Disney's Blu-ray Release Strategy
Disney's Blu-ray Release Strategy
So this been brought up before but never really given a real discussion. Disney has released how many reissues animated, and even some non-animated titles over the past 2 years when they have been "full speed ahead" blu-ray supporters. Why in the world have they not started releasing other animated classics that are non platinum titles on blu-ray? We know they have HD masters of them. People would definitely buy them. So why not? I mean Escape to Witch Mountain, Pete's Dragon, Mary Poppins, Bed knobs & Broomsticks, Lilo & Stitch, Oliver & Company.. none of them are/have gotten blu-ray treatment. I mean Lilo & Stitch would not have been hard at all.. it's fairly new and is full CAPS. I just don't understand why if Disney is supposed to so whole-heartedly be supporting blu-ray why they aren't releasing their most wanted titles on it when they release them!
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zackisthewalrus
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When I think about it, I kinda think that this is part of Disney's plan. That they'll release the movies on DVD only and get people wandering why there's no blu and then they'll buy the DVD. Then, they'll unviel a ton of blu releases of movies they put on DVD months ago. This probably isn't true, but it's a good guess.
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singerguy04
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Although Bluray is picking up in sales, I'm not sure if Disney is confident enough in the format to support the release of a film like Oliver & Company on it. Simply put, there isn't a big enough fan base for the film for people to want to buy a $30 release.
With that said, Mary Poppins is a completely different story. I feel that it's a popular enough film to support a bluray release right now, and was puzzled when it didn't receive one. The only way this makes sense to me is that it'll be re-released on blu closer to christmas.
I think moving into this fall we'll begin to see more blu releases and definitely in 2010 we'll be full swing. Over the past few months prices for bluray players and discs have dropped and I can only imagine that this will push it even more.
With that said, Mary Poppins is a completely different story. I feel that it's a popular enough film to support a bluray release right now, and was puzzled when it didn't receive one. The only way this makes sense to me is that it'll be re-released on blu closer to christmas.
I think moving into this fall we'll begin to see more blu releases and definitely in 2010 we'll be full swing. Over the past few months prices for bluray players and discs have dropped and I can only imagine that this will push it even more.
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ajmrowland
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that's my guess too. The sales for some movies on DVD are not fantastic and Blu Ray base is still not big as the DVD. Also some don't wanna buy a movie on Blu Ray if they already have it on DVD.singerguy04 wrote:Although Bluray is picking up in sales, I'm not sure if Disney is confident enough in the format to support the release of a film like Oliver & Company on it. Simply put, there isn't a big enough fan base for the film for people to want to buy a $30 release.
So i assume Disney don't like their chances for some Movies as Blu Ray release at the moment even when i expect movies like Aladdin will be one day on Blu Ray too.
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goofystitch
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From a business standpoint, they would blow a lot of money pushing some of the smaller re-issues on Blu-Ray. Like singerguy04 said, there aren't a ton of people willing to pay $30 for films like Oliver & Company. I do agree that Lilo & Stitch would have been an easy one to do that probably would have sold well, but at the moment Disney seems intent on only releasing Platinum and Diamond Editions on Blu-Ray.
As for Mary Poppins, I figured that one out. Historically, that film has been re-released about every 5 years and even more recently, its always been done as an anniversary edition. 5 years from now is the 50th anniversary, so my theory is they are waiting for that release to bring it to Blu-Ray when they can pull out all the stops and hopefully give us the last version of the film we will ever have to own... probably not, but a guy can dream.
As for Mary Poppins, I figured that one out. Historically, that film has been re-released about every 5 years and even more recently, its always been done as an anniversary edition. 5 years from now is the 50th anniversary, so my theory is they are waiting for that release to bring it to Blu-Ray when they can pull out all the stops and hopefully give us the last version of the film we will ever have to own... probably not, but a guy can dream.
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DARTH KNITE
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CampbellzSoup
DARTH KNITE wrote:As a blu ray boycotter, I hope there are enough people like me to send the message that another conversion is not gonna happen.
Anyway like said the format is just picking up steam now, and I'm sure with a big holiday push and more players in homes that next year we'll see some more releases.
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ajmrowland
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Players are cheaper, still. And the more people who buy blu-rays, the lower the discs will cost. I, myself, still enjoy DVD, but once you have seen blu-ray properly, turning back isn't something you'd want to do. If it's DVD only, fine. I'll buy, watch it, and enjoy it. That's the attitude that many blu adopters have, well, adopted, and we accept it. Just see for yourself.DARTH KNITE wrote:As a blu ray boycotter, I hope there are enough people like me to send the message that another conversion is not gonna happen.
Now games..................................
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KubrickFan
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If you think about it, it makes sense. How many animated classics does Disney have? How many of those are liked by the majority (i.e. will generate pretty good profits?) Probably half.
Sure, they could whip out every CAPS title and slap it on a Blu-Ray disk, but that's not going to make them money (they are a business, after all). Every older title needs to be transferred and possibly remastered, and that is going to cost as well.
So far Disney has been doing a very good job on their BD releases, so I would go for quality over quantity. Remember that it took them a long time (about three years into the format) to finally release a DVD themselves. But it will happen, eventually.
Sure, they could whip out every CAPS title and slap it on a Blu-Ray disk, but that's not going to make them money (they are a business, after all). Every older title needs to be transferred and possibly remastered, and that is going to cost as well.
So far Disney has been doing a very good job on their BD releases, so I would go for quality over quantity. Remember that it took them a long time (about three years into the format) to finally release a DVD themselves. But it will happen, eventually.
Disney's Blu-ray release policy seems to be (more or less) the same as their DVD release policy at the same time into the products life cycle.
We got the first Platinum Blu-ray around about the time the first DVD Platinum was released. It may not feel as monumental being as Pinocchio was available as a Gold DVD release for years in the US (and as a Special Edition elsewhere) and Sleeping Beauty already had a 2 disc special edition released but its pretty much the same. I understand Snow White will have more "impact" and arguably Disney are promoting the Blu-ray release of Snow White more, but Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty has been released - and are just as innovative in its use of Blu-ray technology as the Platinum Snow White was in its use of DVD technology.
I'm aware DVD by now had a number of Animated Classics released at this point in its life, but generally the transfers and implementation was pretty poor - usually Laserdisc transfers with no further mastering. One thing you cann not fault Disney on is the quality and (presumably) financial investment in their current Blu-ray releases - with only one or two exceptions (such as the often criticised Gangs of New York) they look and sound incredible. This time, Disney is doing things properly, which leads to perhaps a slower release schedule. Did Disney really need to restore and/or remaster the archival supplements on Sleeping Beauty in High Definition? No, but they did.
While we've not seen many back-catalogue animated classics, keep in mind we have seen (and will see) several back catalogue Pixar releases - something that wasn't around in early DVD days.
It's also true that we've had a number of close to bare bones Blu-rays, the most disappointing perhaps being Meet the Robinsons and Bolt, but we've also had a number of Blu-ray releases which have pushed the format in both number of supplements and presentation of the supplements;
* The National Treasure films feature all the supplements from their 2 disc DVD releases, plus a number of Blu-ray exclusive supplements and all are presented on a single disc in full HD.
* Prince Caspian may split the content over two discs, but again all the supplements are in full HD, and the Blu-ray exclusive "Circle Vision" must have over 2 hours of unique, exclusive content buried within it.
* Cars and Ratatouille are overflowing with supplements, and notable for introducing the Cine-Explore feature which has been subsequently tweaked and improved for new Platinum and Diamond editions. Again, Ratatouille has all its supplements in full HD. Wall-E has numerous viewing options as well as a full, feature length documentary (again in full HD with clips from other Pixar films which look incredible)
* Finally, in many respects, away from the Disney brand, Buena Vista leads the way with Blu-ray releases in general. Many 2008 round-ups from many movie and home video websites and magazines had Buena Vista named as the number one blu-ray publisher. (Although personally I'd give that award to Universal)
This period of Blu-ray cannot be compared to the same period of DVD. Look at how many films Disney was content to release in P&S format. Look at Luke's list of P&S DVDs
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/panandscan.html
Even today, over ten years since DVD was introduced, many of these titles are still only available in a compromised format. The people who are currently buying Blu-rays won't accept a compromise on the audio/visual presentation.
If Disney can't be bothered to pay for new transfers for DVD releases like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids or A Muppet Christmas Carol - both well loved and well regarded films - how can you expect them to jump at the opportunity to restore/remaster their countless other catalogue films for Blu-ray? They've not even bothered to redo their Laserdisc ports on DVD!
Blu-ray releases will come as the format matures and as Disney finds the time/money to restore or remaster their transfers.
We got the first Platinum Blu-ray around about the time the first DVD Platinum was released. It may not feel as monumental being as Pinocchio was available as a Gold DVD release for years in the US (and as a Special Edition elsewhere) and Sleeping Beauty already had a 2 disc special edition released but its pretty much the same. I understand Snow White will have more "impact" and arguably Disney are promoting the Blu-ray release of Snow White more, but Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty has been released - and are just as innovative in its use of Blu-ray technology as the Platinum Snow White was in its use of DVD technology.
I'm aware DVD by now had a number of Animated Classics released at this point in its life, but generally the transfers and implementation was pretty poor - usually Laserdisc transfers with no further mastering. One thing you cann not fault Disney on is the quality and (presumably) financial investment in their current Blu-ray releases - with only one or two exceptions (such as the often criticised Gangs of New York) they look and sound incredible. This time, Disney is doing things properly, which leads to perhaps a slower release schedule. Did Disney really need to restore and/or remaster the archival supplements on Sleeping Beauty in High Definition? No, but they did.
While we've not seen many back-catalogue animated classics, keep in mind we have seen (and will see) several back catalogue Pixar releases - something that wasn't around in early DVD days.
It's also true that we've had a number of close to bare bones Blu-rays, the most disappointing perhaps being Meet the Robinsons and Bolt, but we've also had a number of Blu-ray releases which have pushed the format in both number of supplements and presentation of the supplements;
* The National Treasure films feature all the supplements from their 2 disc DVD releases, plus a number of Blu-ray exclusive supplements and all are presented on a single disc in full HD.
* Prince Caspian may split the content over two discs, but again all the supplements are in full HD, and the Blu-ray exclusive "Circle Vision" must have over 2 hours of unique, exclusive content buried within it.
* Cars and Ratatouille are overflowing with supplements, and notable for introducing the Cine-Explore feature which has been subsequently tweaked and improved for new Platinum and Diamond editions. Again, Ratatouille has all its supplements in full HD. Wall-E has numerous viewing options as well as a full, feature length documentary (again in full HD with clips from other Pixar films which look incredible)
* Finally, in many respects, away from the Disney brand, Buena Vista leads the way with Blu-ray releases in general. Many 2008 round-ups from many movie and home video websites and magazines had Buena Vista named as the number one blu-ray publisher. (Although personally I'd give that award to Universal)
This period of Blu-ray cannot be compared to the same period of DVD. Look at how many films Disney was content to release in P&S format. Look at Luke's list of P&S DVDs
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/panandscan.html
Even today, over ten years since DVD was introduced, many of these titles are still only available in a compromised format. The people who are currently buying Blu-rays won't accept a compromise on the audio/visual presentation.
If Disney can't be bothered to pay for new transfers for DVD releases like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids or A Muppet Christmas Carol - both well loved and well regarded films - how can you expect them to jump at the opportunity to restore/remaster their countless other catalogue films for Blu-ray? They've not even bothered to redo their Laserdisc ports on DVD!
Blu-ray releases will come as the format matures and as Disney finds the time/money to restore or remaster their transfers.
Most of my Blu-ray collection some of my UK discs aren't on their database
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I am the Doctor
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While I will agree that most of the Disney Blu releases have been excellent (in terms of quality and supplemental material), I do find their release strategy a bit puzzling, but hardly surprising.
Movies like Oliver and Company and Bedknobs and Broomsticks might not sell anywhere near as many copies as, say, the Pirates trilogy but if you hope to grow the format you need to release a wide spectrum of movies.
I would have bought Oliver and Bedknobs if they were being released on Blu. However, I already have DVD copies of both movies, so I see no need to re-buy new DVD editions of both films.
I mean, doesn't anyone at Disney read the Blu-specific forums out there, where the Blu-fans claim that they won't buy a movie anymore unless it's released on Blu?
Of course, this is the main reason I haven't abandoned DVD, there's still a great deal out there that just isn't available on Blu, and may not be for several years.
Unfortunately, and this is why I don't find the release strategy all that suprising, Disney (and most of the other studios as well) have tended to focus on action movies, assuming that most Blu-buyers are currently male.
While there are several Touchstone films that I would love to see released to Blu, mostly all we've seen are the Jerry Bruckheimer action movies (The Rock, Con Air, Pearl Harbor, etc.). It was actually refreshing to see Disney release Pretty Woman on Blu.
This is a problem that worked itself out eventually on DVD, as the DVD format grew so did the choices of films. I bought into DVD back in 1998, and I would say it wasn't until about late 2000-early 2001 that I started to see a move away from the heavy action movie release slate. That was about three and a half years into the DVD format. I suspect that around about Christmas-time this year, we will start to see more and varied choices available on Blu-Ray.
Movies like Oliver and Company and Bedknobs and Broomsticks might not sell anywhere near as many copies as, say, the Pirates trilogy but if you hope to grow the format you need to release a wide spectrum of movies.
I would have bought Oliver and Bedknobs if they were being released on Blu. However, I already have DVD copies of both movies, so I see no need to re-buy new DVD editions of both films.
I mean, doesn't anyone at Disney read the Blu-specific forums out there, where the Blu-fans claim that they won't buy a movie anymore unless it's released on Blu?
Of course, this is the main reason I haven't abandoned DVD, there's still a great deal out there that just isn't available on Blu, and may not be for several years.
Unfortunately, and this is why I don't find the release strategy all that suprising, Disney (and most of the other studios as well) have tended to focus on action movies, assuming that most Blu-buyers are currently male.
While there are several Touchstone films that I would love to see released to Blu, mostly all we've seen are the Jerry Bruckheimer action movies (The Rock, Con Air, Pearl Harbor, etc.). It was actually refreshing to see Disney release Pretty Woman on Blu.
This is a problem that worked itself out eventually on DVD, as the DVD format grew so did the choices of films. I bought into DVD back in 1998, and I would say it wasn't until about late 2000-early 2001 that I started to see a move away from the heavy action movie release slate. That was about three and a half years into the DVD format. I suspect that around about Christmas-time this year, we will start to see more and varied choices available on Blu-Ray.
Well thats assuming Oliver and Co and Bedknobs are going to have new high definition masters made - based on Disney's other Animated Classics re-releases, the answer is they won't. At least not a proper restoration.
Lilo and Stitch, another DVD without a Blu-ray release was, let's remember, released everywhere else in the world round about 2005. OK, at that time you'd assume it would have a 2K transfer made, but we can't take it for granted that it did. For this recent DVD re-release, Disney just used the exact same transfer.
Mary Poppins does seem perplexing though - I'm sure its been confirmed a 2K restoration was done for the 2004 release. But then, as has been pointed out the 50th anniversary is reasonably soon (especially in Disney years) and is more logical to hold back for a massive promotional push then.
As I pointed out, Blu-ray isn't the same as the early days of DVD when previously used transfers could be recycled from video and Laserdisc releases with little complaint from the majority of the audience. And new hi-def transfers cost in both money and time. It seems most studios prefer to use 4k transfers rather than 2k - perhaps this is Disney's policy too - which means virtually all of its films will need specific Blu-ray transfers/masters created.
Lilo and Stitch, another DVD without a Blu-ray release was, let's remember, released everywhere else in the world round about 2005. OK, at that time you'd assume it would have a 2K transfer made, but we can't take it for granted that it did. For this recent DVD re-release, Disney just used the exact same transfer.
Mary Poppins does seem perplexing though - I'm sure its been confirmed a 2K restoration was done for the 2004 release. But then, as has been pointed out the 50th anniversary is reasonably soon (especially in Disney years) and is more logical to hold back for a massive promotional push then.
As I pointed out, Blu-ray isn't the same as the early days of DVD when previously used transfers could be recycled from video and Laserdisc releases with little complaint from the majority of the audience. And new hi-def transfers cost in both money and time. It seems most studios prefer to use 4k transfers rather than 2k - perhaps this is Disney's policy too - which means virtually all of its films will need specific Blu-ray transfers/masters created.
Most of my Blu-ray collection some of my UK discs aren't on their database
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milojthatch
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I'd have to agree with that. What ticks me off is how they still haven't finished releasing stuff on DVD yet! Ducktales Vol. 4 anyone?ajmrowland wrote:They're just doing what Disney does best. Give the most well-known(and most recent) films the best treatment, and virtually ignore everything else. at least until the market's ripe.