Hi, I`m new and need some help :)

[Todd_star]

Hi there! I`m a 18 years old norwegian guy that has always liked Disney!
Since I was a little kid, I have enjoyed watching Disney cartoons!
I have never owned a Disney vhs or a dvd, but I have seen many of the films in theater, rented them or seen them at my friends house.
I have checked out the animated classics list, and I have seen almost all the movies, exept a few of them.
But now I want to start collect all of the classics on dvd.
But I musst say that I`m pretty much confused with which version I
should get..? Platinum, Gold edition, special edition, collectors edition..??
But why is classic 6-11 on this list? Why do they count on this list?
And I haven`t seen all these follow ups movies, should I get them do, I think i want to..?!
And i think I haft to get the other animated too,the pixar ones! Can someone help me out here..?!!
Thx!

[indianajdp]

Hi there! I`m a 18 years old norwegian guy that has always liked Disney!

But now I want to start collect all of the classics on dvd.
But I musst say that I`m pretty much confused with which version I
should get..? Platinum, Gold edition, special edition, collectors edition..??

Welcome to the forum, Todd!!
It's a great time to start your Disney DVD collection...but I must warn you it won't be cheap or easy. The different designations you mentioned above (Gold, Platinum, etc) are various lines or series that Disney has released movies under. You won't find a movie like 101 Dalmations with mutiple releases, it'll just be under one of those lines.

The hardest DVDs to get are the Limited Editions because they have all gone into moratorium...that is, Disney has put them back in the proverbial vault and there are no more on the market. Sure you can find them online at places like eBay, but last I checked The Little Mermaid was going for a minimum of $45-$50 and that was just to ship in the US.

The Collector's Editions and Special Editions are still all available (as far as I know) and are worth every penny, IMO. But only get them if you want to spend hours watching the extras, behind-the-scenes stuff, storyboard devolpment, etc, etc.

Also, the Platinum Editions are special Disney releases that you'll see every October and March through at least 2007. These films will be getting intense work on restoration and as much of the "extras" content as you'll find in the Collector's Editions. The difference here is that the Platinum titles go into moratorium fairly quickly. So you need to get 'em while you can.

And I haven`t seen all these follow ups movies, should I get them do, I think i want to..?!
And i think I haft to get the other animated too,the pixar ones! Can someone help me out here..?!!
Thx!

We've had some good discussions about these Direct-to-Video sequels in here and the general consensus has been that there is no general consensus. Some of us love them and some of us don't. In my opinion these sequels aren't the best in quality or story, but a few do stand out: Lion King II, The Rescuers Down Under and Lady and the Tramp II. Again, just my opinion here. The quality of animation in these sequels is nothing compared to the originals so be prepared for that.

Finally, you asked about Pixar. Let me put it this way...if it says Pixar on the DVD case BUY IT.

Again, welcome to the boards. And best of luck to you in your quest to build your Disney DVD Collection!

[Luke]

Finaly, you asked about Pixar. Let me put it this way...if it says Pixar on the DVD case BUY IT.

Let me go further to say if it says "Pixar" AND "Collector's" somewhere on the DVD case...BUY IT. It'd be a shame to miss out on the Ultimate Toy Box and 2-disc A Bug's Life set in favor of the barebones vanilla discs.

I echo our Hoosier's welcome. Hope you'll stick around in spite of the page-loading hell this forum is.

[Todd_star]

Thx for your advice indianajdp!!
I think I will go for the collectors and special edition!
And i think i haft to buy the follow ups + the pixar ones!
This is going to be expensive
But which edition is the cheapest?

[indianajdp]

Thx for your advice indianajdp!!
I think I will go for the collectors and special edition!
And i think i haft to buy the follow ups + the pixar ones!
This is going to be expensive
But which edition is the cheapest?

Here in the States most of the recent CEs, PEs and Pixar movies have been going for anywhere from $17.99-$29.99...depending on when and where you purchase them. If you buy online you're obviously gonna have a shipping charge on top of whatever price you find.

The Gold Collection Discs (like The Fox and the Hound!) will probably be the cheapest, as you can find some here for as low as $14 at Wal-Mart.

[jabroni76]

First of all -- Welcome to the boards. I hope you continue to stay and have fun, and tell all you can about the site!

Secondly, if I was you, I would pick up Lady and the Tramp first. Reason being, it sells for pretty high on eBay, and also, it is the first time it has been released on video in it's whole entirety, or without any mistakes.

Third, I would go for the two platinum dvd's, just since their fairly new, and you can get them 10-20 each!

Fourth, I would go for all of the "Walt Disney Treasures" and the rest of the Limited Editions. From the "Walt Disney Treasures", you'll probably want to pick up Mickey Mouse in Living Color first, if you find it cheap, then go on from there, probably Silly Symphonies.

Fifth, Go for the Collectors Editions. Some, such as Tarzan CE are really rare, and go very high on eBay!

Finially, pick up whatever else you can that has the Disney logo on them.

However, the third, fourth, and fifth are highly interchangeable depending on your ranking of the films!

Once again, Welcome!

[herman_the_german]

- Never pay retail!!!

- Use Ebay (carefully), if there is any doubt about a product, ask, and if there is any question about a seller AVOID! Beware Asian bootlegs. Get a multiregion player so that you can get editions from all over the world, which are nice, but do not have a lot of extras sometimes. But if you want to save money you will have to setle for less extras sometimes.

- Buy used. Try Half.com (or Amazon, though as a buyer I prefer Half.com)

- Check prices first before commiting to anything: and learn the market. As a rule I try not to pay more than $10.00 (plus 3 or 4 for shipping) per DVD (a lot less for VHS).
Try:
http://www.dvdpricecompare.com/bin/nsea ... 021492_8=1

or:
http://www.pricegrabber.com/user_prodtr ... 42d4673c82

- Wait a 2 or 3 of months after initial release before buying: prices go down on Ebay, and people sell their videos after watching them a couple of times. If you have to have it some sellers will offer discounts the first week, but prices go up after that. Use rebates.

- With some of the more rare OOP titles just settle for the VHS. The DVD will be just too much. Read DVD reviews, sometimes the DVDs are just not that great anyway.

- Be patient. You have the rest of your life to keep collecting.

[indianajdp]

Just wanted to chime in on a few of H-t-G's comments:

- Use Ebay (carefully), if there is any doubt about a product, ask, and if there is any question about a seller AVOID! Beware Asian bootlegs.

Bigtime warning on this. I have not personally had a problem but a lot of people I know have purchased bootlegs when they expected the original Ask a ton of questions if you have the slightest bit of concern in your mind.

- Check prices first before commiting to anything: and learn the market. As a rule I try not to pay more than $10.00 (plus 3 or 4 for shipping) per DVD (a lot less for VHS).
Try:
http://www.dvdpricecompare.com/bin/nsea ... 021492_8=1

or:
http://www.pricegrabber.com/user_prodtr ... 42d4673c82

Those websites are great resources...use them!
As for the $10 rule, it was a lot easier to do that 2-3 years ago but it can still be done on occassion if you're willing to buy used.

- Wait a 2 or 3 of months after initial release before buying: prices go down on Ebay, and people sell their videos after watching them a couple of times. If you have to have it some sellers will offer discounts the first week, but prices go up after that. Use rebates.

I usually buy the first week of release, as the prices are usually the best and will go up the following week. Once you factor in shipping I'm not sure eBay will always be the best alternative here.

- With some of the more rare OOP titles just settle for the VHS. The DVD will be just too much. Read DVD reviews, sometimes the DVDs are just not that great anyway.

This is a tough dilemma. It's easy for me to say go for the DVDs because I have them all, but when I see The Little Mermaid going for $60+ on eBay I can understand the hesitancy. Like I said in my initial post, it will be an expensive venture if you choose to get them all on DVD.

[Todd_star]

Thx for all your advices.
Yes i`m gonna get them all on dvd!

[herman_the_german]

As for the $10 rule, it was a lot easier to do that 2-3 years ago but it can still be done on occassion if you're willing to buy used.

Yesterday I paid $7.99 plus $3.95 S&H for a new 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA DVD on Ebay.

You can still get great prices if you are patient. Roger Rabbit & Spirited Away I bought the first week, so I only got a 2 dollar discount on each. But, for example, factor in that I bought my old Roger Rabbit for like $12 (new, at Half.com), sold it for $24 (used, at Amazon.com, about a month before the new edition hit the stores: timing is everything!), paid $18 for the new edition (got a 2$ discount for first week purchase), plus a 5$ rebate, I ended up paying $1 for it.

For Kiki and Castle in The Sky I waited till I got them for $9.99 on Ebay (Since I already had Japanese version DVDs). The $10 dollar rule works for newer releases, It won't work for OOP editions.

I doubt there is a Cosco on Norway, but a lot of the DVDs eventually get discounted for around $12 at Cosco/Price Club. You just have to look every couple of weeks to see what they have.

[2099net]

Todd I see you are European.

Disney occasionally has a 3 for 2 offer running in Europe - there was one running just a few weeks ago (but sadly you missed it )

However if you prefer to get the European discs, DVDZone2 seems to be cheap at the moment:

http://www.dvdzone2.com/dvd/search.asp?t=9&cc=DIS&do=3

Also, if you want to import R1 discs, Canadian discs offer better value for money due to the low exchange rate on the Canadian Dollar.

DVDBoxOffice offer a reasonable service, but can be slow shipping to Europe. However shipping is included in the price:

http://www.dvdboxoffice.com/

Note for some of the non-Animated Disney titles, you may get a bi-lingual English/French cover when ordering Canadian Discs.