Pocahontas and Lilo delayed again & Bad New Policy

[Joe Carioca]

I can't beleive it, I can't beleive it... Tell me it's not true!
Those !@&%*$#!!!! I wonder if these DVDs will get release at all!! There have been rumors of the "Pocahontas - SE" DVD since the film was released as a Gold Collection title. And "Lilo"... well, you know the story!!

Damn, Disney!!!

[poco]

I thought they put these titles on trailers already?

Geez...Eisner and his delaying.....

[Jake Lipson]

Well, thanks Disney for just ruining my day.

According to the front page, the Lilo & Stitch and Pocahontas Masterpiece Editions are delayed AGAIN -- until <b>2005!</b> so as to tie into the theatrical release of L&S2.

All I can say is boy, am I glad I bought the single-disc L&S and didn't hold out for the SE. This is what, the fourth or fifth delay for it and the second delay for Pocahontas? Sheesh, I'm beginning to think we may never get them. And since when is L&S2 a theatrical release? You'd think Disney would learn not to release the cheapies in theaters, confusing the public. Well, this may change yet: Teacher's Pet is bombing bad, with an expected weekend take of $2.5m. It should've gone DTV, and so should L&S2. And another thing. Even if they ARE delaying L&S to match the sequel, why delay Pocahontas? Pocahontas already had its sequel, and it has nothing to do with the L&S franchise, so delaying it makes no sense. Unless they want to call it 10th Anniversary Edition instead of Masterpiece Edition.

Also, Mary Poppins is delayed to December 2004 to coincide with the theatrical release of The Princess Diaries II (the original will also be a SE that month, supposedly.) If this is true -- and Luke, I have to ask your source -- it means Diaries is also delayed, since it was previously slated for August 11, I believe. I don't really care about TPD2, but I'm extremely pissed off that Mary Poppins is delayed.

Worst of all, well, I'll just pull Luke's quote from the front page for this, I haven't the heart to tell it myself.

Lastly, a disappointing item on dual format releases of live action titles. Disney's new policy is to discontinue one of the editions released a few months after initial release, based on sales. So for instance, if you've been putting off buying The Santa Clause 2 in widescreen, you may want to pick it up soon, as the widescreen edition is scheduled to become unavailable in the near future. As always, you can e-mail (Disneyinfo@Disneyhelp.com) or call (1-800-72-DISNEY) to lodge your complaints.

I don't even know how best to describe my reaction to this without resorting to profanity, which I won't do because this is a family-friendly board.

More later.

[Luke]

Hmm...I have to guess that maybe December is the DVD release for Princess Diaries II then.

[poco]

AND I just brought Princess Diaries Widescreen the other day. UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

[Joe Carioca]

It ruined my day as well... I am pissed, pissed, pissed!!
Four bad news at once… Two of my favorite movies delayed, no “Mary Poppins” until December and more cheapquels in theaters…. Those bas….

I'm also glad I got the sigle discs releases of "Pocahontas" and "Lilo".

[poco]

A question regarding the dual format of releases discussed below.

Lastly, a disappointing item on dual format releases of live action titles. Disney's new policy is to discontinue one of the editions released a few months after initial release, based on sales. So for instance, if you've been putting off buying The Santa Clause 2 in widescreen, you may want to pick it up soon, as the widescreen edition is scheduled to become unavailable in the near future.

which titles are these affecting? I own Santa Clause 2, Holes, Princess Diaries, etc. that I know are dual format releases, but do we have somewhere on the website that we can go to to "watch out" for titles that have two versions out?

If anyone is going to write Disney or call, make sure you inform them of the trend for households moving to widescreen television sets. If people buy full-screen and have a widescreen tv is going to look weird.

[Jake Lipson]

Yeah, a December DVD release for Princess Diaries II would make sense, since it mirrors the same strategy Disney used for the original in 2001 (and for Freaky Friday last year.) Since the original disc is pretty well packed, if the first movie is going SE it's got to be 2-disc, which would indicate that the sequel will be a 2-disc set as well.

Also, when does the discontinuing dual releases policy take effect? More importantly, will this effect old titles? I've got Holes and would like both Santa Clauses. If this is going to effect older releases then I need to track down The Rookie and the two Clauses in widescreen ASAP.

[Jake Lipson]

I'm having a thought here.

If the Diaries sequel does street in December, I wouldn't put it past Disney to have a deal where if you buy either Diaries movie and Mary Poppins you can get an instant rebate in-store. They did this before with the three Studio Gibli titles and with Treasure Planet/Treasure Island.

Still, if it were me, I would keep Mary Poppins in August, and release the SE of the original Diaries then, too, to stir up intrest in the theatrical release of the sequel.

[Disney Guru]

Pochahontas And Lilo

Thanks a lot for just ruining my good day. I can't believe that I have bought all of thse Disney DVD'S that I have purchased not knowing it.

[Luke]

I'm not sure if or how the new policy affects things like Holes, Remember the Titans, Princess Diaries etc. But presumably it will affect Haunted Mansion, whether in a similar or different way than Santa Clause 2.

I also know that Disney got a barrage of unhappy calls from people looking to buy Pirates in Pan & Scan.

[goofystitch]

Darn! I was so ecited for "Lilo and Stitch: Masterpiece Edition." Don't you think it would be better to release L&S on the original date and include a trailor for the now theatrical release of "Lilo and Sticth 2?" That way, they could build up some hype for it. Even a work in progress trailor, just don't make everybody wait even longer for the DVD. I'm not a huge "Pocahontas" fan, but I was going to get the Masterpiece Edition because the Gold Collection video quality is poor, and I love watching how these movies were made. I also don't understand why Disney has to release these two films together. I can understand if they feel that releasing it with "Lilo and Stitch" will make people feel they should own both, but why not advertise it on the "Alice In Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition" coming out this month?

Jake Lipson Wrote:

Teacher's Pet is bombing bad, with an expected weekend take of $2.5m. It should've gone DTV, and so should L&S2.

I saw "Teacher's Pet" and liked it alot, but I agree that sequels should go straight to video. I was also wondering where you are able to get information on how much movies are expected to make. If you could put a link up, I'd greatley appreciate it.

[Luke]

I saw "Teacher's Pet" and liked it alot, but I agree that sequels should go straight to video. I was also wondering where you are able to get information on how much movies are expected to make. If you could put a link up, I'd greatley appreciate it.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com

A terrific resource, but make sure you have a pop-up ad killer.

[Jake Lipson]

Sheesh. How about an alternate plan?

Instead of dual releases for live action titles and discontinuing them a few months later, why not put both versions on one disc? That way both versions continue to be available perminantely, unless Disney decides to take the title itself out of print and not just one edition. Of course, on longer films this could cause bit rate problems (especially if a title is packed with extras), but if it's that long just make the title a 2-disc set with both versions (a la Nemo, Bug's Life, Sleeping Beauty, Brother Bear CEs) and the extras. They put both transfers on Freaky Friday (at least in the USA) and it turned out well, according to reviews.

They have nothing to gain from discontinuing one of the versions. I'm most unhappy about this policy and will be calling Disney to complain as soon as they open up the lines again and I'm free to do so. They don't work on weekends and I'm not sure if they'll be open tomorrow since it's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but on Tuesday at least I will be complaining, and sooner if I can.

[2099net]

I have a question. Does anyone here think that "anniversary editions" and vauge tie-ins with other movies actually help sales?

Are any of you more likely to buy a DVD just because its 10, 20 or 25 years after the original movies debut?

Do you think (to take a non-Disney example) you're more willing to buy an Iron Giant Special Edition just because it's directed by Brad Bird when The Incredibles (also directed by B Bird) is in the theaters? Does the general public even care about directors and actors to this extent?

I doubt tieing a Lilo and Stitch Masterpeice edition into the proper Lilo and Stitch sequel will have much effect - especially when the cartoon is already on television every day!

It will be interesting to see if Pocahontas does come out in the UK this spring...

[Jake Lipson]

Luke, I've been browsing Disney promotional stuff lately and haven't found anything re this policy. I regrettably believe you that it's true but you obviously have a different source. Could you use the source to find out how it is going to effect Rookie and the original Santa Clause? I need to pick those up, but if the WS versions are staying on the market I'll wait. Thanks.

Also - not suprised people were looking for Pirates in P&S, although I'm really glad Disney went the widescreen only route with it, if only because it will get people more used to the widescreen format. If they want P&S so bad, they can get the VHS. I do wonder <i>why</i> though, since it is obvious that it would have sold in both formats. Some people have suggested that Jerry Bruckhimer had something to do with it, but if that's true then why did he let Disney release Remember the Titans in both formats? That was his movie, too.

[indianajdp]

*sigh*

Guess we'll have to go another couple years without Pocahontas and Lilo & Stitch. My daughter probably won't even care about Pocahontas by then

[Prince Adam]

Well, I"m as mad as anyone, but I know why they're being put off: it gives Disney another year to have people stock up on the Pocahontas Gold Collections, and as another year to think up a new name for this "Edition". I'm thinking these two will be the first of the "Silver Collection" (Pocahontas) and the "Bronze Collection" (Lilo).

[Jake Lipson]

Sigh. Disney had a great 2003 in both theatrical and video with what is undeniably their greatest slate ever. Their 2004 theatrical slate isn't nearly as impressive -- I'm only really looking forward to Home on the Range and The Incredibles -- but their DVD slate was set to be a knockout. A record number of 2-disc special editions, including highly-anticipated reissues of some of the greatest classics in its library. Plus the added strength of the impressive Lion King sequels, TWO waves of Walt Disney Treasures, and the promising Mickey's Three Musketeers video original.

Then they announced this.

When all is said and done, we've still got four animated classics due this year (Alice, Brother Bear, Home on the Range, Aladdin) but it's not nearly as fan-favorable or as strong as it would be with Pocahontas and Lilo & Stitch there. Plus, even though the first three are all great movies with great DVD packages (okay, I'm trusting HOTR wil be great), the only one that I think is likely to light the sales charts on fire is Aladdin. And while I'm not sure if Pocahontas and the L&S reissue will exactly be megahits either, they will undoubtably sell extremely well and Disney could have used their help on this year's slate. Next year however will be a strong enough slate without them -- The Incredibles, Bambi, The Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean II -- and while I'm sure the 2005 slate will still benefit from them, it would've helped more in 2004.

At least Mary Poppins SE is still here. It should sell extremely well, especially in its new holiday-friendly position, but it is disappointing to have to wait longer for it. I wouldn't be suprised if Aladdin and Mary Poppins combined gave Disney some close-to-record profits, but nothing will compare with this past year's slate moneywise, especially last fall's in perticular: The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Sleeping Beauty, Holes, The Lion King, The Santa Clause 2, Finding Nemo, Eloise at the Plaza, The Music Man, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I mean, wow! The big 4 were of course the three animations and Pirates, but the others helped, too.

And the new policy is the biggest slap in the face to widescreen fans ever. "We'll give it to you, but only for a couple months" is almost worse han "We won't give it to you at all" because it's more painful to know that a properly-framed version exsists and you can't get it than knowing that there isn't one at all. Sheesh. And, I'm pretty sure it'll always be the WS ones that are discontinued. Even if the WS versions sell better, Disney sees things like SC2 and Haunted Mansion as kid's movies and they think that kids want FS, so it's a miracle that they showed up in WS at all. Sigh.

[MickeyMousePal]

Oh well Disney going to have more delays again I guess I can wait.
Pocahontas, Lilo & Stitch, and Mary Poppins are great Disney Flims why delay them.
Are they all going to be delay again could this be just a rumor?
How can Lilo and Stitch 2 be in theater?