Am I buying bootleg Toy Story DVDs? HELP!

[Marce82]

Ok, so I have been trying to buy the Toy Story and Toy Story 2 dvds, the releases from 2005, and I HATE bootlegs. All my dvds are originals.

In the past, I have bought dvds on ebay and had no trouble. I found a posting for both of them together, and when I got them, they were clearly bootlegs...very obvious ones. So I returned them.

Then I found them separately, again on ebay. One of them turned out to be a bootleg, again. The other I wasn't sure at first: had a slipcover (embossed!), but there were no inserts, and the character art on the discs looked slightly blurry. I realized it was a bootleg when I saw that, aside from english, french and spanish, there were language tracks for chinese, thai and god knows what other language. So I returned it. I was pretty impressed with how good the slipcover and the art on the case were...the video quality was perfect as well.

SO HERE IS THE LATEST CASE: I bought Toy Story 2 from an alternative seller ON AMAZON. I figured this HAD to be a legit dvd.
So I got it today...great embossed slipcover, great art on the case, video quality is perfect, all the languages are what they should be, BUT:

- the art on the discs isnt as crisp as Im used to from Disney
- There are no inserts of any kind.
- no grey tag on the top and bottom sides of the case
- from what I know, this release is supposed to come in a case with two clasps on the side (like the Mary Poppins 40th ann edition). The case I got has no clasps.
- from what I know, this release is suppose to have a "flip tray" where the first disc is. The one I got, there is one disc on each side of the case. No tray.

IS THIS A BOOTLEG??? Was there maybe a second print of the film that didnt have the inserts?

HELP!!!

[Victurtle]

^the second case you described (with the chinese language option) simply sounds like a foreign release rather than a bootleg.

[merbass]

Then I found them separately, again on ebay. One of them turned out to be a bootleg, again. The other I wasn't sure at first: had a slipcover (embossed!), but there were no inserts, and the character art on the discs looked slightly blurry. I realized it was a bootleg when I saw that, aside from english, french and spanish, there were language tracks for chinese, thai and god knows what other language. So I returned it. I was pretty impressed with how good the slipcover and the art on the case were...the video quality was perfect as well.

It is a shame and ignorant of you to assume that once the DVD has non-caucasian language on it then it is a bootleg. Like the above poster said, it is called foreign DVD. If you can't handle this fact then simply go to the store and buy it full price !

[merbass]

Then I found them separately, again on ebay. One of them turned out to be a bootleg, again. The other I wasn't sure at first: had a slipcover (embossed!), but there were no inserts, and the character art on the discs looked slightly blurry. I realized it was a bootleg when I saw that, aside from english, french and spanish, there were language tracks for chinese, thai and god knows what other language. So I returned it. I was pretty impressed with how good the slipcover and the art on the case were...the video quality was perfect as well.

It is a shame and ignorant of you to assume that once the DVD has non-caucasian language on it then it is a bootleg. Like the above poster said, it is called foreign DVD. If you can't handle this fact then simply go to the store and buy it full price !

[dvdjunkie]

Get in contact with CD Tradepost and have them sent to you. They have all three Toy Story films in their original cases, but since they are used they might or might not have the inserts with them. That's the chance you take.

I never buy any old movies from eBay or Amazon for the distinct reason you quoted. I would rather buy a GREAT!! used copy from CD Tradepost and know that I am not getting ripped off.


www.cdtradepost.com

Ask Disneyboy about CD Tradepost, he has been dealing with them for some time now and never gotten burned yet!!

[reyquila]

secondspin.com is also an alternative!!!

[littlefuzzy]

^the second case you described (with the chinese language option) simply sounds like a foreign release rather than a bootleg.

It is a shame and ignorant of you to assume that once the DVD has non-caucasian language on it then it is a bootleg. Like the above poster said, it is called foreign DVD. If you can't handle this fact then simply go to the store and buy it full price !

Bzzzt! Nice try!

However, 99% of DVDs available in the US that are "foreign" DVDs of American movies ARE BOOTLEGS, particularly if they are/were hot tiltes at the theater, and/or OOP on DVD. This is especially true for E-Bay/Amazon sellers, if you see a seller selling an OOP title, and they say it's an "import" or "foreign" version, that means they are selling bootlegs, most likely knowingly. This is also true on anime seasons/series, if someone is selling an anime series with an English dub, and Chinese subtitles, that IS a bootleg!

If they were a true foreign release, they are going to have the title in that language on the cover instead of English, or English + Chinese (or whatever). They are also going to be region coded for that specific region instead of being playable in all regions, and most of the time they aren't going to have extra subtitle tracks and audio tracks beyond the original language, and dubs or subs in that region's language(s). UK and Australia releases would have the ratings symbols on the covers and spines.

However, if it is a Asian film like a martial arts movie or something, often the discs DO include an English subtitle track, as there is a large community of people who will import Asian titles like that into the US for their viewing pleasure. Again, though, these discs are obviously going to be intended for that specific region only, and people will have to have an All-region player to play them.

[SWillie!]

Then I found them separately, again on ebay. One of them turned out to be a bootleg, again. The other I wasn't sure at first: had a slipcover (embossed!), but there were no inserts, and the character art on the discs looked slightly blurry. I realized it was a bootleg when I saw that, aside from english, french and spanish, there were language tracks for chinese, thai and god knows what other language. So I returned it. I was pretty impressed with how good the slipcover and the art on the case were...the video quality was perfect as well.

It is a shame and ignorant of you to assume that once the DVD has non-caucasian language on it then it is a bootleg. Like the above poster said, it is called foreign DVD. If you can't handle this fact then simply go to the store and buy it full price !

wow overreaction crazy.

[Elladorine]

I'm with littlefuzzy and SWillie on this . . . More often than not region-free discs with English titles on the case and Chinese language options on the disc are bootlegs from Hong Kong.

[Marce82]

People people people....we are all getting sidetracked!

First, I'm not a racist, and what an absurd comment. As littlefuzzy said, if the release was NOT a bootleg, then the south asian languages would have been on the cover and on the audio menu (they werent, the only way to access them was to toggle between languages once the movie was on).

As for the people saying I should go to a store and buy them...I can't they are out of print!!

But the main point of my post is: IS THE LATEST COPY I GOT A BOOTLEG??

[Elladorine]

But the main point of my post is: IS THE LATEST COPY I GOT A BOOTLEG??

Is it region-free? If so it's most likely a bootleg.

[Marce82]

How do I know if its region free? I know it plays on my region 1 player...but a region free would as well...so how do i know?

[disneyboy20022]

Do you have a digital camera that you could take some pictures of these DVDs you are concerned about them being a bootleg...

Oh and to lighten the mood im going to go off topic...

I had a dream I was at a Wal-Mart or a Target and I was picking up The Incredibles on Blu ray and then they had a whole bunch of Mickey Mouse cartoon collections treasure like contents and then I saw something that made me wake up in 15 seconds....it was the Song of the South on Blu ray only thing it was a Public Domain and they were region free Style Blu ray.....

Okay...back on topic everyone

[Marce82]

I could take pictures...but I have no idea how to post pictures on here!

Either way. The ONLY thing about this dvd I got that makes me wonder if its a bootleg is that there are no inserts, and that the case is a very normal looking black case with each disc on each side.

And I;ve seen other people's TS2 DVD, and they do come with inserts...I guess what Im wondering is...since pixar titles are available all the time, could the inserts be in the first few batches from the factory, and after a few years they stop?

Is there a disney phone line I could call to check??

[ajmrowland]

Littlefuzzy is right.

THe best I can say is this: dont waste $500 on buying, sending back/discarding, and rebuying these movies if you think they are bootlegs and do your research. I've never been given any reasons by any amazon seller to think the dvds I bought are bootlegs. They're all legit, and I've been buying mostly used copies for two years.

and as for the 2-disc sets being oop. There are literally tons of good, physical used dvd stores that make sure the discs function before selling them.

[ajmrowland]

How do I know if its region free? I know it plays on my region 1 player...but a region free would as well...so how do i know?

The region is put on the lower-back of the case along with all the other info. In America, it's a kind of sphere with a number on it.

Also, many players have a feature that tells you what region code the disc has.

[Elladorine]

Most players bought in the states only play region 1; to find a player that is compatible in other regions you either have to specifically look for the feature while making the purchase, or buy a player that you can hack or reprogram.

Most DVD's will specify on the back of the case what region it is compatible with by displaying one of these symbols (although sometimes you will see a "0" or the word "all" instead of a number, which indicates that the set in question is region-free):



An example of the symbol appearing on a genuine Region 1 Disney DVD:



More information on DVD region codes can be found here.

Hope this helps!

[Marce82]

Um....if this IS a bootleg, the cover will be a copy of the american release, do it will say region 1!

Does anyone else out there have the 2005 release of toy story 2? Can they tell me what the case looks like?

[Marce82]

Sorry, I meant "...SO it will say region 1"

[SpringHeelJack]

This doesn't always mean a thing, but what color are the undersides of the discs, i.e. the side you would put face down into a DVD player?