The Disney Vault: Announcements, Discussion, & Questions

[Barbossa]

It will probably be The Jungle Book and 101 Dalmations going back into the vault.

[Sotiris]

When it comes to the Disney vault i can always count on UD and the relevant thread to inform me on whats going OOP in order to take appropriate measures i.e. buy them before it's too late. But when it comes to other animated DVDs of other studios besides Disney i have no source of information if and when they go OOP.

So, i wanted to ask if first of all other animated DVDs go OOP like the Disney titles and list the titles that go OOP in the foreseeable future. I would really appreciate your input.

[jrboy]

It will probably be The Jungle Book and 101 Dalmations going back into the vault.

It is indeed The Jungle Book and 101 Dalmations, a DMC castmember informed me today that they'll be heading back in Jan. 2010.

[PeterPanfan]

It will probably be The Jungle Book and 101 Dalmations going back into the vault.

It is indeed The Jungle Book and 101 Dalmations, a DMC castmember informed me today that they'll be heading back in Jan. 2010.

Eeek! Two cases of "Dalmations"!

[Brer Brandon]

I was wanting to use some recent birthday money to fill in some holes in my Disney DVD collection. I was going to order Dumbo, but according to Amazon the Big Top edition (which UD says is available) has been discontinued. Does anyone know what's up? Does this mean a new version is on the horizon? Has this been promoted to Platinum (or Diamond or whatever it's called now)?

[jrboy]

Looks like Sleeping Beauty is also going in the vault this Jan.

[Cordy_Biddle]

...and 101 Dalmatians! Good thing I grabbed my copy a few weeks ago.

[DisneyFreak5282]

Okay, looks like I'm not in too bad of shape, I just need 101D2 and TJB2. Maybe I'll pick up the SB Blu-Ray for when I get a Blu-Ray player, but I have time to decide on that.

[ajmrowland]

Okay, looks like I'm not in too bad of shape, I just need 101D2 and TJB2. Maybe I'll pick up the SB Blu-Ray for when I get a Blu-Ray player, but I have time to decide on that.

Don't pressure yourself too much. Plenty of copies will still be available via Amazon or Ebay. Not all of which will be premium prices, either.

[jediliz]

they can't already put Sleeping Beauty into the vault, can they?!? Blu Ray copies should NOT be returned to the vault. Already have 101 Dalmations & Jungle book (bought those when they were released) and don't want JB2.

[Neal]

I still look forward to the day Disney realizes once something is vaulted, customers go to eBay or second-hand stores to buy these DVDs. If the vault didn't exist, and the DVDs were always available, Disney could collect a lot more money.

[DisneyFreak5282]

I still look forward to the day Disney realizes once something is vaulted, customers go to eBay or second-hand stores to buy these DVDs. If the vault didn't exist, and the DVDs were always available, Disney could collect a lot more money.

That's what I've been saying since day 1, there is such a high demand for so many of the vaulted titles because they are classics, that they are actually losing lots and lots of money for each DVD they vault. I mean, just keep it out of the vault until a new edition is announced!

[blackcauldron85]

The front page mentions that the live-action 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians are going back in the Vault, too. I missed out on those the first time, so those two just jumped to the top of my Christmas list!

[a-net-fan]

I still look forward to the day Disney realizes once something is vaulted, customers go to eBay or second-hand stores to buy these DVDs. If the vault didn't exist, and the DVDs were always available, Disney could collect a lot more money.

That's what I've been saying since day 1, there is such a high demand for so many of the vaulted titles because they are classics, that they are actually losing lots and lots of money for each DVD they vault. I mean, just keep it out of the vault until a new edition is announced!

I have thought about this too. The advantage of vaulting I guess is that

1) The customer knows that this title wont be available forever and the customer may do exactly what Blackcauldron is doing...and moving it to the top of their puchase lists instead of delaying their purchase until another time.

2) It gives them a good chance/ reason to promote the product and build anticipation for it.

3) It allows them to cash in multiple times on the same product by releasing different versions in the same format (VHS/ DVD) simply by changing up the bonus features and package art.

Im sure this is a strategy that has been well studied and works out well for them.

[blackcauldron85]

I was reading this article (McCullaugh, Jim. "'Fantasia' is due Nov. 1; in 50 days, it's gone forever. (videocassette sale distribution)." Billboard 103.n30 (July 27, 1991): 3(2). General OneFile. Gale. Orange County Library System (FL). 30 Aug. 2009
<http://0-find.galegroup.com.iii.ocls.in ... rodId=ITOF>.), and it is about how Fantasia would be released on home video back in 1991.

COPYRIGHT Billboard Publications Inc. 1991
~Fantasia' Is Due Nov. 1; In 50 Days, It's Gone Forever

LAS VEGAS--As anticipated, Walt Disney will release "Fantasia," a crown jewel among its animated movies, on video Nov. 1. Official announcement came here July 15 at the Video Software Dealers Assn. convention.

According to Disney executives, the 1940 title will be available for 50 days only and will never be released again on home video. Prebook date is Oct. 8.

Two packaging approaches to the film, which was restored last year for its 50th anniversary, will be undertaken. A no-frills edition will be list-priced at $24.95, while a deluxe collector's edition package will be pegged at $99.99.

The collector's boxed-set edition will feature the cassette with a specially produced hologram insignia; another tape called "The Making Of A Masterpiece," featuring footage of the late Walt Disney speaking about the film; an exclusively produced and authenticated commemorative lithograph; a certificate of authenticity signed by Roy Disney; a full-color, 16-page commemorative book; and the original sound track on two CDs.

Disney will also release simultaneous laserdisc editions of "Fantasia," which will be the first time the studio has ever released a title day-and-date in multiple formats.

A standard three-sided CLV format will be $39.95, while a deluxe five-sided CAV edition will be $99.99.

According to Bill Mechanic, Disney's president of international theatrical distribution and worldwide video, the studio will back the title with its "largest" video advertising campaign to date. Each Walt Disney Co. division, including the theme parks, will take part in the release. There will also be a "surprise" consumer promotion involving other company divisions, details of which will be forthcoming in September.

The bulk of the consumer advertising for the title, said Mechanic, will be on network TV, which the company believes will create more than 1 billion impressions over a six-week time frame.

Part of the rationale for releasing the title this year, says Mechanic, was the studio's feeling that there would be no other comparable product in the Christmas sell-through marketplace at that time.

"It gave us an opportunity to own the holiday season," he says.

Mechanic believes the title will be one of the "largest-selling video titles in history," with combined sales ranging from 7 million to 10 million units. Of that number, he said, he expects 300,000-1 million to wind up as rental inventory.

Another major reason to release "Fantasia" at this time, according to Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, is that the studio is planning a sequel called "Fantasia Continued," which should be ready for theatrical release in 1996 or 1997.

Walt Disney's original plan, Katzenberg noted, was for "Fantasia" to be continually updated by adding new segments and retiring some of the older segments. Since the original would never be seen again in its original form, he noted, the studio would be "missing an opportunity" by not creating a home video event with it at this time.

Disney celebrated the film's 50th anniversary last year with a theatrical rerelease that took in about $25 million in box office receipts. Several million dollars were spent to restore both visual and audio elements.

There are no plans to rerelease the film again theatrically. Nor will the film be seen in any other context such as the cable TV Disney Channel, according to Katzenberg.

With people here complaining about the Vault (in this thread and others), I just wanted to ask people's opinions of the method used for Fantasia back in the day, as well as for Limited Issue DVDs and whatnot. Surely the current Vault system is better for those who complain about the system?

[Cordy_Biddle]

Yes, I do recall the urgency needed to buy the Disney classics on video back in the "day" thanks to the 50 days production run. However the production runs for the videos was quite huge and you could easily find copies for months and months after production had ceased.

That said, we do have things much easier today; and I'm glad we don't have such stringent vault strategies with the DVDs.

[Sotiris]

I'm thinking of buying the Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray since it will be going into the vault but I'm not sure whether I should buy the US Blu-ray or the UK Blu-ray. I have an Amazon account so I can easily buy either one. Can you someone tell me their differences (besides the BD-live function that doesn't exist on the UK one)?

[Will Barks]

I'm thinking of buying the Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray since it will be going into the vault but I'm not sure whether I should buy the US Blu-ray or the UK Blu-ray. I have an Amazon account so I can easily buy either one. Can you someone tell me their differences (besides the BD-live function that doesn't exist on the UK one)?

1) UK is Code B, US Code A
2) US has "original" 4.0 sound

[Sotiris]

1) UK is Code B, US Code A
2) US has "original" 4.0 sound

Is that all? Are there any differences in terms of packaging? (slipcover, cover, inserts etc)

[2099net]

1) UK is Code B, US Code A
2) US has "original" 4.0 sound

Is that all? Are there any differences in terms of packaging? (slipcover, cover, inserts etc)

Surely the main difference is you're unlikely to be able to play it! Not only is there so few multi-region Blu-ray players, but constant firmware updates mean even they aren't guaranteed to be region free forever!