DVDizzy Forum

Ya I do care about special features. They already charge basically 20bucks for a two hour movie so might as well get something else out of it. I would say maybe 30mins of special features is good enough for me, espically since the disc can hold it. Im also a coverwhore, I hate when they leave movies blank with no coverart on them.

But ive noticed that now they are making more single disc BluRays and Special Edition BluRays. And noticed they are cancelling out fullscreen releases.

I wouldn't buy a vast majority of movies I own on DVD or BR if it wasn't for bonus features. With services like Netflix on demand and iTunes movies, movies with only so-so features get a pass for me unless I love the film.

If it wasn't for extra features, commentaries especially I would likely just download most of what I have in my collection, with a few exceptions.

yamiiguy - do you mean about any / all DVD's, or Disney DVD's specifically??

Obviously, there is a difference between shooting new material for the DVD of just any movie and someone trying to get archival, original features for movies with a large fanbase. Such as behind the scenes footage, various promotional stuff(s), and maybe interviews the cast / crew did on TV which might not even be about the film. Really, it depends on how good it is, how much of a fanbase the movie / tv show has, how good the interview questions are, how interesting the people are. Things like this. And what they're for.

As for Disney DVD's... of course bonus features are important- depending upon how old the movie is. Since many Disney movies are considered important because of nostalgia, bonus features that enhance the experience of being back in 1930, '40, '50, '60, '70, '80-whatever are going to be more attractive than the standard smiley retrospective interviews that just say nice, standard, smiley things. It's rare that interviewers have really great stories to tell and things to say that will honestly make you laugh. Original features have historical value to them.

As for newer interviews, I'm a big fan of some of the very careful and detailed observations animators made about Bambi and The Jungle Book on those making-of's for the Platinum Editions (I rented both from Netflix last year). But you don't get that on the Platinum's for Snow White, Cinderella, and Peter Pan. So again, better new features are damn rare. As for the games, well... I usually try all of them once. The only one that was really any good that I've played was the Dopey mine shaft thing. Compared to the Bambi forest game, Disney did a fantastic job getting great vocal actors to do the Magic Mirror and the Queen.

And, silly though this may be, the Personality Tests are fun in a disposable way (I've done the Sleeping Beauty and Bambi ones several times). My favorite Disney DVD extra though will always be the very first one I watched: the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color excerpt on the Curse of the Black Pearl 2nd disc (one of my housemates owns the DVD).

I must confess that I no longer watch all features on my new disney
dvd/blu as much as I cared for them in the early days

Most of the new blu's don't give the proper ''making of insight ''such movies deserve.
they rather make use of spare disc space to fill it up with childish games
or trivia content.

One I do hold in high regard is the Beauty and the Beast PE dvd

It has by far the best content imaginable, all be it still somewhat incomplete...

Another one is the Snow White PE dvd

For movies like Tarzan (favorite one of mine I much rather flip through one of these...)

REINIER wrote:I must confess that I no longer watch all features on my new disney
dvd/blu as much as I cared for them in the early days

Most of the new blu's don't give the proper ''making of insight ''such movies deserve.
they rather make use of spare disc space to fill it up with childish games
or trivia content.

One I do hold in high regard is the Beauty and the Beast PE dvd

It has by far the best content imaginable, all be it still somewhat incomplete...

Another one is the Snow White PE dvd

For movies like Tarzan (favorite one of mine I much rather flip through one of these...)

Tarzan is one of my all time faves. Where did you get that book?

milojthatch wrote:

REINIER wrote:For movies like Tarzan (favorite one of mine I much rather flip through one of these...)

Tarzan is one of my all time faves. Where did you get that book?

I picked that same book up at a store called Value City several years ago for only $4.

Here's a link to the Amazon listing.

milojthatch wrote:

REINIER wrote:I must confess that I no longer watch all features on my new disney
dvd/blu as much as I cared for them in the early days

Most of the new blu's don't give the proper ''making of insight ''such movies deserve.
they rather make use of spare disc space to fill it up with childish games
or trivia content.

One I do hold in high regard is the Beauty and the Beast PE dvd

It has by far the best content imaginable, all be it still somewhat incomplete...

Another one is the Snow White PE dvd

For movies like Tarzan (favorite one of mine I much rather flip through one of these...)

Tarzan is one of my all time faves. Where did you get that book?

I believe I got this through Amazon at the time, though for a much better price than currently offered

Hope this helps!

REINIER wrote:I believe I got this through Amazon at the time, though for a much better price than currently offered

Hope this helps!

I just saw the current price there myself!

I care about them. I love watching what went into making the movies turn out the way the did. I hate how the current trend is that DVDs are coming out with the minimalist of any features, especially classic films. I usually double-dip just for the features.

I enjoy special features but for the most part I only watch them once. They aren't really something I watch over and over again.

I love special features. Documentaries, deleted scenes, promotional material (for historical context), and art galleries are are what I consider special features. I must confess, I never listen to commentaries as I just don't have the time or patience to re-watch the movie (not to mention the commentaries repeat a lot of what the included documentaries already say).

Extras are a MUST on animated films, more then any other. I just like to see the process and people that help bring such a collaborative effort together. They also seem to go through more changes then any other type of film. Animated films are usually the only ones I return to re-watch features on, especially art galleries. I also enjoy features on movies from classic Hollywood, as I have this strange fascination with that time period, and the actors, studio-system, and culture in general.

I have to say, if DVD and Blu-ray keep skimping on extras, then there will be no incentive for people to buy the physical format over just downloading/streaming it (that is, in a couple of years when PQ/AQ catch up and internet connections are universally faster).

I re-watch special features for movies I care about. If I love it, or it's animation, you know I'll re-watch them.

The only problem I have with extras that most of the time they're not too in-depth for me. The technical stuff could be explored more, but Disney doesn't focus on that too often anymore. Explaining why and how the look for Wall-E was created was an excellent feature though. And yet I still wanted to know more . But I'm probably an exception.

I just looked at the amazon listing for the book.................................

Of the animated films, the special features I like to watch are with the voice actors and interviewing them. Also film footage of them performing their lines is fun to watch. The outtakes and deleted scenes are sometimes a must-have on DVD releases. The number of outtakes with Robin Williams for the Genie would fill up a whole DVD, but they were plentiful on the Aladdin bonus features. It was sweet and sad to watch short clips of Douglas Seale, too. As a fan of concept art, the gallery section is something I'm into viewing, too.

I used too, but then I found that I hardly watched the majority of them. I would rather have a top notch transfer than a ton of special features. Before I switched to Blu-ray last year I had already started to buy the 1 disc DVD releases instead of the multi disc sets.

KubrickFan wrote:The only problem I have with extras that most of the time they're not too in-depth for me. The technical stuff could be explored more, but Disney doesn't focus on that too often anymore. Explaining why and how the look for Wall-E was created was an excellent feature though. And yet I still wanted to know more . But I'm probably an exception.

You are not the only one. It's why I love Criterion and older movies put out by Warner Brothers DVD and Blu-Ray releases. It's fine to get the movie, but when there are 7-15 hours of bonus materials like Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz (and that does not include the many commentaries) you have a winner.

yes & no

pvdfan wrote:

KubrickFan wrote:The only problem I have with extras that most of the time they're not too in-depth for me. The technical stuff could be explored more, but Disney doesn't focus on that too often anymore. Explaining why and how the look for Wall-E was created was an excellent feature though. And yet I still wanted to know more . But I'm probably an exception.

You are not the only one. It's why I love Criterion and older movies put out by Warner Brothers DVD and Blu-Ray releases. It's fine to get the movie, but when there are 7-15 hours of bonus materials like Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz (and that does not include the many commentaries) you have a winner.

The only problem I have with Criterion is that they mostly license other documentaries and television programs, instead of producing their own material. If Warner really opens the vaults, it's almost too much . I find that David Fincher's movies also have a lot of material. I've seen a lot of discs, but the Zodiac and Curious Case of Benjamin Button supplements were some of the best I've ever seen.