magicalwands wrote:Albert, I look forward to your opinions on subsequent home video releases. Whether they're positive or negative, they always are entertaining and informative.

Looking forward to October!
Haha, for all our sakes, let's hope they'll be positive in October...
JeanGreyForever wrote:This is practically guaranteed. As is basically everything else you said, but especially this.
Frankly, I'm surprised that when
Aladdin came out, they elected to have some random Disney Channel kid do the fluff piece instead of Booboo Stewart of
Descendants.

Not that it would have made that piece better, just more synergistic.
Disney's Divinity wrote:But since I'm not as in tune with Disney's home media, all these posts about Disney doing their best to force a complete transition to digital and trying to force physical media to fail in sales have been eye-opening for me (though unsurprising, since this is how Disney rolls). If they do drop their physical media, the VERY LITTLE I'm buying from them right now will instead become nil.
It all started in 2008 when, after two years of releasing Blu-Rays, they made a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack for
Sleeping Beauty, whilst also releasing Blu-Ray/Digital Copy combo packs for a few other films (
Prince Caspian and
WALL-E come to mind).
Then, in 2009, Disney released
Bolt on Blu-Ray a few days before the DVD came out.
Later that fall came news that
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would be released on Blu-Ray/DVD combo in October, but the standalone DVD would be released seven weeks later.
The Diamond Edition line is really where we can trace the continuing changes and transition from DVD to Blu-Ray to Digital based simply on how many editions had to be released across time. First, they eased the collector into buying Blu-Ray by offering it in DVD packaging. Then they gradually added the Digital Copy, either as an additional edition, then as the default. Now, they offer the Digital Copy two weeks before the physical release:
Phase One: Easing into Blu-Ray, DVD is the Standard
First, they ease the consumer into wanting to go Blu by offering the Blu-Ray in either Blu-Ray packaging or DVD packaging, so that the spines are consistent, and also as an incentive to "future-proof" their collection later. Dedicated DVD buyers have to wait seven weeks if they want the DVD only version, which are still two-disc affairs.
October 2009:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Blu-Ray + DVD (Blu-ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (DVD Packaging)
DVD (7 weeks later)
October 2010:
Beauty and the Beast
Blu-Ray + DVD (Blu-ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (DVD Packaging)
DVD (7 weeks later)
March 2011:
Bambi
Blu-Ray + DVD (Blu-ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (DVD Packaging)
DVD (7 weeks later)
Phase Two: Easing into Digital Copies, Blu-Ray is the Standard, Phasing out DVD
Next, despite having offered Digital Copies for new releases for 3 years (it began for Disney in 2008 with
Prince Caspian,
WALL-E, and
The Nightmare Before Christmas), they now offer it on the Diamond Edition line. But rather than make it a standard the way that Blu-Ray+DVD was, it's a separate edition, again to ease consumers into choosing to buy it. DVD buyers are now treated to single disc releases, still seven weeks after, and now with less bonus content than before, usually one of the new features and one of the old ones.
October 2011:
The Lion King
Blu-Ray 3D + Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (Blu-ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (DVD Packaging)
DVD (7 weeks later)
February 2012:
Lady and the Tramp
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (Blu-ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (DVD Packaging)
DVD (7 weeks later)
October 2012:
Cinderella
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (Blu-ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (DVD Packaging)
DVD (7 weeks later)
Phase Phase Two and a Half: Continuing the Digital Copy Push
The same formats as Phase Two, but now the DVD contains the Digital Copy, as they now realize the remaining DVD buyers will not upgrade to Blu-Ray, so they might as well try upgrading them to Digital Copy.
February 2013:
Peter Pan
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (Blu-ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (DVD Packaging)
DVD + Digital Copy (6 months later)
October 2013:
The Little Mermaid
Blu-Ray 3D + Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (Blu-ray Packaging)
Blu-Ray + DVD (DVD Packaging)
DVD + Digital Copy (2 months later)
Phase Three: DVD's Final Days
At this point, they've now retired the "Blu-Ray in DVD Packaging" option, and realized they can't sell DVDs with Digital Copies. But for the proud few who only want the DVD, they now get them day-and-date with the Blu-Ray, with far far less bonus content than ever before.
February 2014:
The Jungle Book
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
DVD
October 2014:
Sleeping Beauty
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
DVD
Phase Four: You get a Digital Copy, you get a Digital Copy, everybody gets a Digital Copy!
The digital copies now get released two weeks earlier, with the same content as the Blu-Ray. While a few Diamond Edition releases did have digital-exclusive content, they were quiet about it. However, thanks to Disney Movies Anywhere, both the Diamond Editions and various new releases now have digital-exclusive content, and that's part of their marketing push. The live-action
Cinderella, for example, includes Deleted Scenes only via Disney Movies Anywhere, the Blu-Ray itself only carries the alternate opening.
Aladdin has the majority of its 2004 supplements on Blu-Ray, but the 43-minute documentary is only offered digitally.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has a digital-exclusive of the Oswald short "Hungry Hoboes."
February 2015:
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Digital Copy (2 weeks earlier)
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
October 2015:
Aladdin
Digital Copy (2 weeks earlier)
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
February 2016:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Digital Copy (2 weeks earlier)
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (Blu-Ray Packaging)
So, based on these trends, we can see that what was the established product gets joined with the new one, gradually phased out, and the new one suffers the same fate. I predict that either this year or next, the Signature Collection releases will no longer include DVDs. And by the line's end (sometime in the early 2020s, if they follow the same release pattern), we may see the first, entirely digital re-issue of a Disney film without any physical media to go along with it. Because, like the move from VHS to DVD, then DVD to Blu-Ray, they have already groomed a portion of the early-adopter consumer base to accept digital copies. They can focus on pushing it now on the rest of the consumers in the next six years or so, until it's the only option they offer.
Albert