Aladdin Blu-ray!

[MattDean]

Over at blu-ray.com there's news that a disney rep gave an indication for this title's blu debut:

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=94434

Fingers crossed

Matt

[blackcauldron85]

Could that just be in Australia in Feb. 2010? One of the forum members from the link you provided said:

I'm sorry to have to say this, but unless there has big a BIG change at Disney, then Aladdin is not coming to Blu in Feb 2010.

The platinum release for March 2010 is Fantasia and Fantasia 2000. I believe Beauty and the Beast is scheduled for Oct 2010.

Disney still doesn't seem to even put out multiple (high profile) animated DVDs during the same month, so it's unlikely that Fantasia and Aladdin (2 platinum releases) will both be hitting in early 2010. It's also quite unlikely that Aladdin vaulted up the release schedule so much. It should fall after The Lion King which might mean Oct 2011 but I can't remember...EDIT - judging from previous posts, I'm assuming you're Australian, so I'll say that maybe Disney is going crazy down under.

I mean, sure, The Fox and the Hound and The Little Mermaid had very close release dates, but still...even if Aladdin has been bumped from the Platinum line, it's still a very high-profile title...I'm not saying that Disney won't release it in Feb. 2010, but with both Fantasia movies being released the next month, it doesn't necessarily seem plausible. But who knows!

Also, the OP there said that it would be a Blu-ray-only release. a) Will Aladdin be the first Blu-ray-only release then? and b) If Aladdin's Blu-ray-only release sells well, does that mean that Disney very well could only be putting out Blu-rays from Feb. 2010 onward? Are Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 supposed to come out on standard DVD? I'm getting worried now.

Someone else on that Blu-ray forum wrote:

Meet The Robinsons, Ratatouille, and The Jungle Book all came out within about six weeks of each other. Mulan and Aladdin came out the same month; ditto The Fox & the Hound and The Little Mermaid, with Cars the following month. Granted these are all fourth-quarter examples (and include Pixar releases), but it's not like it doesn't happen. The Fantasia crowd would be buying regardless of what else becomes available; there'll be a lot more hungry players out there after the holidays, and just about Disney animated title would stand out as a bright spot in a soft first quarter release schedule. I think the timing is right to offer up something that's not necessarily 70 years old. Aladdin would fit the bill, and if it has been demoted from Platinum status it should still sell better than most of the non-Platinum canon (particularly since it's been vaulted some five years); whether or not it's true, it seems sensible to me.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

[yukitora]

I don't think Disney would drop DVD releases just yet, they still make more revenue than Blu-rays. Sure Aladdin's PE sold poorly, just that's no reason to not release a dvd version for that extra money. Wouldn't it just be odd that they released the first BD-only release in 2009, and the next in 2015? With the only explanation being that "Aladdin had a recent (underpreforming) PE release".

Now if they re-released ALL the PEs in BD-only format for a limited time, that'd be different! I'd buy them all in a snap (and I don't even own a BD player yet). Oh my that would be costly.

[goofystitch]

The difference is that Aladdin is still in print on DVD (to my knowledge). While Disney may appear to make more money off of DVD because they sell more DVDs than Blu-Rays, the truth is that per unit sold, they make more with Blu-Ray. If they were smart about how they release the animated classics, they would put Aladdin out as one of the first non-Platinum titles on the format because it was underperforming on DVD and Disney fans who want to replace their DVDs with Blu-Ray versions are more likely to buy it when their options are limited. If they wait 5 years when about half of the DACs will be available in HD, consumers will be more selective with what they buy due to lack of shelf space. Since Aladdin didn't sell well after most of the animated films were available on DVD, then maybe it will sell well on Blu-Ray when you can count the number of DACs available on two hands (Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Dinosaur, Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, and Bolt).

Aladdin is also easy to do on Blu-Ray because its most recent restoration was probably done with HD in mind. They could easily do a nice 1-disc set if all of the bonuses from the 2004 release were done in standard definition. If HD versions of those features are available, then they will have no problem filling out a 2-disc set that would basically be the same as the previous release, so why bother even releasing it again?

I also think the mentality of consumers will change when they start to see some of these films only being rereleased to Blu-Ray, such as A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., and now maybe Aladdin as well. Even though comparable DVD versions are available, they my start to subconsciously think that studios are about to be done with DVD, when we know the format will be around for at least another 5 years, if not longer. It its a strategy that works, why not use it?

[Coolmanio]

Aladdin is OOP as of January '08.

[ajmrowland]

Y'know, none of this makes much sense. Disney's not likely to rerelease blu-rays outside the platinum line. Some of the titles mentioned are actually new releases being factored into the release dates of catalog titles.

[JDCB1986]

A lot of people are saying they don't think Disney will release these 2 (or 3) big features all within a 2 month period.
But I think it's actually really good strategy... Aladdin and Fantasia don't exactly have the same target audience. I don't know very many young children who beg to watch Fantasia. Aladdin on the other hand, kids seem to love.
Fantasia is more successful with older audiences and collectors I would say. So maybe they are just trying to get out more options.
And no DVD release for Aladdin, but including the DVD with the Blu-ray is brilliant strategy. I wouldn't be amazed if Aladdin were to outsell Fantasia.

[blackcauldron85]

Wouldn't it just be odd that they released the first BD-only release in 2009, and the next in 2015? With the only explanation being that "Aladdin had a recent (underpreforming) PE release".

What do you mean by the first comment?

And, does anyone know approximately how many copies of Aladdin were sold, both I guess in its first year of availability, and to date (as far as right before it was put in the Vault)?

[ZOOMBOOM0688]

And no DVD release for Aladdin, but including the DVD with the Blu-ray is brilliant strategy. I wouldn't be amazed if Aladdin were to outsell Fantasia.

I agree, that would be a great strategy, and if Disney releases other OOP titles, as BLU-RAY only (but COMBO sets) then I'm sure they will sell well.


Also if Disney releases an OOP title on BLU-Ray only before the 7 years is up would that count as them breaking their rules??

[Dr.Mirakle32]

If true, I could cry! Anticipation of this, my favorite Disney film, was the reason I got into Disney bluray.

[ajmrowland]

Hell, yeah! You said it, Doctor!

[goofystitch]

blackcauldron85 wrote:

And, does anyone know approximately how many copies of Aladdin were sold, both I guess in its first year of availability, and to date (as far as right before it was put in the Vault)?

For the first year of release, it sold around 2 million copies, which is horrible when you consider that Snow White sole 1 million in its first week of release.

As far as overall for its total release, I'm not sure if that information has been released. However, that wouldn't be a huge estimate of how much money Disney made off of it because Aladdin was one of those films that you would often see in store's $10 deals adds. I remember one time Best Buy had a bunch of them and Aladdin was the only Platinum title, along with Mulan, Tarzan, Emperor's New Groove, and the package features. So over its whole release, it could have sold 10's of millions of copies, but at less than half price, that's not exactly a ton of money for Disney and it speaks volumes if consumers are only willing to pay $10 for Aladdin.

And I agree with JDCB1986 that Aladdin being released so close to the Fantasia films wouldn't really impact their sales because of how different they are and who they appeal to. Fantasia is like the art piece of the Disney catalog. Fantasia tends to lose the interest of kids real fast. As a kid, I would fast forward to The Sorcerer's Apprentice and that was all I cared to watch of it, where as Aladdin held my attention from start to finish. Fantasia appeals more to adults and Aladdin might sell well because it appeals to kids and adults.

I would say the only groups who would have to make a choice between the two would be Disney and animation fans, but if you plan in advance, hopefully you can save up to get all three if that's important to you. You could also wait on Aladdin as it is once again sure to be around for a while and will eventually be on sale.

[ChrisLyne]

I would love Aladdin on Blu-Ray so soon!

If nothing else an official announcement on this would confirm whether or not it was still in the Platinum Collection. If it is then there's no way we're getting this next year, if we don't get the BR next year then there's still a chance it's in the Platinum Collection.

That said, Aladdin is one of the best (if not the best) Platinum releases in terms of bonus features, so even if they didn't add anything new and just made it all HD it would still be miles better than most other Disney DVDs/BRs.

Plus they made new digital prints for IMAX before Disney pulled the IMAX re-release program after TLK so they have the HD master prints to make the film Blu-Ray without needing to put any work into restoration.

Personally I still think Alice has been added into the Spring 2011 slot before TLK in October and we'll see another new addition Spring 2012 and a Platinum Collection 20th Anniversary Edition of Aladdin October 2012, but if it means getting Aladdin on Blu-Ray next year then I'll happily be proven wrong!

[blackcauldron85]

blackcauldron85 wrote:

And, does anyone know approximately how many copies of Aladdin were sold, both I guess in its first year of availability, and to date (as far as right before it was put in the Vault)?

For the first year of release, it sold around 2 million copies, which is horrible when you consider that Snow White sole 1 million in its first week of release.

I didn't know that anyone had answered my question- thanks, Alex!

How did other PEs do; is it fair to compare Snow White's sales number to Aladdin's? What I mean is, did a title like Peter Pan or The Jungle Book, for example, sell signifcantly less than Snow White, too? How much worse did Aladdin sell than some of the other PE titles? Aladdin is a popular movie, or one would think, so it's boggling as to why it sold so "poorly".

[ajmrowland]

Uh, maybe the marketing sold it poorly. Yeah, I remember the marketing wasn't very good.

[KubrickFan]

Plus they made new digital prints for IMAX before Disney pulled the IMAX re-release program after TLK so they have the HD master prints to make the film Blu-Ray without needing to put any work into restoration.

Aladdin was done in CAPS, so it's all digital and can be put out on Blu-Ray and dvd without the sidestep of putting it on film first.

[kbehm29]

I don't have a problem believing they will release Aladdin on Blu-ray soon as a non-Platinum.

I wouldn't think that their strategy would be to release all the Platinums on BD BEFORE starting with their non-Platinums? That would just take too darn long.

I think us BD lovers will be in for a treat within the next 3 years as to how many re-releases we're going to see overall. Here's hoping that they will be improvements on their current DVD forms, in all aspects.

[KubrickFan]

I don't have a problem believing they will release Aladdin on Blu-ray soon as a non-Platinum.

I wouldn't think that their strategy would be to release all the Platinums on BD BEFORE starting with their non-Platinums? That would just take too darn long.

I think us BD lovers will be in for a treat within the next 3 years as to how many re-releases we're going to see overall. Here's hoping that they will be improvements on their current DVD forms, in all aspects.

Of course they're not going to wait, they didn't with dvd and they even waited a couple of years because they didn't have any faith in the format.

[Flanger-Hanger]

Goofystitch, what's yours source on those numbers?

[zackisthewalrus]

So, lately the Disney owned stations have been showing Aladdin.... A LOT! It aired along a bunch of other DACs on Disney Channel for some kind of special event thing, and since then, it's been shown at least 4 more times. In HD too. Could this be a sign that it's bound for another release soon?