Alice in Wonderland: 60th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray, 2011

[Sotiris]

For what it's worth, I'm glad they junked "Beyond the Laughing Sky," even if it is a good song. Cause if they didn't, there wouldn't be "The Second Star to the Right".

I actually prefer "Beyond the Laughing Sky" to "The Second Star to the Right". There is a quality in the deleted version of the song that is more appealing to me; it could be the innocence, the optimism or the fragility that emanates from the simple vocal performance of the singer or the style and mood of the specific arrangement and orchestration.

[Disneykid]

Okay, Albert, I'll give you the pencil test one. But considering she herself was involved in the live-action process, I figured she'd have more to say about her experience as well as any behind-the-scenes anecdotes she may remember for the doorknob sequence. Again, they may be saving the goods for the "What-the-heck-is-this-thing" feature otherwise known as "Through the Keyhole." Let's see.

[tlc38tlc38]

Here's a clearer picture of the artwork:

<img src="http://images.blu-ray.com/movies/covers/7709_front.jpg">

[Prince Edward]

Love the cover!:)

[seanjonmc]

I love Alice's Blu-ray cover. I'd grade it an A.

Time to sell the Masterpiece Edition!

[Disney Duster]

Sotiris, really? Hm. Well, I listened to the songs together again and...maybe. It's really hard to judge the two. I guess what it is is, I like the way Alice in Wonderland is, which would be different with "Laughing Sky", and I like the way Peter Pan is, which would be different without "Second Star".

OKAY I ADMIT IT. "Laughing Sky" may be better. I think I feel sadder and more for Alice. It sounds like she's talking about a mysterious other world she needs to find.

I still love both song seperately though!

Disneykid, glad the blog had stuff you could really use, then! : )

Now, get this, I...finally...watched...the movie.

!!!!!!!!

And I'm going to write my thoughts/a review later, but for now, this subject.

I think I agree somewhat on Alice's behavior in Wonderland, but differently. My review should explain how I feel on that.

But for the song, yea, I wish we knew what the planned ending would have been with "Laughing Sky" in the beginning, too.

And it's interesting you say Alice learning a lesson would be against Carroll's intentions. Because I thought after the film, "Maybe Alice should have learned a big thing from the film...but I wouldn't want her to learn not to have nonsense or silliness, and why does she need to learn at all? Wonderland is great fun!"

Also, I think at the very end of "In a World of My Own", she sounded kind of sad and like she really did want to go to her own world badly.

[Lorddh]

I'm not so happy with the cover. It's a little too empty. I was actually excited about the cover, since Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite Disney movies.

[Marce82]

I am very excited about this cover. I think its the best Alice cover since the Disney Classics VHS release.

This one may not be too cluttered, but thats a good thing! Its dark (just like a lot of Alice is), has chunks from different parts of the movie, and for once, she is well drawn: as in, the anatomy is pretty good and she isn't horribly off model.

Shame I dont have a blu ray player, nor do I have an interest in one. Oh well

[Lorddh]

Shame I dont have a blu ray player, nor do I have an interest in one. Oh well

You can still get it. It's combo pack.
I don't have a blu either and I still get combo packs.

[MJW]

I don't have a blu either and I still get combo packs.

Same here! I didn't even have an HDTV when I started buying the combo packs, but I figured I would eventually have both the TV and a Blu-ray player, so I figured it'd be worth it to just bet the Blu-rays along with the DVD copies.

I'm hoping to get a Blu-ray player for Christmas and finally be able to see these films in HD!

[Marce82]

Yeah, I get the combo pack if its movie I dont already own. But I have Alice Masterpiece Edition.

[Escapay]

We still need some kind of confirmation of "The Fred Waring Show", the "Pig and Pepper" deleted scene, the song demos, and the gallery.

Home Cinema @ The Digital Fix has the full list supplements. I've added in the BBFC running times where applicable, and it's nice to know that the things mentioned above will be on the new set after all.

• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment have announced the US Blu-ray Disc release of Alice in Wonderland 60th Anniversary Edition on 1st February 2011. Disney’s original animated version of the whimsical tale is available on Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray+DVD) priced at $39.99 SRP. There is no separate/stand-alone DVD release, but the film will be available to download in SD ($29.99) and HD ($39.99).
  
  Brand-New Blu-ray Features:
  *Through the Keyhole: A Companion's Guide to Wonderland - View the movie in this special mode and discover references to the original Lewis Carroll classic. Kathryn Beaumont introduces. (1:16:02 - 0:54 intro, 1:15:08 guide, HD)
  *Disney View - Watch the movie in this expanded viewing experience with new Disney art in the wings of the screen. (1:15:08, HD)
  *Painting the Roses Red Game - Help paint the roses red in the Queen's garden. Careful, or someone could lose their head.
  *Walt Disney Color TV Introduction (1959) - A never-before-seen color TV intro by Walt. (1:10)
  *Reference Footage: Alice and the Doorknob - Kathryn Beaumont, the voice of Alice, provides an introduction to this newly discovered reference footage of Alice talking to the doorknob. (1:27 - 0:43 intro, 0:44 footage)
  *Pencil Test: Alice Shrinks - Kathryn Beaumont introduces a newly discovered pencil test of Alice shrinking. (0;49 - 0:36 intro, 0:13 test)
  
  Plus, Classic Features:
  *"I'm Odd" Newly Discovered Cheshire Cat Song + Intro (3:56)
  *Thru the Mirror Mickey Mouse Animated Short (8:49, Now in Hi-Def)
  *Art Gallery (with new design and new images - old gallery had 59 stills)
  *Reflections on Alice (13:24)
  *Operation Wonderland (11:08, Now in Hi-Def)
  *One Hour in Wonderland (59:22)
  *An Alice Comedy: Alice's Wonderland (8:06incomplete or 12:27complete, it doesn't specify which)
  *Original Theatrical Trailers (1951 & 1974) (2:02 & 1:53, respectively)
  *Walt Disney TV Introduction (1954 & 1964) (1:21 & 1:09, respectively)
  *The Fred Waring Show (Excerpt) (30:56)
  
  *Deleted Materials:
  **Deleted Scene: Pig and Pepper (3:11)
  **From Wonderland to Neverland: The Evolution of a Song - An entertaining look at how a song originally written for Alice in Wonderland, finally found its home in another Disney favorite, Peter Pan. (6:49)
  **Deleted Storyboard Concept: Alice Daydreams in the Park - Deleted storyboard sequence set to music. (2:02)
  **Original Song Demos: "Beware The Jabberwock" (2:15); "Everything Has A Useness" (1:18 ); "So They Say" (1:54); "Beautiful Soup" (1:27); "Dream Caravan" (2:33); "If You'll Believe In Me" (3:01)
  
  Disc Specifications:
  1.33:1; Adjusted to fit 16x9 Television
  5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, Original Theatrical Sound Track
  Languages: English, French, Spanish
  Subtitles: French & Spanish
  
  If you opt for the download versions you’ll get the following extras:
  *Pencil Test: Alice Shrinks
  *Thru The Mirror Mickey Mouse Animated Short
  *Reflections on Alice

I'm upset (but not too much) that there won't be additional song demos, however, I'm also thrilled that the gallery will be expanded. The lack of Jell-O is unsurprising as well.

If the DVD included is the same as Disc 1 from the Special Un-Anniversary Edition, then that's the only way people who buy the new combo pack will get Virtual Wonderland Party and the old set-top game Adventures In Wonderland. No big losses, though every time I think of Virtual Wonderland, it reminds me of this old thread from the UD of olde:

"Virtual Wonderland Party" Results in Fiasco



albert

[Wonderlicious]

This is turning out to be an exciting release! At least we're getting an expanded gallery. That was really the sore point of the last release, since the gallery was basically just up to Gold Collection standards (I believe it actually featured on the initial European/international GC-equivalent releases). The only real shame for me would be them not going into detail about the pre-war developments (they could have kept the laserdisc feature, or done a "deleted ideas" featurette akin to the ones that appeared on the Cinderella and Peter Pan DVDs). It'd be nice to hear the song demos, though.

[Lorddh]

I'm counting the days till this is release! I love Alice, and I can't wait to add it to my collection. I didn't buy the DVD UnAnniversary cause I had a feeling they were going to do this...

Now about the cover. I wasn't too happy at first, but then I started to look at it more clearly and now I love it!

Excited!!!

[BK]

What is interesting is the fact they mention available to download in SD and HD.

Where? Keychest? Are they finally launching it properly? Kind of dumb when Disney's revenue flow depends on rereleases for these movies. Maybe it's just iTunes though and not the 'buy it once and view it everywhere/anywhere' Keychest nonsense.

[Disneykid]

Thanks for the heads up, Escapay!

I'm really happy to hear that this release will have everything from the UAE, and with an expanded gallery, to boot! I doubt it'll have everything from the LD, but I'm fairly sure I'll be satisfied by what's there. That means I only really need to hunt for the song demos, radio broadcasts, and the storyboard-to-film comparison (the latter of which could still be implemented into Through the Keyhole. Let's see.).

I'm still a bit baffled as to why Pig and Pepper and Reflections on Alice haven't been confirmed for HD when they were just produced. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed for the entire Alice's Wonderland short. Still, this is looking like a fantastic release. I think the level of excellence really depends on how thorough Through the Keyhole is. If it's basically an in-depth documentary/commentary that runs alongside the film, I would go as far to say this is the best release Alice has ever had on home video, even with the missing audio features. It's certainly better than half of the Platinums.

[MJW]

I'm really looking forward to this release, too! February can't come soon enough. It'll be here before you know it though, I remember waiting and waiting for Fantasia, and now I've already owned it for 2 days .

Even though Alice in Wonderland never became a Platinum, and isn't being labeled a Diamond, do you think we'll get the same level of restoration that we've seen with the other Blu-rays so far? I hope they polish it up to be as flawless as the other classics we've seen in HD!

[circusbass]

I would think the restoration we would get for Alice In Wonderland would be top notch. Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 aren't platinum or diamond editions and their transfers are amazing!

[Mr. Yagoobian]

Even though Alice in Wonderland never became a Platinum, and isn't being labeled a Diamond, do you think we'll get the same level of restoration that we've seen with the other Blu-rays so far? I hope they polish it up to be as flawless as the other classics we've seen in HD!

I don't think we've got anything to worry about.

I've seen it mentioned elsewhere (including <a href="http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/he ... l">this</a> little blurb from studiodaily.com earlier this year---scroll to the bottom of the page) that the studio's involved in a long-term project with Lowry to execute 4k scans and digital restorations of their entire animated feature catalog...and they're doing it for archival purposes as well as to facilitate impending home media releases.

[jpanimation]

I'm also thrilled that the gallery will be expanded.

Expanded? Must be a typo as Disney's newly adopted policy for Blu-Rays is to shrink the galleries, as I guess the Blu-Ray discs just don't have all the space that DVDs had for those images.

Joking aside, this sounds like a quality Diamond Edition, only without the title.

I've seen it mentioned elsewhere (including <a href="http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/he ... l">this</a> little blurb from studiodaily.com earlier this year---scroll to the bottom of the page) that the studio's involved in a long-term project with Lowry to execute 4k scans and digital restorations of their entire animated feature catalog...and they're doing it for archival purposes as well as to facilitate impending home media releases.

Cool, so they'll all be getting the treatment eventually.