A while ago, it was announced that a sister site focusing on non-Disney movies would be launched along side UltimateDisney.com. However, in the past several weeks we have continued to receive reviews and news of non-Disney movies on the main page.
I don't know if this is an issue to anyone else, but personally I find it detracts from the site. I feel it dilutes the value of UD because every time I see an update I get excited for a moment then I realize it's a non-Disney item, and I lose interest immediately. Sometimes, lately, it seems as though there are more non-Disney updates than there are items of interest to Disney fans.
There are so many Disney movies without reviews on this site, and I feel it would be proper to "complete" the site with Disney reviews before spending so much time reviewing other (sometimes obscure) movies. I would not mind in the least if the non-Disney movies were isolated on their own page...one which readers could choose to view if they so desired.
I also notice that there is very little if any talk in the forums about these non-Disney movies being highlighted on the main page. If this is an indication of how many people are interested, then is it really a worthwhile direction for a site called UltimateDisney? How can it be "ultimate" Disney anyway, when there is so much non-Disney news and many Disney movies left to be reviewed?
I could be way off base from the majority...I don't know...but these are my thoughts. What are anyone else's?
Thanks Luke for the great work and all the wonderful information your site has provided. I just feel that more isn't always better. I'd prefer less frequent updates if they were quality Disney updates instead of information that I'm not interested in and that detracts from the site's implied purpose and dilutes the interests of its core fan base.
Non-Disney movie content on UD.com
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gardener14
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I appreciate the feedback, but I must disagree with most of your points. To address a few of them, yes, I agree that it's not the best situation of having a site called UltimateDisney.com and then reviewing things that aren't Disney titles. The name thing is being addressed; we've got a new domain (DVDizzy.com), but it needs a proper launch and to be adequately indexed by search engines first. That said, I feel like UD's niche attraction -- Disney DVD -- has somewhat run its course with the company having released most of its titles and now essentially just repackaging its most popular ones and presenting new Playhouse Disney and Disney Channel that's never been especially popular with UD readers.
I can only sympathize with you so much if you're complaining that you'd prefer less updates when it is so very easy to scroll past something that doesn't interest you. From last January to now, there's been a whopping 17 Disney-branded DVD releases for us to cover. Things like the Disney Movie Club exclusives and <i>Rocketman</i> were not available for review, so they're not covered. Even with the time it takes for the reviews we do, 17 DVDs (of titles like <i>Baby Einstein</i>, <i>Higglytown Heroes</i>, <i>Little Einsteins</i>, and <i>Walt Disney's It's So Much Fun to Do New Compilations of Widely-Available Cartoons, Volume 8</i>) does not sustain six and a half months of traffic on a site. I tried reviewing older Disney titles for a bit in the spring and the readership numbers were not high. If you want to measure interest in the site's content by forum discussion, then you'd see that those and practically everything since the Treasures haven't garnered much. Personally, I've been quite disappointed by what this forum has turned into recently; after years of thriving discussion, it seems that a mix of immature recent/current registrations and a lack of releases to talk about has reduced this to little more than a peculiar playground, which I'm definitely not judging the rest of the site by.
I can understand if you found this site searching for Disney DVD information and I do believe we continue to provide the best possible coverage on that. I can't think of a single instance where a Disney DVD has gotten less attention or a later review because of all the other stuff we're reviewing. You're getting what you would be getting PLUS and as with anything else on the Internet, that PLUS is something you're free to ignore. But with BVHE in the doldrums and me not wanting to just sit back, say "Well, it was a good run" and throw in the towel, something has to be done and the most promising idea was to take what we're already doing -- DVD news and reviews -- and expand it to non-Disney DVDs, a class that numbers will show 100% of UD's visitors have bought from and/or taken interest in.
I also have some ideas that I think are good for upcoming Disney features, like countdowns and such, that if I can find the proper time and energy to oversee will tailor directly to those who put the Disney in UltimateDisney.com.
In closing, I thank you for your post. I'm glad you took the time to share such articulate thoughts about the site as a whole. While we get several hundreds of thousands of visitors each month, I wouldn't doubt that your loyalty to this site puts you in a rare class and the feedback you've offered is fairly priceless, not to mention it has given me an opportunity to put out some of my thoughts on the same topics.
I can only sympathize with you so much if you're complaining that you'd prefer less updates when it is so very easy to scroll past something that doesn't interest you. From last January to now, there's been a whopping 17 Disney-branded DVD releases for us to cover. Things like the Disney Movie Club exclusives and <i>Rocketman</i> were not available for review, so they're not covered. Even with the time it takes for the reviews we do, 17 DVDs (of titles like <i>Baby Einstein</i>, <i>Higglytown Heroes</i>, <i>Little Einsteins</i>, and <i>Walt Disney's It's So Much Fun to Do New Compilations of Widely-Available Cartoons, Volume 8</i>) does not sustain six and a half months of traffic on a site. I tried reviewing older Disney titles for a bit in the spring and the readership numbers were not high. If you want to measure interest in the site's content by forum discussion, then you'd see that those and practically everything since the Treasures haven't garnered much. Personally, I've been quite disappointed by what this forum has turned into recently; after years of thriving discussion, it seems that a mix of immature recent/current registrations and a lack of releases to talk about has reduced this to little more than a peculiar playground, which I'm definitely not judging the rest of the site by.
I can understand if you found this site searching for Disney DVD information and I do believe we continue to provide the best possible coverage on that. I can't think of a single instance where a Disney DVD has gotten less attention or a later review because of all the other stuff we're reviewing. You're getting what you would be getting PLUS and as with anything else on the Internet, that PLUS is something you're free to ignore. But with BVHE in the doldrums and me not wanting to just sit back, say "Well, it was a good run" and throw in the towel, something has to be done and the most promising idea was to take what we're already doing -- DVD news and reviews -- and expand it to non-Disney DVDs, a class that numbers will show 100% of UD's visitors have bought from and/or taken interest in.
I also have some ideas that I think are good for upcoming Disney features, like countdowns and such, that if I can find the proper time and energy to oversee will tailor directly to those who put the Disney in UltimateDisney.com.
In closing, I thank you for your post. I'm glad you took the time to share such articulate thoughts about the site as a whole. While we get several hundreds of thousands of visitors each month, I wouldn't doubt that your loyalty to this site puts you in a rare class and the feedback you've offered is fairly priceless, not to mention it has given me an opportunity to put out some of my thoughts on the same topics.
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Disney-Fan
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Luke wrote:Personally, I've been quite disappointed by what this forum has turned into recently; after years of thriving discussion, it seems that a mix of immature recent/current registrations and a lack of releases to talk about has reduced this to little more than a peculiar playground, which I'm definitely not judging the rest of the site by.
I don't know why but hearing your thoughts about the forum really disappointed me, and I'm beyond sorry that you feel like this. I guess there's only so much you can talk about when all releases are either poor double-dips, unpopular movies or just crappy all together.
"See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve." - The Joker
I think Luke's right on the nail with many of his comments. The simple fact is, there isn't enough Disney DVD news or releases to keep the site going.
Back in the day - when Ultimate Disney was but a sparkle in Luke's eye - the DVD format was new and exciting. I'm not sure 100% when Ultimate Disney started, but assuming it was around the time of Snow White it seemed the future held limitless potential after the rather weak "limited edition" vanilla releases Disney used to dip their toe in the DVD water. We had so much to look forward to.
But what do we have now? Not a lot. And the high-def formats aren't igniting the public's imagination as much as they were expected too - Disney itself seems to be cutting back on blu-ray releases (I think Sleeping Beauty in 2008 will be the clearest indicator as to what blu-ray can offer Disney fans).
Expansion is the most logical option.
Back in the day - when Ultimate Disney was but a sparkle in Luke's eye - the DVD format was new and exciting. I'm not sure 100% when Ultimate Disney started, but assuming it was around the time of Snow White it seemed the future held limitless potential after the rather weak "limited edition" vanilla releases Disney used to dip their toe in the DVD water. We had so much to look forward to.
But what do we have now? Not a lot. And the high-def formats aren't igniting the public's imagination as much as they were expected too - Disney itself seems to be cutting back on blu-ray releases (I think Sleeping Beauty in 2008 will be the clearest indicator as to what blu-ray can offer Disney fans).
Expansion is the most logical option.
Most of my Blu-ray collection some of my UK discs aren't on their database
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gardener14
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Thank you Luke for offering your views on the subject. For me personally, I am only interested in Disney dvd's as a niche. Most other movies don't interest me except for a couple other niche categories such as musicals and some other animation. While I understand your desire for the site to grow, I think it could be done in a way that maintains the uniqueness and integrity of the exisiting site, one that caters to Disney fans.
I come to this site for Disney information, and I find it to be top notch in that regard. I enjoy all the reviews, and I use them extensively in choosing which Disney dvd's to purchase next. I would like to see more reviews of older Disney movies, many of which are nothing more than a entry on a spreadsheet within this site. There are also a myriad of Touchstone films with little or no mention that could be covered and would be of interest to me.
When I see non-Disney news on the main page, I generally ignore it, but I find it distracting. It's just more stuff to sort through...stuff that feels out of place. If I saw no update at all for a week at a time, I'd be happy because I know when an update comes it will most likely be of interest to me. It's easier to check in, glance, and skip over a nonexistent entry than it is to take the time to skim over a few paragraphs in the hope that their may be a paragraph of interest to me as a Disney fan.
I still feel that my suggestion of moving non-Disney information to it's own page is a worthwhile one. Alternatively, the site could become a general movie site with an area dedicated to Disney information as well as areas for other specific genres instead of melding it all together.
In the vast realm of niche markets on the internet, I simply feel that covering movies in general is much too broad of a category to be of interest. I just don't care about the majority of movies or dvd's in existence. It's like having a site for all music or all books when most music, book, or movie fans have a specific area of interest within those broad types of media.
I've always enjoyed this site for its reviews and news updates for Disney fans, but it just feels diluted now, and I feel discouraged as a reader. Perhaps I'm an atypical reader, but those are my thoughts.
I come to this site for Disney information, and I find it to be top notch in that regard. I enjoy all the reviews, and I use them extensively in choosing which Disney dvd's to purchase next. I would like to see more reviews of older Disney movies, many of which are nothing more than a entry on a spreadsheet within this site. There are also a myriad of Touchstone films with little or no mention that could be covered and would be of interest to me.
When I see non-Disney news on the main page, I generally ignore it, but I find it distracting. It's just more stuff to sort through...stuff that feels out of place. If I saw no update at all for a week at a time, I'd be happy because I know when an update comes it will most likely be of interest to me. It's easier to check in, glance, and skip over a nonexistent entry than it is to take the time to skim over a few paragraphs in the hope that their may be a paragraph of interest to me as a Disney fan.
I still feel that my suggestion of moving non-Disney information to it's own page is a worthwhile one. Alternatively, the site could become a general movie site with an area dedicated to Disney information as well as areas for other specific genres instead of melding it all together.
In the vast realm of niche markets on the internet, I simply feel that covering movies in general is much too broad of a category to be of interest. I just don't care about the majority of movies or dvd's in existence. It's like having a site for all music or all books when most music, book, or movie fans have a specific area of interest within those broad types of media.
I've always enjoyed this site for its reviews and news updates for Disney fans, but it just feels diluted now, and I feel discouraged as a reader. Perhaps I'm an atypical reader, but those are my thoughts.
Where are these older Disney movies you'd like to be reviewed? Are you talking about TV movies and stuff that isn't on DVD? Because in terms of what is available on Disney DVD and not reviewed here, the pickings are pretty slim.gardener14 wrote:I would like to see more reviews of older Disney movies, many of which are nothing more than a entry on a spreadsheet within this site. There are also a myriad of Touchstone films with little or no mention that could be covered and would be of interest to me.
Also, I'm not sure how reviewing Touchstone films differs from reviewing the other films that we're doing. I understand that Disney owns Touchstone, but I think the division doesn't have too much in common with Disney-branded fare. The company study angle of it is appealing and that was definitely part of the reasoning to start covering Touchstone DVDs. But beyond the Disney name, I think studio identity begins to blur. I'd argue that things we've reviewed like <i>Night at the Museum</i>, <i>The Last Mimzy</i>, and the upcoming "Voyagers!" have more of a thematic link to Disney than most Touchstone/Miramax/Hollywood output. In fact, once the sister site is housed at DVDizzy.com, I imagine that will be a better home for Touchstone DVDs than UD.
It's tough to please every reader. I know many of the most passionate Disney fans could care less about the studio's live-action films, even if they far outweigh the number of animated films. I would argue that the majority of Disney movie fans, however, can be labeled movie fans in general and that is the rationale behind expanding the site.
2099net's post is very on target. UD was born in January 2001, in between the fall 2000 <i>Fantasia</i> and <i>Toy Story</i> 3-disc box sets and the launch of the Platinum line with <i>Snow White</i>. It was a very exciting time for DVD and Disney DVD in particular. Now, it's like the company isn't even trying to keep people hooked on the format. The newest Disney Channel movies and series, preschool fare, and endless repackagings of shorts really can only sustain so much interest and with all the time this site requires, I think it's only fair that I aspire to more than what BVHE is presently churning out.
And please don't take offense to the comment, Disney-Fan. It obviously wasn't directed at anyone who is even likely to take notice of it. But I do wish that this forum was in a much healthier state than it is now. It feels like the substance-providing members have become a minority and the organic result is that stimulating discussion seems to be at an all-time low. I do hope that in expanding the site can bring in some articulate new forum members eager to discuss movies in an intelligent fashion. But my experience in just browsing Internet forums doesn't have me too optimistic for that, at least not without copious amounts of bickering.
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gardener14
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Thanks again for your thoughts. It would be enjoyable to see reviews for some of my favorite films such as Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Shipwrecked, The Three Musketeers, Adventures of Huck Finn, Tall Tale, Tall Tale, The Kid, The Country Bears (a highly underrated Disney movie), and others. I realize they aren't classics, but they are overlooked on this site.
I also realize that Touchstone films aren't exactly Disney style movies, but they catch my attention and pique my interest in a way that other studio's films do not simply because of the reputation and tradition of the Disney name as a company. I can't be alone in that way. If it wasn't for the Disney connection with the Touchstone brand, I wouldn't have found such incredible movies as Goal: The Dream Begins, Dick Tracy, and Hidalgo to name just a few Touchstone titles that are very much in the Disney tradition. I'm simply not a fan of movies in a generic sense, but Disney movies are different. Even Touchstone movies are unique and influenced by the parent company.
I do understand your desire to broaden the site, but I wish it would be categorized into sections. As it is now, it seems like a random selection of unrelated titles plus Disney films. Perhaps the updates to the main page could be given headlines that are easy to browse. That would help immensely.
I also realize that Touchstone films aren't exactly Disney style movies, but they catch my attention and pique my interest in a way that other studio's films do not simply because of the reputation and tradition of the Disney name as a company. I can't be alone in that way. If it wasn't for the Disney connection with the Touchstone brand, I wouldn't have found such incredible movies as Goal: The Dream Begins, Dick Tracy, and Hidalgo to name just a few Touchstone titles that are very much in the Disney tradition. I'm simply not a fan of movies in a generic sense, but Disney movies are different. Even Touchstone movies are unique and influenced by the parent company.
I do understand your desire to broaden the site, but I wish it would be categorized into sections. As it is now, it seems like a random selection of unrelated titles plus Disney films. Perhaps the updates to the main page could be given headlines that are easy to browse. That would help immensely.
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disneyboy20022
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I think I understand also about Luke's concerns about the Immature Recent/current posts on the forums... some posts have just been just plain uncalled for...Disney-Fan wrote:Luke wrote:Personally, I've been quite disappointed by what this forum has turned into recently; after years of thriving discussion, it seems that a mix of immature recent/current registrations and a lack of releases to talk about has reduced this to little more than a peculiar playground, which I'm definitely not judging the rest of the site by.
I don't know why but hearing your thoughts about the forum really disappointed me, and I'm beyond sorry that you feel like this. I guess there's only so much you can talk about when all releases are either poor double-dips, unpopular movies or just crappy all together.
Also on a Brighter Suggestion... Luke...Have you considred Reviewing or do you have the option of reviewing Disney Blu Ray or other Blu Ray or other HD-DVD Titles.. Such as I am not sure whether I should buy Dinosaur on Disney Blu Ray since I already have the 2-disc Collector's edition DVD and that has a lot of stuff on it..... Or either of the Pirates Blu Ray would be great to review at least in my opinion
Want to Hear How I met Roy E. Disney in 2003? Click the link Below
http://fromscreentotheme.com/ThursdayTr ... isney.aspx
http://fromscreentotheme.com/ThursdayTr ... isney.aspx
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AwallaceUNC
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I think that this is, in fact, the ultimate plan. Right now, if you go to www.dvdizzy.com , you'll be redirect to UD. Eventually, that will be a stand-alone sister site to UD. It just takes a while to build a new website, which is something Luke has been and continues to work on diligently. The idea is for dvdizzy.com to grow out of UD, capitalizing on the common fanbase (and I really do think it's common, even if you fall on just one side of it, which is fine) so that both sides can thrive side-by-side in a semi-sembiotic fashion.gardener14 wrote:I do understand your desire to broaden the site, but I wish it would be categorized into sections.
In the meantime, maybe you can discover some new movies that you'll love through the UD<-->Other Studios connection in the same way that Walt Disney Pictures led you to some undiscovered Touchstone gems.
-Aaron
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gardener14
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AWallaceUNC, you make some good points. After thinking about my last post, and thinking about how other websites I like are set up, I think my last suggestion of providing headlines to the news on the main page would be the best sollution to my perceived problem with the site lately. My biggest gripe is not the unrelated information, but rather the lack of organization and lack of labeling of this information in the semi-daily updates. The more I think about it, simply providing headlines that are easy to peruse would be a perfect fix in my opinion. This is already a standard practice on many other frequently updated sites on the web and in news media in general.
Here's an example of a website that uses headlines for frequent updates. http://www.screamscape.com/ As a theme park fan, I visit this site often and the headlines make checking the site and choosing items of interest a breeze.
Here's an example of a website that uses headlines for frequent updates. http://www.screamscape.com/ As a theme park fan, I visit this site often and the headlines make checking the site and choosing items of interest a breeze.
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AwallaceUNC
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I don't think the headlines idea would work very well for UD for a number of reasons...
*UD doesn't post any news items for non-Disney DVDs whatsoever, so it wouldn't really separate anything. If you scroll through the front page, you'll see that the only news items Luke posts are Disney-related. The only time anything non-Disney appears there is to announce a new review
*UD's news blurbs on the front page are rarely more than a few sentences long. There are exceptions, but for the most part, the headlines would be only slightly shorter than the actual news item. Whenever we do full-length "articles", they do get their own page
*UD doesn't post tons of news items each day, so there isn't much of a problem with having to sort through loads of unrelated information
*Headlines require additional clicking, which not only demands more time from readers but also consumes more bandwidth, which is always a problem
*The announcement of non-Disney reviews on the UD homepage is temporary as it is anyways, so temporarily reformatting UD just to shorten announcements by only a few words would entail more work than it's worth (and would have the negative result of making the site cumbersome)
There is, however, something that might interest you and provide the kind of headline digest you're looking for. It's UD's news feed, which you can find here: http://www.ultimatedisney.com/udfeed.xml You might prefer this.
I must say, though, I don't wish to dump on other websites, but Screamscape is probably the last place I would model any website after. I also couldn't disagree more on your comment that UD is unorganized and not clearly labeled. In my assessment, it is very much organized and well-labeled.
-Aaron
*UD doesn't post any news items for non-Disney DVDs whatsoever, so it wouldn't really separate anything. If you scroll through the front page, you'll see that the only news items Luke posts are Disney-related. The only time anything non-Disney appears there is to announce a new review
*UD's news blurbs on the front page are rarely more than a few sentences long. There are exceptions, but for the most part, the headlines would be only slightly shorter than the actual news item. Whenever we do full-length "articles", they do get their own page
*UD doesn't post tons of news items each day, so there isn't much of a problem with having to sort through loads of unrelated information
*Headlines require additional clicking, which not only demands more time from readers but also consumes more bandwidth, which is always a problem
*The announcement of non-Disney reviews on the UD homepage is temporary as it is anyways, so temporarily reformatting UD just to shorten announcements by only a few words would entail more work than it's worth (and would have the negative result of making the site cumbersome)
There is, however, something that might interest you and provide the kind of headline digest you're looking for. It's UD's news feed, which you can find here: http://www.ultimatedisney.com/udfeed.xml You might prefer this.
I must say, though, I don't wish to dump on other websites, but Screamscape is probably the last place I would model any website after. I also couldn't disagree more on your comment that UD is unorganized and not clearly labeled. In my assessment, it is very much organized and well-labeled.
-Aaron
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blackcauldron85
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AwallaceUNC
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gardener14
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Thanks AWallaceUNC. I used Screamscape as an example of a site which I find easy to glance over to quickly see which topics interest me. For UD.com, I was thinking more along the lines of short headlines above the existing updates, not links. It would be similar to the existing bold sections of the updates, but they would be at the start of each entry and in a uniform location instead of placed within the entry where ever they happen to fall.
As for Ultimate Disney being organized or not, I find it appears like a hodge podge of information, and I often trip over things to find what I'm looking for. The information is top notch, but the layout is awkward...but that's just my opinion. Obviously it works.
I think I've expressed my opinions enough on this subject, so I'll say that I'm done for now to avoid beating a dead horse. Thanks Luke and others for listening to my suggestions and views. I'll certainly continue to check this site and count on it for great information. I hope the new site is up soon, and I look forward to what the future brings in both content and layout.
As for Ultimate Disney being organized or not, I find it appears like a hodge podge of information, and I often trip over things to find what I'm looking for. The information is top notch, but the layout is awkward...but that's just my opinion. Obviously it works.
I think I've expressed my opinions enough on this subject, so I'll say that I'm done for now to avoid beating a dead horse. Thanks Luke and others for listening to my suggestions and views. I'll certainly continue to check this site and count on it for great information. I hope the new site is up soon, and I look forward to what the future brings in both content and layout.
What happened to the Disney in UltimateDisney?
I haven't posted in a long time, but I had to come out of lurking mode to make this post. What happened to the focus on Disney? It seems like 90% of the content on the site is non-Disney now. I came to love this site (and visit 5+ times per day) because of the unparalled info on Disney DVDs.
Now there are random reviews of DVDs I don't care at all about, while the rest of the site is neglected. The TV page still says that Gummi Bears is not available on DVD, and that has been out for more than a year. I don't even know what's the latest news, since I can't even bring myself to read the front page anymore.
I'm sorry if I'm insulting the obvious hard work that still goes into this site, but it really doesn't appeal to me any more. Is there any chance of getting back to the great Disney content and updating the various pages to their former glory? This used to be the undisputed best site around!
Thanks, and sorry for the rant!
Now there are random reviews of DVDs I don't care at all about, while the rest of the site is neglected. The TV page still says that Gummi Bears is not available on DVD, and that has been out for more than a year. I don't even know what's the latest news, since I can't even bring myself to read the front page anymore.
I'm sorry if I'm insulting the obvious hard work that still goes into this site, but it really doesn't appeal to me any more. Is there any chance of getting back to the great Disney content and updating the various pages to their former glory? This used to be the undisputed best site around!
Thanks, and sorry for the rant!
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Disney-Fan
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Just to make my opinion heard in this matter, I also want to state that I don´t like this mingling with other DVDreviews on this site that is called UltimateDisney. (and this I have written about before!)
So I stand with gardener 14 above, I think it´s sad that it has come to this. The excitement to go tho this site is not great anymore - but I do it anyhow
It was said when the DVD-rewiews of the non-Disney films began that it was only temporary, but it doesn´t seem like that at all.
And for Touchstone/Hollywood Pictures film-rewiews - it´s not the same at all to compare those films to other studios films. THEY ARE DISNEY, even that they not are made in the tradition of Disney.
Miramax is not Disney - so don´t count them in. (Disney had only made a few few films in co-operation with Miramax, otherwise they are all produced by Miramax who was an independant studio before Disney bought it, but they let Miramax continue as it was before - that meaning that these films (how good they may be) is not DIsney and should not be counted. But Touchstone and Hollywood pictures are sister companies created by DIsney, so they should count.
I think it should be much better if the non-Disney films were separated from this site - like it is now, most is confusing, nonexciting and a little disappointing.
Otherwise I love this site.
So please listen to this critic voices and don´t go much further in that direction, without separating the sites.
So I stand with gardener 14 above, I think it´s sad that it has come to this. The excitement to go tho this site is not great anymore - but I do it anyhow
It was said when the DVD-rewiews of the non-Disney films began that it was only temporary, but it doesn´t seem like that at all.
And for Touchstone/Hollywood Pictures film-rewiews - it´s not the same at all to compare those films to other studios films. THEY ARE DISNEY, even that they not are made in the tradition of Disney.
Miramax is not Disney - so don´t count them in. (Disney had only made a few few films in co-operation with Miramax, otherwise they are all produced by Miramax who was an independant studio before Disney bought it, but they let Miramax continue as it was before - that meaning that these films (how good they may be) is not DIsney and should not be counted. But Touchstone and Hollywood pictures are sister companies created by DIsney, so they should count.
I think it should be much better if the non-Disney films were separated from this site - like it is now, most is confusing, nonexciting and a little disappointing.
Otherwise I love this site.
So please listen to this critic voices and don´t go much further in that direction, without separating the sites.
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blackcauldron85
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I agree that Touchstone & Hollywood movies belong here...personally, many of my favorite "non-Disney" movies happen to be Touchstone films, just by coincidence...I'm not happy that other movie reviews and such are on UD, but I'm waiting to see if any changes occur when DVDizzy is up and running. Until then, I accept the fact that the other material is on here, since Luke & the gang are all working hard on both sites.
When a new Disney movie is released to theaters, or a high-profile DVD release comes out (like "The Jungle Book" in October), then there will be a lot more Disney discussion on the forum, I'm sure.
When a new Disney movie is released to theaters, or a high-profile DVD release comes out (like "The Jungle Book" in October), then there will be a lot more Disney discussion on the forum, I'm sure.
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Loomis
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 6357
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2003 4:44 pm
- Location: Sydney, Australia ... where there is no Magic Kingdom :(
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I tend to agree with the general consensus that non-Disney DVDs are a necessity. Hell, DVD Bits can barely keep its head above water most of the time dealing with all of Australia, let alone a specific type of DVD. (HKDL Source sometimes suffers a similar info drought). No doubt, there needs to be an expansion and kudos to the team for doing this rather than abandoning the site altogether.
However, with all due respect to the people working hard on the site, the front page looks like a bit of a dog's breakfast at the moment. Unfortunately, the current format doesn't readily lend itself to making it "very easy to scroll past something that doesn't interest" us, as the only think separating the 'wall of text' is a few dates. The plethora of ads also detract from the 'professional' aspects of the site.
Don't take this as a criticism, as the quality of the content is just as high. My only gripe IS the front page, and not the actual content. You could review Swedish Massage DVDs for all I care, and I'd still visit (maybe more often!), but at the moment I think the front page is counter to the purposes of expanding your reader base.
Good luck with the new site though. If you ever need a Region 4 correspondant...
However, with all due respect to the people working hard on the site, the front page looks like a bit of a dog's breakfast at the moment. Unfortunately, the current format doesn't readily lend itself to making it "very easy to scroll past something that doesn't interest" us, as the only think separating the 'wall of text' is a few dates. The plethora of ads also detract from the 'professional' aspects of the site.
Don't take this as a criticism, as the quality of the content is just as high. My only gripe IS the front page, and not the actual content. You could review Swedish Massage DVDs for all I care, and I'd still visit (maybe more often!), but at the moment I think the front page is counter to the purposes of expanding your reader base.
Good luck with the new site though. If you ever need a Region 4 correspondant...
Behind the Panels - Comic book news, reviews and podcast
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Twitter - Follow me on Twitter
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blackcauldron85
- Ultimate Collector's Edition
- Posts: 16689
- Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
- Gender: Female
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Without the ads, though, the site wouldn't get as much funding, and the users may have to pay. I wouldn't mind paying a small fee to use UD, since I love the site, but, without the ads, we'd probably have to.Loomis wrote: The plethora of ads also detract from the 'professional' aspects of the site.