Aussie (R4) titles for May

[Loomis]

Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) have started to announce their Disney titles for May.

The "midquel" to the Lion King - Lion King 3 (known in the US as he Lion King 1 1/2) - is out to buy on May 12. It will be a 2 disc set with deleted scenes; behind the scenes featurettes; a music video and games.

Freaky Friday (remake) will be available to buy on May 12 (a barebones release is already available to rent). The film will be presented in 1.85:1 Widescreen ratio, with English/French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and subtitles in those languages as well as Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese. Additional features include a Backstage Pass With Lindsay Lohan; Freaky bloopers; Alternate Endings; Deleted Scene; Pink Slip Rocks! and Freaky Jams.

Also available on the same day are the 1961 classics The Absent Minded Professor and Greyfriars Bobby. They will be barebones discs, with the feature only.

Kinda small selection, but I think the list will grow over the coming week...

[MickeyMouseboy]

Cool Loomis sucks that you have to get all this DVDs so late!!!!

[Loomis]

Yeah, in some ways it does...

but we can always import, and we are not the only country.

Plus, we also get some stuff you guys don't get, so I guess we have the best of both worlds in the end.

I really don't think that having to wait a whole 3 months was that big a deal for Lion King 1.5 (given that Lion King "Platinum" only came out last week here!). The Freaky Friday delay has more to do with the theatrical release date of the film, and that was later than the US. And it has been available to rent for several months now. BVHE.au seem to be giving rental windows to more and more movies, so the RETAIL version is later.

The US studios just don't use that system is all...

[Loomis]

Buena Vista Home Entertainment have added more to their May line-up of Disney releases.

First up we have the Magical World of Winnie the Pooh Volume 5 - Friend Forever. This is oddly subtitled Volume 5, as we are yet to get Volume 2 (Little Things Mean a Lot) and Volumes 1, 3 & 4 (All For One, One For All; respectively) are not given volume numbers. That's that wacky Disney for you! May 12 is the day to pick this one up. Presented in 1.33:1 (it was a TV show from the late 80s, so this is normal) and English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese Dolby 2.0, the disc also contains a game and a sing-a-long.

And also making a local DVD appearance on the same day is the 1960 Hayley Mills classic, Pollyanna. It will contain only one feature, it seems - the Pollyanna: Making of A Masterpiece featurette. This is a far cry from the 2-disc Vault set the US received a few years ago, and seems to be the trend with all of the 'Vault' titles here. The films itself is presented in 1.77:1; English/Spanish 5.1 and multi-language subtitles.

[Tony]

Thanks for the update Loomis....

I have the 2 disc region 1 Vault releases of Pollyanna, Old Yeller and The Parent Trap and only now have to get Swiss Family Robinson to complete my collection of the 4 fantastic Vault DVD's from 2002. It is such a shame that Buena Vista are not giving Australians the opportunity to have the 2 disc releases... Thank God for Amazon and ebay !!

[windupgamecat]

The May release schedule in full (all released May 12th):

Freaky Friday, $34.95.
The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata, $39.95.
The Absent-Minded Professor, $19.95.
Blackbeard's Ghost, $19.95.
The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes, $19.95.
Escape To Witch Mountain, $19.95.
Freaky Friday (original), $19.95.
Greyfriar's Bobby, $19.95.
The Parent Trap (original), $19.95.
Pollyanna, $19.95.
Return From Witch Mountain, $19.95.
The Magical World Of Winnie The Pooh: Friends Forever, $24.95.
The Magical World Of Winnie The Pooh: Love & Friendship, $24.95.

G.

[Loomis]

Hey, thanks windupgamecat 0 I didn't know about the Witch Mountain releases! Hope they are the same as the US ones...

Where did you get the info on the additional titles? I can't see it on the BVHE site....

Thanks in advance...

[windupgamecat]

I got the complete list because I'm a buyer for a video library. I get a glossy dealer's kit each month, preview cassettes of the rental titles and regular visits from a delightful sales representative named Jackie.
I was seriously considering getting Witch Mountain too, because I loved it as a kid.

[karlsen]

The May release schedule in full (all released May 12th):

Blackbeard's Ghost, $19.95.
The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes, $19.95.

Are these in widscreen?

[Tony]

I got the complete list because I'm a buyer for a video library. I get a glossy dealer's kit each month, preview cassettes of the rental titles and regular visits from a delightful sales representative named Jackie.
I was seriously considering getting Witch Mountain too, because I loved it as a kid.

I have the region 1 DVD of Escape to Witch Mountain. If the region 4 version is the same, you will love.

[Loomis]

I got the complete list because I'm a buyer for a video library. I get a glossy dealer's kit each month, preview cassettes of the rental titles and regular visits from a delightful sales representative named Jackie.
I was seriously considering getting Witch Mountain too, because I loved it as a kid.

I have the region 1 DVD of Escape to Witch Mountain. If the region 4 version is the same, you will love.

I'm hoping the Witch Mountain films are the same as the US ones, simply because it would be cheaper. I can't see why not - it will be a 1 disc SE - surely that within the power of Disney AU.

Strange they are still not up on the BVHE.com.au site...

[Loomis]

The May release schedule in full (all released May 12th):
G.

According to EzyDVD (who have the Witch Mountain ones mentioned there) we can add Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse In Living Colour (2 Disc Set) and Disney Treasures - Silly Symphonies (2 Disc Set) to that list as well!

BIG news, and they confirm all of your other release dates as well. I think this deserves its own thread...

[Tony]

I personally haven't called Buena Vista in Australia for a while.... but I was wondering if anyone has called them asking if the Treasures will be in the tins or not ?

Also, it will be interesting too see how long it takes for further Treasures to be released after May. It would be good to get another minor "wave" before Christmas.

[karlsen]

If it is the same as released in Norway and Europe (wish I guess it is) then it wount include the tins. That seems to be a Region 1 thing.

More will be released if these goes well was the official respond that I got from the Norwegian supplyer, and I guess that goes for Australia as well

But I would be greatefull if anybody could call up Disney Australia and ask if Blackbeard's Ghost will be in OAR or not. Then I would buy it imidiatly.

[Loomis]

But I would be greatefull if anybody could call up Disney Australia and ask if Blackbeard's Ghost will be in OAR or not. Then I would buy it imidiatly.

Ok, this is odd. The BVHE site is being slowly updated. The Blackbeard's Ghostentry says:

Screen Aspect Widescreen
Aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Does that make sense to anybody, because I guess it is about right.

[Mr arrow]

That is strange!, I also noticed that greyfriars bobby was listed as being widescreen at bvhe au........and yet EZDVD have it listed as full screen. I guess we arnt gong to know untill the actual day they hit the shelves.......

[karlsen]

But I can see that it atleast has Norwegian text, and then I will buy it just for that. But I do hope that it is widescreen.

I hope that Michaeldvd.com.au gets a review of it soon.

[Loomis]

That is strange!, I also noticed that greyfriars bobby was listed as being widescreen at bvhe au........and yet EZDVD have it listed as full screen. I guess we arnt gong to know untill the actual day they hit the shelves.......

Yeah, we're convinced BVHE don't actually like to sell DVDs, so they don't tell anybody what is on them until after they come out...

When the Herbie movies cames out, all the retail sites said "full frame" or "full screen", so I cancelled my orders. It turned out that this meant that they were simply not 16:9 enhanced. All (except one) were in WS, and in fact, Love Bug WAS 16:9. They didn't even advertise the commentary on the back of the box! Go figure.

So yeah, we will not know until we have them in our hands. Shame, because I am willing to preorder all the May DVDs NOW, but I'd like to know what will be on them first (especially the Witch Mountain ones).

[Loomis]

Well, I just checked the updated BVHE website.

Unfortunately, it states that both Witch Mountain movies will be FEATURE ONLY in Australia (i.e. barebones).

Guess Amazon will get my money once again...

[Loomis]

I personally haven't called Buena Vista in Australia for a while.... but I was wondering if anyone has called them asking if the Treasures will be in the tins or not ?

Also, it will be interesting too see how long it takes for further Treasures to be released after May. It would be good to get another minor "wave" before Christmas.

Well, I haven't actually contacted them, but their website now "officially" states that they will be coming out on May 12.

They don't mention anything beyond they fact that the Mickey disc will have 'EASTER EGG - On the 'O' of Mickey Mouse a Mickey head icon appears - Introduced by Leonard Maltin - short - "Mickey's Surprise Party"' and that the Silly Symphonies just mentions Introduction by Leonard Maltin.

I wouldn't panic yet though, because the BVHE site isn't known for publishing all the details of major releases BEFORE they come out...

Still, at least we have confirmation from an "official" source.