Escapay versus Walt Disney Home Entertainment

[SleepingBeautyAurora]

I NEVER play those stupid games, they are so lousy!

[SpringHeelJack]

This would be so much funnier if it weren't what I'd honestly expect this interview to go like if it really happened.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

During the 90s Disney released quite a few very good laserdisc editions of some of the "classics". In the case of several of those titles Disney strangely enough saw themselves able to make both a box set for the serious fans and a single-disc for...eh...the general audience...?

[pap64]

I'm surprised that you didn't make fun of one current trend on Disney DVDs: A remix of a classic Disney song done by a Disney channel pop star.

It was cute the first couple of times, but now its getting ridiculous...

What's next? Hannah Montana sings "When you wish upon a star" or "An actor's life for me" on the Pinocchio Platinum DVD? Kyle Massey and Jason Dolley rap the Dwarves' Yodeling song?

[PeterPanfan]

If Kyle Massey appears on any Disney DVD I won't buy it. Period.

[Thomas J]

I'm surprised that you didn't make fun of one current trend on Disney DVDs: A remix of a classic Disney song done by a Disney channel pop star.

It was cute the first couple of times, but now its getting ridiculous...

What's next? Hannah Montana sings "When you wish upon a star" or "An actor's life for me" on the Pinocchio Platinum DVD? Kyle Massey and Jason Dolley rap the Dwarves' Yodeling song?

Lmao! Could you imagine the response parents would have towards a rap of "Heigh-Ho"? Wouldn't be pretty...

[Ariel'sprince]

I'm surprised that you didn't make fun of one current trend on Disney DVDs: A remix of a classic Disney song done by a Disney channel pop star.

It was cute the first couple of times, but now its getting ridiculous...

What's next? Hannah Montana sings "When you wish upon a star" or "An actor's life for me" on the Pinocchio Platinum DVD? Kyle Massey and Jason Dolley rap the Dwarves' Yodeling song?

Agree,those pop versions are really annyoing .
Don't forget the Johanas Borthers singing I Wonder in the Sleeping Beauty Platinum Edition and Ashley Tisdale singing Be Our Guest in the Beauty and the Beast Platinum Edition.

[BelleGirl]

I'm surprised that you didn't make fun of one current trend on Disney DVDs: A remix of a classic Disney song done by a Disney channel pop star.

It was cute the first couple of times, but now its getting ridiculous...

What's next? Hannah Montana sings "When you wish upon a star" or "An actor's life for me" on the Pinocchio Platinum DVD? Kyle Massey and Jason Dolley rap the Dwarves' Yodeling song?

If Disney insist on having some singer cover the Disney songs they could go for somthing more stylish... for instance as they did with Barbra Streisand singing "One day my prince will come' on the Snow white DVD.
And how about Barbara Hendrick? This classical singer made a wonderful CD full of Disney songs inclusing 'When you wish upon a star" (actually this is also the title of the CD). I'ts really a joy to listen to. They should put that on the Pinocchio PE!

[Sky Syndrome]

I don't get why Disney wants to heap loads of bonus features on their Blu-Ray DVDs if parents are gonna complain about paying for a lot of extra "behind-the scenes" stuff the family couldn't care less about....just like when the regular DVDs had loads of bonus features but are now practically bare-bones to satisfy those same parents! Eventually the regular DVDs may not be produced anymore so the parents will have to give in and buy Blu-Ray DVDs loaded with a lot of bonus stuff they don't want or rent them for their kids. Then Disney will notice the sales are poor because the parents are renting not buying their Blu-Ray DVDs and probably start releasing bare-bone Blu-Ray DVDs. The rest of us who want to the "behind-the-scene" stuff would be bald from ripping our hair out.

[Billy Moon]

...bonus features on their Blu-Ray DVDs...
...will have to give in and buy Blu-Ray DVDs...
...renting not buying their Blu-Ray DVDs...
...releasing bare-bone Blu-Ray DVDs...

A Blu-ray isn't a DVD. Just like a DVD isn't a CD. They're different formats.

[Sky Syndrome]

*takes a mental note that it's Blu-Ray Disc not Blu-Ray DVD*

[Big Disney Fan]

I never go into the Games & Activities section at all. Whenever I do a DVD like this, I automatically go to the Backstage Disney section.

[2099net]

I don't get why Disney wants to heap loads of bonus features on their Blu-Ray

Well, so far they haven't. Let's look at what's been put out onto Blu-ray to date. Early discs were missing considerable existing supplements (such as Dinosaur which had virtually none of its DVD supplemental content) but most came with BluScape shorts.

While I personally see the BluScape shorts as a waste of time and effort, I will give some props to Disney for including them (but really, wouldn't full 1080p deleted scenes or restored 1080p transfers of classic Disney shorts with a similar theme to the title movie or even... gosh-darn-it... full 1080p trailers be more appropriate). I can't understand why Disney went to the expense of comissioning and filming these supplements.

Recent discs may have more on Blu-ray, but in practice its not a lot. Meet the Robinsons has a few extra minutes of deleted scenes (I doubt its more than three minutes of stuff) and a game which doesn't even reach the quality of any Flash based game avaialble for free on your browser. Enchanted on Blu-ray doesn't promise much apart from a subtitle trivia/possible branching or PiP Disney Legacy references feature (and again perhaps a few extra minutes of deleted scenes).

Yeah, most Blu-rays are promising some BDJava stuff, but, while being a step above most DVD set-top games, they're not going to tear any kid away from actual PS3 games little Johnny is likely to be playing on his BDPlayer already.

Of course, there's always exceptions to the rule, and in Disney's blu-ray case it appears to be Pixar - Cars has considerable additional bonus features (but I can't help feeling that they were original recorded/created for a normal DVD release... John Lasseter's CineExplorer commentary would be perfectly suitable for a DVD commentary track). Rattatouie seems to be the same (although - fingers crossed - I'll be able to see if my UK BD comes tomorrow). But even then, the Pixar Shorts V1 Blu-ray was just the DVD content, with no BD unique bullet points on the back of the box (except the picture and sound quality of course*)

I think its a wrong to say Disney are concentrating on Blu-ray at the direct expense of their DVD releases. Yes, Sleeping Beauty seems to be having a lot of time and effort put into it. But will all that effort be appreciated by an older collector? I'm not so sure. Disney's press releases to date simply concentrate on the virtual castle aspect - much like Disney's DVD press releases concentrate on set-top games. There's very little information about what people will be able to experience and examine inside the virtual castle. We may not like the direction the recent platinum releases have gone in, but its still fair to say Disney has spent a lot of time and effort put into those releases. It's just we think Disney's time would be better spent in its vaults than making games, virtual rides and new pop-videos.

The same could apply to Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray. (Either way though to look on the bright side, I'm sure the actual presentation of the movie in Blu-ray quality sound and vision will be superb).

* Disclaimer added for Paka

[blackcauldron85]

As far as the music videos with current pop stars in them, I usually like them. I'd rather Radio Disney stars remake songs than Barbra Streisand (I'm a big Radio Disney fan...Babs, not so much). I could've done without T-Squad's "The Second Star to the Right", though.

Having more (or not really much more, as Netty pointed out) bonus features on a Blu-ray Disc can't really be compared to a 2-disc DVD, as far as the issue of dumb parents is concerned; with a 1-disc Blu-ray Disc, they won't have the issue of having to figure out which movie has the film on it (as a side note, I can commiserate with the dumb parents, at least when it comes to "Brother Bear"- isn't the OAR of the film on Disc 2? That always messes me up!).

[UncleEd]

Escapay, that was great! I tip my Crown of Satire to you. Every time I call them I get a ding bat who really talks like that or a rude person. Case in point their blunder with my Blu-Ray car I never got and they won't be sending. When I told her it's ridiculous when people can get TONS of them to sell on ebay and a person who collects the cars can't get one through the official channels then there is something seriously wrong. She just laughed and insisted I was mistaken about ebay scalpers getting multiple cars, even though if you go up there right now you can find the same sellers selling dozens of the cars and the discs without the points certificate...She said I must have given them the wrong address even though the address she read off IS my address. I told her I'd never be falling for any more of their promotional scams and she was all offended and told me to call back in March for a refund.

I look forward to your interview with Walt. In college I made a Flash film of Walt meeting Eisner and having a conversation. It was pretty good. I wish I still had a copy.

[UncleEd]

By the way, where can I find out more about these cut Aristocat songs since Disney will be mum on it?

[UncleEd]

By the way, the best Disney parody/satire ever is that Saturday Night Live cartoon about the Disney vault. I've only ever seen it only but it was hilarious. For those of you who've never seen it the premise is these kids get to visit the Disney vault with Mickey and they stumble onto all of Disney's darkest secrets like Walt's frozen head, Jim Henson gagged and bound prisioner because he wouldn't sell out, and Song of the South: The Original version.....and the lyrics are:

Zipp-idee-doo-dah Zipp-idee yay,
Negroes are inferrior in every way
Whates are much cleaner,
that's what I say.
Zipp-idee-doo-dah Zipp-idee yay.

And they have the best footage from the real film and a guy who sounds exactly like James Baskett singing it. This is the kind of unfounded reputation that film has so it's all the more funny.

[2099net]

As far as the music videos with current pop stars in them, I usually like them. I'd rather Radio Disney stars remake songs than Barbra Streisand (I'm a big Radio Disney fan...Babs, not so much). I could've done without T-Squad's "The Second Star to the Right", though.

Well I can understand that. But I will just ask... why does any song have to be remade? (And knowing "Babs", I bet she asked for a fortune when she did hers).

Wouldn't it be better to have a Disney short, or in the case of Aladdin or The Little Mermaid, a single episode form their TV series, rathet than a remade song?

[reyquila]

Mine will be:

WDHE: We're releasing.

reyquila: Bring 'em all!!!!

WDHE: We're releasing!!!

reyquila: I'm buying!!!!

WDHE: I love you!!!

reyquila: I love you more!!!!

[Super Aurora]

Lmao! Could you imagine the response parents would have towards a rap of "Heigh-Ho"? Wouldn't be pretty...

I would actually pay to hear that.

Don't forget the Johanas Borthers singing I Wonder in the Sleeping Beauty Platinum Edition and Ashley Tisdale singing Be Our Guest in the Beauty and the Beast Platinum Edition.

Wait... WHA? Sleeping Beauty Platinum didn't even come out yet. How you know this or heard the song? Link?

Mine will be:

WDHE: We're releasing.

reyquila: Bring 'em all!!!!

WDHE: We're releasing!!!

reyquila: I'm buying!!!!

WDHE: I love you!!!

reyquila: I love you more!!!!

That's not suprising