It's like Walt Disney Home Video went fishing!

[merlinjones]

>>By the way, I'm all for releasing every film ever produced by Walt, as soon as possible, in as high quality as possible. The prints used for Third Man on the Mountain, The Story of Robin Hood, Rob Roy the Highland Rogue, etc. are an embarassment.<<

Me too. And I have heard that there is beautifully restored from the Technicolor film of "Robin Hood" that has never even been transferred to video!


>>I guess the numbers say otherwise, but you'd think a studio would be smart to take advantage of the light competition. Like say, releasing a TV season set in July across from nothing instead of in September on the same day as five other major shows.<<

Good point. Even Paramount, which has been none too generous with their vast classic TV library inherited from Viacom, has managed to squeek out new Lucy and My Three Sons sets over the summer.

[Lazario]

Honestly, I've grown to respect Walt fans less and less because of how maniacal they can be on this forum.

Better be careful, or one of them might hunt you down and ...




























gut you like a fish.

[Rudy Matt]

The point is that Walt Disney's own film and TV library deserves more respect than the current rights holders are giving it and the material should be readily available to the public.

I agree with this, right up until you say the material should be readily available to the public.

[ajmrowland]

did I miss when a ton of Walt's films were released in a year.

[Rudy Matt]

did I miss when a ton of Walt's films were released in a year.

I think 1999 and 2000 were very prolific years for Disney home video releases. Pinocchio (LE and GC), Fantasia (Anthology), Saludos Amigos (GC), Three Caballeros (GC), Make Mine Music (GC), Fun and Fancy Free (GC), Melody Time (GC), The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (GC), Alice in Wonderland (GC), Peter Pan (LE), Lady and the Tramp (LE), 101 Dalmatians (LE), The Jungle Book (LE), and Mary Poppins (GC) were all released within 24 months, if not less. And that's not also including The Aristocats (GC), Robin Hood (GC), The Black Cauldron (GC), The Little Mermaid (LE), The Rescuers Down Under (GC), Hercules (GC), and Mulan (GC), not to mention Tarzan:CE, A Bug's Life: CE, and Toy Story 1 and 2 in the Ultimate Toy Box.

And even all of THIS doesn't include the many Anchor Bay titles, such as Happiest Millionaire Road Show edition, Watcher in the Woods, Cat From Outer Space, Black Hole, Never Cry Wolf, etc.

Disney hemorraghed titles onto DVD in the early going. They have since cooled their jets consderably, looking to hit the Blu-Ray/HD market when the iron is hot.

[Luke]

I thought we were talking about Disney's lack of any releases between <i>Air Bud: World Pup</i> Special Edition and <i>James and the Giant Peach</i>, but I now see we're talking about the lack of "Walt Disney" stuff, which has been pretty much forever outside of the yearly Treasures offering (and this year's equivalent documentaries).

[merlinjones]

>>I thought we were talking about Disney's lack of any releases between Air Bud: World Pup Special Edition and James and the Giant Peach<<

LOL. I'm trying to imagine what could possibly fit between those two titles!


>>...but I now see we're talking about the lack of "Walt Disney" stuff, which has been pretty much forever outside of the yearly Treasures offering (and this year's equivalent documentaries).<<

>>did I miss when a ton of Walt's films were released in a year<<

Well - - Even last summer, WDHV released several formerly exclusive Walt titles to retail ("Story of Robin Hood," "Yellowstone Cubs," "Donald in Mathmagic Land" etc.) and the Disney Movie Club released a slew of great exclusive WDP titles last year (that at least we could find in the aftermarket) like "The Monkey's Uncle," "So Dear to My Heart," "The Incredible Journey," "Ten Who Dared," "Tonka," and "Moon Pilot" (etc., etc.) (I know, better that they were retail releases, but at least these were made available in some form) - - and then they released the amazing full season sets of "Zorro" via Walt Disney Treasures. Not to mention Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Pinocchio" on DVD and Blu-Ray.

So, in point of fact, this year is really a desert for actual Walt Disney films by comparison to last.

The documentaries aren't equivalent substitutes because - - well, they are just new documentaries ABOUT Walt Disney, not Walt Disney's unreleased classic films or shows (and would have come out regardless).

[Goliath]

Most of the items on merlinjones' wish-list only appeals to a very tiny group of collectors, I think. Things like the Walt Disney tv programs and Disneyland-related programs etc. wouldn't sell well with the mass audience, I guess. The only possible exception could be the live-action films, but then again they're hardly known in Europe, a big market for Disney. So I think it's not so strange Disney is not releasing that kind of material in large numbers.

[merlinjones]

History has shown that there's always a market for classic Walt Disney animation and Disneyland titles anyway, and there are plenty of those TV shows alone to be released (...and Annette still has a following of boomers outside of Disney fans).

Let's not forget that "Song of the South" is a mainstream Walt Disney blockbuster.

Regardless, the current drought leaves a Walt Disney collector without anything new to get, which seem like a waste of loyal folks that consistently support Walt's work (not mass market perhaps, but a sizable number other film companies would jump through hoops to attract, especially in a down economy).

[schoollover]

In all Honesty from a working perspective disney as been on part time since 2005 and started at the emperors new groove and Tarzan dvd release which went from 2 discs to 1 despite having released 2 disc versions released already and the former being still in rint up to 2005.
Then Lilo and Stich's 2 Disc Special Edition didn't happen until 2009. Fromthat point on they have only been mainly focusing on their platinums and treseaures while many of their other dvd's began to follow Let's release without any improvements to make some money" system. This is still continuing to happen but WDHE is working very hard at their Blu-ray disc's. This is my theory.

[ajmrowland]

did I miss when a ton of Walt's films were released in a year.

I think 1999 and 2000 were very prolific years for Disney home video releases. Pinocchio (LE and GC), Fantasia (Anthology), Saludos Amigos (GC), Three Caballeros (GC), Make Mine Music (GC), Fun and Fancy Free (GC), Melody Time (GC), The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (GC), Alice in Wonderland (GC), Peter Pan (LE), Lady and the Tramp (LE), 101 Dalmatians (LE), The Jungle Book (LE), and Mary Poppins (GC) were all released within 24 months, if not less. And that's not also including The Aristocats (GC), Robin Hood (GC), The Black Cauldron (GC), The Little Mermaid (LE), The Rescuers Down Under (GC), Hercules (GC), and Mulan (GC), not to mention Tarzan:CE, A Bug's Life: CE, and Toy Story 1 and 2 in the Ultimate Toy Box.

And even all of THIS doesn't include the many Anchor Bay titles, such as Happiest Millionaire Road Show edition, Watcher in the Woods, Cat From Outer Space, Black Hole, Never Cry Wolf, etc.

Disney hemorraghed titles onto DVD in the early going. They have since cooled their jets consderably, looking to hit the Blu-Ray/HD market when the iron is hot.

ok, u got me. though not much has happened since outside the Disney Movie Club and PE/DEs.

[Rudy Matt]

Disney has the highest grossing average per home video catalog title than any other studio. Not even Warner Bros., with their massive catlog library, comes close. I don't think it would hurt Disney to street more Walt-era titles, or at the least, make them available for purchase.

I can see some day way off in the future where people can simply access a studio via the net through their home theater, and stream any movie they want. I'd happily pay a flat fee every month, if that allowed access to a studio's film library. The studios could bypass cable syndication and go direct to the people. I know people are all about physical media, but I don't neccessarily need to OWN a movie, if I'm secure in the knowledge I can watch a title - legally - any time I want.

[ichabod]

Me too. And I have heard that there is beautifully restored from the Technicolor film of "Robin Hood" that has never even been transferred to video!

Indeed there is, It has been used for TV broadcasts.

[Mouseketodd]

To merlinjones' extensive wish list, I add:

Emil and the Detective
Elfego Baca

The sole purpose of my joining the Disney Movie Club was to be able to purchase their club-exclusive Walt-era releases. There's no value, for me, in purchasing other titles from the club, when I can shop elsewhere for better prices.

Of the current exclusives offered at this time, the only title I have yet to purchase is The Monkey's Uncle. The movies that are of no interest to me are Condorman, the Witches of Waverly Place title, and the two Polly movies.

[Heil Donald Duck]

The last member of the nine old men quit after The Rescuers in 1977. So that should be the real cut of point not 1966 as Walt had stop-Drawning some were around the closure of the Laugh-O-gram Studio.

[merlinjones]

>>The last member of the nine old men quit after The Rescuers in 1977. So that should be the real cut of point not 1966<<

Yes, the "Walt-era" lingers past his death and tapers off to the very end through his close collaborators -- in live-action with the death of Bill Walsh (1975) and in the animated features with the last works made exclusively by the Nine Old Men (1977).

More subjectively, for me, the tone of the Walt era lasts at least through "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", the opening of Walt Disney World and the death of Roy O. Disney (1971). With many of Walt's planned projects being finished up by others and released during this time.

[Rudy Matt]

The last member of the nine old men quit after The Rescuers in 1977. So that should be the real cut of point not 1966 as Walt had stop-Drawning some were around the closure of the Laugh-O-gram Studio.

No -- THE FOX AND THE HOUND was the swan-song of the still-employed Nine Old Men. Milt Kahl resigned in a diva huff (deservedly or otherwise) during The Rescuers.

[Goliath]

and in the animated features with the last works made exclusively by the Nine Old Men (1977).

Not exclusively. People like Don Bluth, Ron Clements and Glen Keane (I believe) worked as animators on The Rescuers.

The last member of the nine old men quit after The Rescuers in 1977. So that should be the real cut of point not 1966 as Walt had stop-Drawning some were around the closure of the Laugh-O-gram Studio.

Not really. Ollie Johnston (and maybe Frank Thomas, but I'm not sure) worked on the early production stages of The Fox and the Hound.

[skippy]

Interestingly enough, I was more prone to buying Disney "crap", like "Air Bud and the 800 Foot Tall Applehead Woman", when their was a slow, but steady stream of unreleased live action coming out. It's almost like I made happiness related impulse buys of the other "junk" to appease the Disney Gods for offering up the forbidden fruit.

But, if I'm not being brought to the store by a loss-leader...

Let's just say I don't own too many recent "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" releases.

[Cordy_Biddle]

It always mystified me why Disney never followed up their "Parent Trap" Double Feature set by releasing "Parent Trap III" and "Hawaiian Honeymoon".