Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

[D82]

Overall amazing finds and thanks so much for sharing them!

You're welcome.

As for the French steelbook I posted, I think it was based off a movie still or promotional still from 1996 for the film rather than a screencap although it does like look it's straight from the movie.

Oh, OK. That makes sense.

I wish it was the Be Our Guest sing-along but I specifically remember this VHS tape had "So This is Love" from Cinderella and "I Won't Say I'm in Love" from Hercules. I remember some sort of pink cover with hearts as well and I haven't seen any US cover that looks like that.

OK, I guess it was another release then.

I've seen both of those Hunchback covers and my favorite is the one on the right. It's so well-drawn and I love the overall image. Should have been used as a VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray cover at one point imo.

I prefer that one too. I agree that it could've been used as a cover for the movie itself. It's better than several of the real ones the film has gotten.

[Farerb]

Uh, Shannen Doherty is gorgeous and I don't feel comfortable with others poking fun at a physical characteristic of hers that she can't even control. Not to mention, it's an iconic feature of hers that only adds to her beauty. I expected better of this forum than making tasteless remarks like that which border on the offensive.

I love Shannen Doherty and I also think she's gorgeous. I apologize for that. It just reminded me a joke from Will & Grace.

[blackcauldron85]

I don't know, he flat out tells her she shouldn't be at the river and that she needs to be at home so he can watch over her and protect her. It seems protective yes, I agree, but also controlling. Especially the way he kicks Meeko out and treats him like vermin. Kocoum's behavior reminds me of a lot of guys who gaslight their girlfriends under this notion of being "protective" and it wouldn't bother me so much if Pocahontas wanted to be treated that way. If it's consensual and one partner likes that treatment then it's all fine, but clearly Pocahontas is very uncomfortable and feels suffocated by his behavior. Not to mention she points out that she's not even his wife yet. So they don't even have a relationship yet where such behavior from him would feel justified. Going by the movie, he's announced as her betrothed because he was a war hero, not because they were ever really close so it's clear he doesn't even really know Pocahontas and already considers her his "property" because of her father's blessing. So I can understand Pocahontas' aversion to being told what to do by someone she hardly knows who already acts like he's her caretaker or master. Kocoum's behavior reminds me a lot of Gaston here, who if you just observe in the opening act of the film, might not be described as a pure villain either.

Wow, super good points, and I am seeing this differently now. I had forgotten to mention that I hated how he treated Meeko. I guess I was assuming that they had a bit more of a-- not romantic relationship, but knew each other a bit more, but yeah, if they barely know each other then it is pretty alarming behavior. Thanks for your thoughtful response!!

[Marce82]

Fareb: don't worry about posting the Hunchback covers before I got to chime in on Pocahontas! All good! I was surprised cause it was earlier than you normally do it.

Fareb and JeanGreyForever: I am the one who made the comment about Shannen Doherty. And I didn't say she was unattractive or ugly. But her eyes are uneven and she has full lips, and looking at that cover of Pocahontas did remind me of her. There are many characteristics that work for a real person, but don't work on an illustration, which, in this case, is a stylized/streamlined version of a woman. Shannen is beautiful (specially during season 2 of BH90210!). That said, if Shannen wants to join this forum, I would be happy to apologize to her and thrilled to tell her she is beautiful and how much I have enjoyed her work over the years.

D82: thanks for your comment! I read your ranking for Pocahontas, and I saw we had several views in common

[Farerb]

Yeah I agree. Charmed and BH90210 weren't the same without her (as much as I like Rose McGowan).

[Marce82]

Now.... since I was late to do Pocahontas, I will be early do do Hunchback...

More covers than I expected.... Here we go!

1) Laserdisc: Absolutely gorgeous. Great layout, interesting perspective, great rendering. Extra points cause I feel like the rendering of the city is a reference to the sequence when "Paris is Burning". Minus points cause its a recycled poster, not original art. Still gorgeous.

2) Blu ray: this is is pretty good, but with some pitfalls. I hate that they added the gargoyles, and they are mostly off model. But I do like that they have modified the layout from the laserdisc a bit: I believe Quasi is bigger in relation to the entire background... which works better for a cover. If only they hadn't added the gargoyles, this would be #1.

3) French steelbook: Great layout and concept. Understated depiction of the cathedral, beautiful expressionistic clouds. Great pose (and expression!) for Quasimodo, who is perfectly on model. Only minus: he isn't rendered/shaded to match the rest of the cover.

3) US tin package: love it. They took a frame from the movie, added some good rendering and made a cover of it. Simple. On model. Beautiful.

4) Brazilian VHS: I wasn't sure if I should put this one above or below the US/Uk VHS.... it has a much more interesting layout, and it shows the cathedral. I wish the rendering was better... and Frollo feels weird there in the middle... I have seen the poster this cover was based on, and both Frollo and Phoebus were way off to the left. Oh well.

5) UK VHS: the rare instance where I place the UK VHS above the American one... the characters are a little more on model here, they added Djali (which is more accurate to the scene in the movie).... sad that they got rid of Frollo. But the overall layout looks better. Random notes: Esmeralda has almost no toes... and Laverne is shooing away pigeons that are no longer above her...

6) VHS: I have never been a fan of this cover. The layout is kinda bland, it makes it look more cartoony than it is... Hugo and Esmeralda are off model... why is there a big empty sky and barely any cathedral??? I do like the Frollo on top.

7) Dvd: God awful. All characters are off model. Awkward pose for Esmeralda. The two gargoyles in the front look slapped on, like they arent in the same setting. Again... not enough cathedral. Even the rendering looks like mediocre Photoshop.

I won't rank them, but both covers for the Sing-Along-Song are pretty great. Better than a lot of the actual covers.

And I invite everyone to check out the artwork for the original soundtrack... a beautiful sun drenched depiction of the cathedral and the feast of fools... so much better than the screengrab cover of the Pocahontas sountrack. Ugh.

[Marce82]

Fareb: I 100% on what you just said about BH90210 and Charmed... after Shannen left, things weren't as good...

[DC Fan]

Let me go back and start with Aladdin since it´s my favorite Disney movie.

I have to say that I´ve never liked most of the Home Releases. They have gone from average to awful. It started improving from the DVD Collector´s Edition and from then on to the new BD releases.

...and yes, How come Disney green lit the Heroes´ cover?

On the opposite side The Lion King have had mostly great covers.

Pocahontas never had anything amazing. However, I do like the Gold Collection cover the most (that´s the same as the Spain BD release).

Hunchback of Notre Dame has the most "charming/nice" covers. It´s funny how, for most of the merchandise, they used yellow as the prominent color.

...the DVD wouldn´t have been bad if Esmeralda wasn´t there.

[Disney's Divinity]

Maybe it was the one for Beauty and the Beast, titled Be Our Guest. That one featured romantic songs like "Beauty and the Beast", "Bella Notte" or "Once Upon a Dream". I had some for Walt's films and from Beauty and the Beast to Hercules from the Renaissance ones. Hercules was the last title of the collection to be released in Spain, but in the States it seems they continued up to Home on the Range.

My family only had two of these. Be Our Guest was one of them, the other one was Friend Like Me. I can remember that right off just because we didn't own anything with Pooh, and BOG was the first time I'd ever seen the "Heffalumps and Woozles" scene. The other one I remember because it included "In Harmony" and I'd watch it just for that.

I preferred Charmed better once Doherty was gone, personally; the other three had better chemistry without her. Although I've recently tried to re-watch the series--haven't seen it since I was growing up--and it's really hard to get into. It really was a moment in time I can't go back to.

[Farerb]

The only ones I really like are the laserdisc, the Blu-ray and the French steelbook.

[JeanGreyForever]

Uh, Shannen Doherty is gorgeous and I don't feel comfortable with others poking fun at a physical characteristic of hers that she can't even control. Not to mention, it's an iconic feature of hers that only adds to her beauty. I expected better of this forum than making tasteless remarks like that which border on the offensive.

I love Shannen Doherty and I also think she's gorgeous. I apologize for that. It just reminded me a joke from Will & Grace.

Thank you and did they mention Shannen on Will & Grace before? It must have been in the older seasons because I don't remember anything like that since the revival.

Yeah I agree. Charmed and BH90210 weren't the same without her (as much as I like Rose McGowan).

Charmed is one of my favorite shows and I completely agree with you. Seasons 1-3 are considered the best by far alongside Season 4. And Season 4 probably succeeded so well because a lot of the plotlines were meant for when Prue was alive (vanquishing the Source, Cole becoming the new Source, Phoebe becoming Queen of the Underworld, etc.) Even some of the worst episodes like the body switching one between Phoebe and Paige was probably meant for Prue and Phoebe instead.

Seasons 5-8 were so tonally different and the ridiculous episodes with the magical creatures completely took over. And while i liked Wyatt, the show basically ended up becoming about him and Chris. Frankly, Paige never had the same amount of chemistry with Piper and Phoebe the way Prue did and that really showed.

I used to be a Rose fan, especially when she was on OUAT as young Cora, but she's turned me off lately. I've heard a lot of people say that she's probably done more to destroy the #MeToo movement than anyone else especially with all the Asia Argento scandals which she constantly flipped back and forth on. Rose attacking Alyssa Milano was uncalled for and it's really hard to show unity amongst women when she goes out of her way to attack almost every prominent feminist there is. Besides Alyssa, I know she's attacked Natalie Portman, Meryl Streep, and Hillary Clinton as well. She believes more in tearing down women than empowering them. She's constantly flipped on her opinion of Charmed as well. I appreciate her honesty speaking up about the rampant sexism she encountered on set, but at the same time, she used to disparage the show and its fans and how she would never watch it, only years later to suddenly act as though she loves this show so much. And her latest tweets about how she's a registered Republican who will never vote Democrat because she would rather vote for the evil she knows over the evil she doesn't just exposed her true colors and the hack she really is. She's no ally to women if she's willing to keep 45 in power after all the damage he's done to women and minorities. And Rose has frankly made some tone-deaf comments about the gay community as well and how gay men are the worst enemies of women.

[JeanGreyForever]

Let me go back and start with Aladdin since it´s my favorite Disney movie.

I have to say that I´ve never liked most of the Home Releases. They have gone from average to awful. It started improving from the DVD Collector´s Edition and from then on to the new BD releases.

...and yes, How come Disney green lit the Heroes´ cover?

On the opposite side The Lion King have had mostly great covers.

Pocahontas never had anything amazing. However, I do like the Gold Collection cover the most (that´s the same as the Spain BD release).

Hunchback of Notre Dame has the most "charming/nice" covers. It´s funny how, for most of the merchandise, they used yellow as the prominent color.

...the DVD wouldn´t have been bad if Esmeralda wasn´t there.

Hunchback used a lot of yellow, orange, or purple. Personally I'm glad Esmeralda was on the DVD cover because she's the secondary protagonist and basically what the film revolves around.

I don't know, he flat out tells her she shouldn't be at the river and that she needs to be at home so he can watch over her and protect her. It seems protective yes, I agree, but also controlling. Especially the way he kicks Meeko out and treats him like vermin. Kocoum's behavior reminds me of a lot of guys who gaslight their girlfriends under this notion of being "protective" and it wouldn't bother me so much if Pocahontas wanted to be treated that way. If it's consensual and one partner likes that treatment then it's all fine, but clearly Pocahontas is very uncomfortable and feels suffocated by his behavior. Not to mention she points out that she's not even his wife yet. So they don't even have a relationship yet where such behavior from him would feel justified. Going by the movie, he's announced as her betrothed because he was a war hero, not because they were ever really close so it's clear he doesn't even really know Pocahontas and already considers her his "property" because of her father's blessing. So I can understand Pocahontas' aversion to being told what to do by someone she hardly knows who already acts like he's her caretaker or master. Kocoum's behavior reminds me a lot of Gaston here, who if you just observe in the opening act of the film, might not be described as a pure villain either.

Wow, super good points, and I am seeing this differently now. I had forgotten to mention that I hated how he treated Meeko. I guess I was assuming that they had a bit more of a-- not romantic relationship, but knew each other a bit more, but yeah, if they barely know each other then it is pretty alarming behavior. Thanks for your thoughtful response!!

You're welcome. I just wanted to explain why I personally didn't think Kocoum's feelings towards Pocahontas were very genuine and why, I might not think he's a bad person, but I don't have a particularly favorable opinion of him as well.

[JeanGreyForever]

Fareb: don't worry about posting the Hunchback covers before I got to chime in on Pocahontas! All good! I was surprised cause it was earlier than you normally do it.

Fareb and JeanGreyForever: I am the one who made the comment about Shannen Doherty. And I didn't say she was unattractive or ugly. But her eyes are uneven and she has full lips, and looking at that cover of Pocahontas did remind me of her. There are many characteristics that work for a real person, but don't work on an illustration, which, in this case, is a stylized/streamlined version of a woman. Shannen is beautiful (specially during season 2 of BH90210!). That said, if Shannen wants to join this forum, I would be happy to apologize to her and thrilled to tell her she is beautiful and how much I have enjoyed her work over the years.

D82: thanks for your comment! I read your ranking for Pocahontas, and I saw we had several views in common

The way you worded it made it seem like you were poking fun at her appearance but it's difficult to tell online if someone is being serious or not and we probably have different senses of humor. Thank you for explaining your intent by that comment and I'm glad you think Shannen is beautiful. Something tells me she probably has more pressing issues to worry about these days than joining a Disney forum

[Farerb]

I didn't know that about Rose. It's disappointing to hear that.

[D82]

My family only had two of these. Be Our Guest was one of them, the other one was Friend Like Me. I can remember that right off just because we didn't own anything with Pooh, and BOG was the first time I'd ever seen the "Heffalumps and Woozles" scene. The other one I remember because it included "In Harmony" and I'd watch it just for that.

I also discovered some songs in those VHSs first. Especially the ones that were from live-action films, like "Ugly Bug Ball" from Summer Magic, for example.

[Disney's Divinity]

I've tried to check out many live-action Disney films I haven't seen, but I've still never have Summer Magic, although I've heard three songs from the movie. My family didn't own many of the live-action Disney films. We really just had the Hayley Mills movies, Homeward Bound, Hocus Pocus. We didn't even have Mary Poppins or Bedknobs & Broomsticks (or The Wizard of Oz either, for that matter) growing up. My mother said she liked to keep those films "special." Something about how when she was young, they would always watch The Wizard of Oz once a year and it made it feel like a real event. Whereas if we'd had it as children, we would've watched it 20 times a day and ruined it.

[Disney Duster]

I have never liked Rose McGowan. Whenever I saw her I didn't like her. She was always off-putting to me. Nothing to do with her views but just how she came across. Now I know she's an awful person.

[D82]

I've tried to check out many live-action Disney films I haven't seen, but I've still never have Summer Magic, although I've heard three songs from the movie. My family didn't own many of the live-action Disney films. We really just had the Hayley Mills movies, Homeward Bound, Hocus Pocus. We didn't even have Mary Poppins or Bedknobs & Broomsticks (or The Wizard of Oz either, for that matter) growing up. My mother said she liked to keep those films "special." Something about how when she was young, they would always watch The Wizard of Oz once a year and it made it feel like a real event. Whereas if we'd had it as children, we would've watched it 20 times a day and ruined it.

It's a shame you couldn't have some of these films as a child, though I can see your mother's point too. In my case, I didn't watch many live-action films from Disney as a child because they weren't as easy to find here in Spain as the animated ones. The most popular of them like Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks have always been available, but some of the lesser-known ones have probably never been released here on VHS, especially the old ones.

[JeanGreyForever]

I have never liked Rose McGowan. Whenever I saw her I didn't like her. She was always off-putting to me. Nothing to do with her views but just how she came across. Now I know she's an awful person.

She has a really weird background too like growing up in a cult (much like Tulsi Gabbard and any comparison with Tulsi Gabbard is enough to tell me this person is a wackjob who should be kept far away from the public) and she's not exactly ethical considering she had an affair with a married director. And as much as I hate to say this about any rape survivor, I do have to agree with her detractors that it seems like she was more interested in putting herself back in the spotlight and milking her story for everything it was worth, such as in her TV show and book deal. I don't believe any real ally for women, particularly one who went through what she did with Harvey Weinsten, would vote for a president like Donald Trump who has countless sexual harassment cases against him so this just goes to show that she's only out there for herself.

[Disney Duster]

Wow, Rose is...yikes.