DVDizzy Forum

2099net wrote: Yeah, but compared to other studios, how many pre-1990 titles for a general (rather than children's) market does Disney have? It's comparing apples to oranges.

Warners may have lots of good classic, archival releases (but not that many really still compared to their DVD releases) but how many are aimed at "children"?

Warner has a DVD sub-label called Warner Family Entertainment. How many of these or other childrens/family titles have been released on Blu-ray? The Iron Giant? Free Willy? The Witches? Little Shop of Horrors?

Correct me if I'm wrong but we've had Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Gremlins (no Gremlins 2) and the Goonies. Maybe one or two others, but hardly a flood of such releases.

Like it or not, Disney doesn't own a lot of 'adult' older movies. A lot of their live action 'adult' movies have already been put on Blu-ray when the format was launched. And no studio is pushing older childrens/family movies while Blu-ray remains mainly in people's living rooms, not people's bedrooms.

The Wizard of Oz isn't a children's title? MGM just released Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and that looks amazing. The Sound of Music is another.

KubrickFan wrote: The Wizard of Oz isn't a children's title? MGM just released Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and that looks amazing. The Sound of Music is another.

Yeah, I forgot about Oz. But still, regardless, you're talking about a handful of such titles from each studio.

Disney/BVHE has still released more pre-2000 childrens/family films on Blu-ray than any other studio (I would guess, but haven't checked). No studio is pushing the boat out when it comes to older childrens/family films on Blu-ray - because restorations are costly and at the moment the format is still biased towards older audiences.

Just this month we got Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia, Fantasia 2000. We also have Dumbo, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Sleeping Beauty, The Nightmare Before Xmas, Pinocchio, Snow White, Pixar shorts Vol 1 and James and the Giant Peach - that's more than 10. Plus Tron, Bambi, Alice in Wonderland are known to be coming.

Has Fox, Universal or Warners released 10 such titles each yet? I don't think so (but could be wrong).

When Disney's older films only speak to one segment of the marketplace, its not really fair to compare their output to studios with a broader catalogue (and indeed, a broader release strategy)

Just got the US version today! Unlike international versions, both Fantasias are housed in the same (thick) Blu-ray case. Personally I don't mind that, and IMO the US artwork looks prettier.

Some thoughts about the disc content:

- The new transfer of Fantasia is, as previously reported, fantastic. I think the Blu-ray actually improves the movie as a whole, since Fantasia relies heavily on the visuals to create an impact on the viewer. I literally dropped my jaw when I saw the "winter fairies" sequence in The Nutcracker Suite. I've seen this scene many times since I was like 2 years old, but never with such a stunning level of detail and clarity. The blues are deep and rich... unbelievably gorgeous.

- Interestingly, the Sunflower issue is mentioned by Brian Sibley during the new commentary for Fantasia. This is a direct transcript:

Starting in 1960, Sunflower was excised from the film, at first with crude cuts noticeable in the musical score, but later, as here, by cropping the shots. Whilst there is no excusing it, we can recognize that this regrettable characterization was very much of its time. And it's better that we acknowledge the history, but do so perhaps without perpetuating the image, which can anyway be found in scholarly animation books and collections.

- While both films look great in HD, I was surprised that Fantasia 2000 looked more subdued than its predecessor. What I mean is that the colors, while lush, aren't as vibrant and crisp as you'd expect from such a recent animated film; even the Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray had richer colors (ahem... don't wanna delve into that territory...). It is likely that this transfer comes directly from the original CAPS files without any tinkering like they did with Beauty. Also, I noticed 2 or 3 slight instances of white flickering (possibly dust or film damage) during the live-action interstitial with James Earl Jones. It's very minor, but it's there.

- It's a pity that they didn't create more new bonus features for this release, but I'm still very happy that they did the transfers right. Besides, there's Disney Virtual Vault for those who are BD-Live capable. I'm currently unable to access it, either because the US server isn't ready or because I'm not in the US, but fortunately I have the original Fantasia Anthology set which I purchased in 2006. I remember back then I posted on this forum asking whether I should get the Anthology, and thanks to all who encouraged me cos I'd definitely regret it if I hadn't.

Pics:

Thanks so much for sharing, Chris! The Nutcracker Suite is one of the segments I am looking forward to most, so I'm glad to hear that it looks so great. Your pictures are excellent too; I was curious as to how the 4 discs would be packaged.

Have you had a chance to look at the Destino short yet? It'd be interesting to see your comments on that as well.

Lol! at Donald tugging on Stokowsi's coattails.

I wish there was an ironpack coming out for this.

Does anyone think there is a possibility of getting this title for $20 or less (by using the $10 coupon) on release day?

Amazon.com currently has it listed for pre-order at $28.99, while Toys R' Us has it for $39.99. I'm hoping some of my local stores put this on sale, and still allow us to use the coupons. Toys R' Us marked BATB down to $22.99 on release day, and with the coupon it was only $12.99.

I know we're getting 2 movies in one, but I'm frugal!

my guess is the price will be something around $27.99 before coupon. The ad for the week of the 28th has not been released so I don't know for sure (usually its posted early at places like dvdtalk).

jediliz wrote:my guess is the price will be something around $27.99 before coupon.

That would be perfect! I'd be happy to pay $17.99 on release day

Anyone knows if the Virtual Vault feature, done through BDLive, would work outside the US?

Since it is also available on international discs, I guess the US-version schould work wordwide.

DisneyChris wrote: - While both films look great in HD, I was surprised that Fantasia 2000 looked more subdued than its predecessor. What I mean is that the colors, while lush, aren't as vibrant and crisp as you'd expect from such a recent animated film; even the Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray had richer colors (ahem... don't wanna delve into that territory...). It is likely that this transfer comes directly from the original CAPS files without any tinkering like they did with Beauty. Also, I noticed 2 or 3 slight instances of white flickering (possibly dust or film damage) during the live-action interstitial with James Earl Jones. It's very minor, but it's there.

I own the British Blu-ray and noticed the same on the Fantasia 2000 transfer. There are even slight digital artifacts (+haloing?). A fact that could underline your directly-from-CAPS theory is that the film starts and ends with the blue castle logo!

I'm really anxious to see the full detail of The Nutcracker Suite.

Loving the cover!!! I'm so excited to get this!!! Woooo!

As far as busy covers go, yeah that's not bad at all. Its nicely organized, it lets your eye go in a nice circular path while looking at it all.

Thanks for the pics DisneyChris! This is getting me even more excited about this release...this is gonna be even better than BatB!

Watch out Wal-Mart...you better have it stocked at midnight or I'll call the manager and get you in trouble, lol!

8 days to go!

Target has the combo pack for $27.99, and Best Buy for $29.99 in next weeks ad. DVD edition is $19.99 at Target, no ideal for Best Buy yet.

You get $10 off if you buy the Blu-ray combo with the Blu-ray of Sorcerers Apprentice.

I'm wondering if Sorcerers Apprentice will receive a coupon too?

Best Buy better take my coupon. I haven't had trouble with using them yet but after hearing people having issues with using the coupons at Best Buy it worries me.

Has anyone seen what Toys R' Us will carry it for? In my area, they were the cheapest for BATB, so I am curious to see what they offer Fantasia for.

MJW wrote:Has anyone seen what Toys R' Us will carry it for? In my area, they were the cheapest for BATB, so I am curious to see what they offer Fantasia for.

Same with me. They had it for 22.99 - 10.00 = 12.99