The Diamond Collection

[JDCB1986]

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment have formally announced the Diamond Collection, which represents 14 of the most beloved and historic animated films the studio has ever made. Each title will be thoroughly restored for the highest level of picture and sound. Additionally, each Blu-ray will feature ground-breaking special features that promise to push the limits of Blu-ray.

Bob Chapek, President of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment commented, "Because today's family rooms are more technologically-advanced and consumer expectations are higher than ever, we are excited to announce the launch of the Diamond Collection. We believe that the collection offers consumers the opportunity to enjoy these timeless classics like never before, and underlines Disney's commitment to continue to bring the best quality product and immersive experiences in to the home."

The first title to be released will be the October 6th Blu-ray release of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', after which two titles will be released each year from the collection. For 2010, 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Fantasia and Fantasia 2000' have been scheduled for Blu-ray release. The remainder of the titles - 'The Lion King', 'Bambi', 'Cinderella', 'Lady and the Tramp', 'The Little Mermaid', 'Peter Pan', 'The Jungle Book', and '101 Dalmatians' - will be released sometime in 2011-2015, completed by re-releases of 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Pinocchio' as part of the Diamond Collection.

Disney promises that each title will be remastered from the original negative (when available) for a pristine 1080p picture and stunning 7.1 soundtrack. As with all special Disney releases, these titles will only be available for a limited time.

and from the press release...

Anaheim, Calif. (D23 Expo) – September 10th, 2009 – Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) announced the launch of the new Diamond Collection today at the D23 Expo. Diamond Collection is the definitive collection of the Walt Disney Studios most historic and beloved animated classics that will debut on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def.

Beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on October 6, the Diamond Collection comprises an additional 13 of Disney’s most treasured titles, including: Beauty and the Beast; Fantasia and Fantasia 2000; The Lion King; Bambi; Cinderella; Lady and the Tramp; The Little Mermaid; Peter Pan; The Jungle Book; 101 Dalmatians; Sleeping Beauty; and Pinocchio.

“Walt Disney’s gift of telling captivating and engaging stories was matched only by his passion for presenting them in the most spectacular way,” commented The Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook. “We are proud to continue his pursuit of excellence with ‘The Diamond Collection,’ which brings the films that are the foundation of our Company to audiences of all ages across the globe.”

As part of the new Diamond Collection criteria, each film will be thoroughly restored to the highest level of picture and sound, feature groundbreaking, state-of-the-art immersive bonus content, and include unprecedented levels of interactivity, personalization and customization only made possible by Blu-ray technology. The Disney Diamond Collection will represent a major transformation of the home entertainment industry providing families with more engaging, entertaining experiences than any other format.

Bob Chapek, President of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment adds, “Because today’s family rooms are more technologically-advanced and consumer expectations are higher than ever, we are excited to announce the launch of the Diamond Collection. We believe that the collection offers consumers the opportunity to enjoy these timeless classics like never before, and underlines Disney’s commitment to continue to bring the best quality product and immersive experiences in to the home.”

Sort of disappointing that Fantasia 2000 is in and Aladdin is out, but hopefully this will mean we get Aladdin a bit sooner !!

Also, while they previously announced they were going to use the IMAX prints for Beauty And The Beast, The Lion King & Aladdin, they are now promising to use the original negatives ! Great news !!

Looks like this will be the schedule for the next few years...
Spring 2010: Fantasia, Fantasia 2000
Autumn 2010: Beauty And The Beast
Spring 2011: Bambi
Autumn 2011: The Lion King
Spring 2012: Lady And The Tramp
Autumn 2012: Cinderella
Spring 2013: Peter Pan
Autumn 2013: The Little Mermaid
Spring 2014: The Jungle Book
Autumn 2014: 101 Dalmatians
Spring 2015: Sleeping Beauty
Autumn 2015: Pinocchio

Can't wait for The Lion King !!

[o0Andy0o]

Looks like this will be the schedule for the next few years...
Spring 2010: Fantasia, Fantasia 2000
Autumn 2010: Beauty And The Beast
Spring 2011: Bambi
Autumn 2011: The Lion King
Spring 2012: Lady And The Tramp
Autumn 2012: Cinderella
Spring 2013: Peter Pan
Autumn 2013: The Little Mermaid
Spring 2014: The Jungle Book
Autumn 2014: 101 Dalmatians
Spring 2015: Sleeping Beauty
Autumn 2015: Pinocchio

It looks like you have Bambi and The Lion King flipped-flopped, as well as Lady and the Tramp and Cinderella. And I think The Little Mermaid will come before Peter Pan.

[Jack Skellington]

So there's no Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, or Dumbo included ?

Good... now I'm certain that I'm gonna see Alice in Wonderland in BD by next year.

[DisneyFreak5282]

So there's no Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, or Dumbo included ?

Good... now I'm certain that I'm gonna see Alice in Wonderland in BD by next year.

Yeah, probably to tie in with the live action film's DVD/BD release.

I'm slightly sad to see the Platinum line go, they were the first Disney DVDs I started collecting, and before I became a true Disney fan again, they were the only Disney DVDs I planned on collecting.

[Disneykid]

Actually, I agree with JCBD's proposed schedule. I can't see Disney releasing cash cow titles like The Lion King, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid spring of their respective years instead of fall. It's still possible, of course, but I'll be very shocked if these films arrive March of each year instead of October.

As for other titles floating around, as long as the BD releases of them are meaty, then I don't care what they're called. Aladdin can pretty much just be a direct port-over of its Platinum DVD, just throw in some more song demos that weren't included in that release. The same applies to other films that have already gotten elaborate DVD editions (Pocahontas, all of the films between Mulan and Lilo & Stitch). BD versions of those releases are okay by me.

Alice can port over all of the laserdisc materials along with the made-for-DVD features like "From Wonderland to Neverland" and "I'm Odd," and I'll be a happy camper (throw in a commentary and documentary, and I'll go from happy to ecstatic). The same applies to Hunchback, which is one of only three films that have had extensive LD sets but no DVD counterparts to match (the other two being Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros).

The challenge will be with Dumbo and (if we ever get a decent release of it) Hercules, since those two will require supplements made mostly from scratch.

All the other films in the canon don't seem valued enough by Disney to receive special treatment. I can maybe see something happening with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, but that's it. So to sum it up (too late), I think the only non-Diamond films that will be treated well on BD are the ones that have had two-disc sets already on DVD, the exception being Dumbo and possibly Pooh, Hunchback, and Hercules.

[singerguy04]

well, do we know for sure that the platinum line isn't being continued? nothing in the press release says that it's for sure gone. It could be that Disney is planning on using the line as a better organized gold collection. Afterall, Disney does love titles. That all my own speculation though, all other signs lead to it really being over.

I'm excited for the collection. This gives Disney the opportunity to actually start over and correct the failures in the Platinum line, I'm mostly thinking of Peter Pan. I am very disappointed that Aladdin is out, but I don't think that Fantasia 2000 is really replacing it. F2000 is still coming out the same time as the original so it's not as if it's taking a vacant spot that Aladdin used to occupy. I'm even betting that the films are being released together in a package somehow.

My last hope for this new collection is that Disney continues to make all this neat stuff or at least some kind of box set for each of these films. In the very least I want Best Buy to continue making the steelbooks! Those are classy!

[MouseHouse55]

Has it been stated whether standard dvd's will be released for the Diamond Collection separate from blu-ray discs, or will we be forced to buy the blu-ray/dvd combos?

[singerguy04]

Has it been stated whether standard dvd's will be released for the Diamond Collection separate from blu-ray discs, or will we be forced to buy the blu-ray/dvd combos?

It looks to me that this just might be the case. I'm sure they'll still do the 2-Discs being BD and 1 DVD disc thing though. It could also be that coinciding DVD releases of the Diamonds will be just regarded as Special Editions. Similar to the 2-disc DVD of Snow White that's going to be coming out.

[Goliath]

I literally couldn't care less. All I want is to own all films on dvd with a neat package of bonus features. And whatever they call it or organize it or in what order they come, I don't care. The only thing *I* really want is to have Dutch equivalents of EACH title as it was released in the US! Right now, there are no 2-disc sets available in The Netherlands of Pocahontas, Alice in Wonderland, Atlantis and Brother Bear. (Not that I really care about those last two, by the way.) I don't know why. It's inexplicable.

[Coolmanio]

This is good news. I just hope they keep doing what they did with Snow White and have a DVD packaging of the 2disc bluray available as well.

[Barbossa]

Don't forget, there won't be any after Cinderella. The world is going to blow up that December.

[yukitora]

Whilst I wish Alice in Wonderland made the cut, at least this confirms we will be getting it on blu-ray sooner

(and by confirm, I mean disney-confirm)

[SpringHeelJack]

Poor "Aladdin".

[Jack Skellington]

Don't forget, there won't be any after Cinderella. The world is going to blow up that December.

And they said the world will run out of electricty by the year 2000.
Personally I think the Mayans must have died before they had a chance to complete their calenders or something.

[DisneyQuack]

I'm disappointed to see that Aladdin isn't on the list

[Just.A.Friend]

I'm disappointed to see that Aladdin isn't on the list

So am I.
I really wish they could have kept Aladdin up there, if the DVD sales were the reason why it was docked, that is a sad excuse to remove it from the Platinum/Diamond Collection altogether.. all this collection is is classic and most memorable Disney movies, and Aladdin definitely is one of those!

[JDCB1986]

It looks like you have Bambi and The Lion King flipped-flopped, as well as Lady and the Tramp and Cinderella. And I think The Little Mermaid will come before Peter Pan.

I agree with Disneykid, I don't see them releasing The Lion King, Cinderella or The Little Mermaid in Spring, maybe, but unlikely. I think they will save the biggest title of each year for the Autumn slot. That's just my opinion though Who knows what will happen.

I think we will see Aladdin in 2012 as a 20th Anniversary Edition. I really hope we don't have to wait that long, but it sounds like something Disney would do and it would also put it's release right about where it would be if it were left in the Diamond Collection.

Maybe a 50th Anniversary of Alice In Wonderland in 2011 or late 2010.

With 15th Anniversary editions of Pocahontas-Emperor's New Groove in their respective years.
That would finish out the 2010-2015 plan.

So... that being said, here is what I think we will see (or something along these lines...)

Early 2010: Dumbo
Spring 2010: DE Fantasia, Fantasia 2000
Mid 2010: 15th Anniversary Pocahontas
Autumn 2010: DE Beauty And The Beast

Early 2011: 50th Anniversary Alice In Wonderland
Spring 2011: DE Bambi
Mid 2011: 15th Anniversary The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
Autumn 2011: DE The Lion King

Early 2012: 20th Anniversary Aladdin
Spring 2012: DE Lady And The Tramp
Mid 2012: 15th Anniversary Hercules
Autumn 2012: DE Cinderella

Spring 2013: DE Peter Pan
Mid 2013: 15th Anniversary Mulan
Autumn 2013: DE The Little Mermaid

Spring 2014: DE The Jungle Book
Mid 2014: 15th Anniversary Tarzan
Autumn 2014: DE 101 Dalmatians

Spring 2015: DE Sleeping Beauty
Mid 2015: 15th Anniversary The Emperor's New Groove
Autumn 2015: DE Pinocchio

It may seem like a lot, but when they finally started releasing a lot of classics onto DVD they did several a year, so I don't think 3-5 a year is too many for them to handle properly, especially considering that a lot of the CAPS films will be much easier and faster than the films pre-CAPS.

[diego14_1992]

I can't believe freakin disney is not making this editions on dvd!!!!
It said so on the press release...um not upgrading to Blu-Ray Disney!

[amazon980]

I half to wait 4yrs for TLM on blu!

[JDCB1986]

I can't believe freakin disney is not making this editions on dvd!!!!
It said so on the press release...um not upgrading to Blu-Ray Disney!

Can we please not turn yet another thread into a Blu-ray vs. DVD debacle ? This thread is to discuss The Diamond Collection. If The Diamond Collection is exclusively Blu-ray, then that is that. Don't like it ? Don't post here.