artwork and material will never be released again? I know I'll hang on to mine for dear life!