Is the economy affecting Disney DVD production?

[MikeyMouse]

I've been noticing something this past couple of weeks and was wondering if anyone else found this odd:

When I opened my DMC copy of "Oliver and Company" two weeks ago, I was surprised to see that the disc art was the plain gray silkscreen I'm used to seeing on my Netflix rental DVDs. In fact that was my first thought: since this copy wasn't technically "retail", I thought they might have sent me one of the generic versions that Netflix usually gets.

This past week, however, I picked up Vols. 4-6 of the WDAC series from Costco for my little girl to watch, and found the same gray silkscreened art. This led me to wonder if perhaps the economy has put the pinch on WDHV to the point that they can't afford full-color disc art on their newer releases? Is anyone else seeing monotone disc art? If so, what titles? Has anyone obtained any of the above mentioned titles with full-color artwork?

Just curious. We used to get phenomenal full-color disc art. I noticed with last year's Treasures releases that the artwork had been toned down some, and was more of a reflective mirror finish--now there seems to be none at all.

[PatrickvD]

Of course it is. You see it everywhere really. Sales are down, so they have to cut costs. It's sadly as simple as that.

Besides, the economy is a living, breathing entity. We have angered it with excessive spending of money we didn't possess in the first place. Now it's out for revenge and we're punished with bare bones Disney dvd's with no sllipcovers, inserts or disc art. It's a living hell

[Elladorine]

Yeah, this has already been discussed a bit here, although I don't remember which thread(s). Apparently they're no longer including inserts or full color artwork on the discs for DVD's, although Blu-Ray is a different story? My copies of both Bolt and the new Lilo and Stitch edition contain neither, and I've heard that the new Oliver & Co. discs are like that as well.

It didn't actually seem like a big deal to me until I picked up said titles and opened them. Even though I knew they were gonna be grey and that I barely even look at such artwork, it was disappointing and really took something away from the whole experience of getting them out for the first time.

[Elladorine]

Now it's out for revenge and we're punished with bare bones Disney dvd's with no sllipcovers, inserts or disc art.

Actually, it's funny how they can't do disc art, inserts, and are holding back on bonus features . . . yet still find a way to include slipcovers.

[PatrickvD]

Now it's out for revenge and we're punished with bare bones Disney dvd's with no sllipcovers, inserts or disc art.

Actually, it's funny how they can't do disc art, inserts, and are holding back on bonus features . . . yet still find a way to include slipcovers.

yeah, such a waste I forgot the slipcovers were still around

[2099net]

I think its simpler than that. Disney "knows" it doesn't have to do anything special to get the sales.

And it does "know". They do surveys all the time, judging what people want and what people don't want. People want Slipcovers. Disney still gives them slipcovers.

People aren't that fussed about "full colour disc art" I would suspect. Remember how we all laughed and made fun of Disney's early releases which boasted this as a "special feature"?

Likewise, most people don't want a slew of extra features. Most people would rather have a DVD game than a 25minute "making of".

I know what you're going to say - people do still want this stuff. And that's true. But compared to how mainstream DVD has become, those that do are in a minority compared to the total audience and sales. Especially when the majority buy a copy of Oliver and Company for their young children and have no intention of watching anything on the disc themselves.

Blu-ray gets extra features (most of the time) because that's the audience Disney has to sell to to drive sales currently. The early-ish adoptor/enthusiast market. If Blu-ray ever attains the sales DVD reached in it's height of popularity, trust me, Disney will be crapping out Blu-rays just as carelessly as their DVDs now.

At the end of the day, even now the US market still has DVDs which have only been released as P&S DVDs, or DVDs which are letterboxed, non-anamorphic. And not just niche titles either - what about the "Honey, I" films or (outside the Disney brand) Scream [1]. While continuing to ignore these, they can still re-release titles like "Oliver & Company", "Sword in the Stone" or even "Disney's Princess Enchanted Tales" when they have perfectly reasonable and adequate DVDs easily available a few short months before the re-release.

It all comes down to money.

[Elladorine]

Didn't Disney actually announce the changes were made because of the economy? That people aren't buying as many discs as they used to so they felt that simplifying things would increase their chances for sales while minimizing costs?

Ah yes, I recall making fun of "full color artwork on disc" being touted as a bonus feature myself, and I still stand by making fun of it. Did anyone besides Buena Vista ever do that? And maybe it was silly to just expect it as we always have (especially now that it's gone) but including it seems like a no-brainer. I do understand that yes, the cost of it does indeed add up when pressing thousands and thousands of discs, and apparently they don't feel it's worth it anymore, but it's kinda sad.

I'd much rather have the inserts (that include chapter stops & navigation) and especially the disc art than a piece of cardboard with the same exact art as in the case. But I also realize what Disney is doing here and how slipcovers add more to the overall package, because many customers indeed "judge a book by its cover." Especially when it's still all wrapped up in cellophane on the shelf. If the cases were at all transparent and you could see the disc from the outside, you can damn well bet that some type of disc art would still be included.

As I said over in the thread about the Snow White cover art, they're trying to appeal to the impulse buyer with how the product looks on the shelf; they already know that many families are already buying it for their children just because it's a Disney movie. They also know many collectors like us will still line up to buy the movies, even if we find something to complain about once we open them.

[junco76]

We just bought Space Buddies and Mickey's Big Splash for our daughter, and both had the boring gray disc instead of full-color. Looked like the discs we get from Redbox rentals.

[2099net]

Yeah, maybe Emma, but Disney have been neglecting their DVD line since 2004-ish. Long really if you include their non-releases/re-releases of their classic live action films.

At the end of the day, we could all see it coming - the lackluster Treasure Island DVD in 2002? 2003? Walt's first live action film and not a single celebration of the fact. But even before then, the signs were there - the folding back of the Vault Disney line from double disc releases to single disc releases. Even later, we had Cars and Ratatouille released as single discs (annoyingly, both with value added "retailer exclusives" which, in my mind shows Disney was thinking more about their pocket than hi-def double-dipping).

Sure, some of the discs may not have sold as well as other discs - but you can't expect The Love Bug to sell as many copies as Pirates of the Caribbean - I'm sure it still sold enough to cover the cost of the release, and then some. But that's irrelevant, because a single disc Love Bug would most likely have sold just as well. Just like the single disc Cars would no doubt have sold as many as the double disc The Incredibles.

(You may consider that they backtracked on Wall-E, but they seemed happy enough to put out a single disc Ratatouille without any corporate dithering, and Wall-E had the feature-length Pixar Story included - it will be interesting to see if Up gets a double or single disc, Bolt or Meet the Robinsons weren't doubles).

The re-release especially of Enchanted Tales baffles me. What about all the stories of the next in the line being finished and then pulled? Why re-release what was (presumably) a reasonably selling title when (let's face it) they expect most of the purchases to re-buy the release for the second disc pushing The Princess and the Frog?

(As an aside, this shows Disney have contempt for their customers much, much more than them pushing Blu-ray as aggressively as they do. I mean, they expect people to rebuy a DTV compilation?)

I can only assume they've done a survey somewhere (or perhaps read some of the posts on this forum) and come to the conclusion that people care more about brief preview clips for upcoming films than any other supplement or disc art.

[PixarFan2006]

I am a bit annoyed at the way Disney is releasing DVDs nowadays. They cut out artwork and replace it with bland and boring gray (similar to what DreamWorks and Paramount did). Then, they give re-releases to titles that do not even deserve it in the first place while other titles get neglected.

I think it is partly the economy's fault for this.

[Elladorine]

Yeah, maybe Emma, but Disney have been neglecting their DVD line since 2004-ish. Long really if you include their non-releases/re-releases of their classic live action films.

Don't misunderstand, I do see where you're coming from. It's like Disney went all out with the DVD market once they got past dabbling in the early days, but then let themselves fizzle when they realized they could still make sales without trying so hard. I really miss those old 2 disc sets they used to put out, and it seems things are getting more and more sparse.

[ajmrowland]

Yeah, maybe Emma, but Disney have been neglecting their DVD line since 2004-ish. Long really if you include their non-releases/re-releases of their classic live action films.

At the end of the day, we could all see it coming - the lackluster Treasure Island DVD in 2002? 2003? Walt's first live action film and not a single celebration of the fact.

Too true.

Even later, we had Cars and Ratatouille released as single discs (annoyingly, both with value added "retailer exclusives" which, in my mind shows Disney was thinking more about their pocket than hi-def double-dipping).

And, for me, those "exclusives" were well worth it. A commentary, a game that's actually challenging, and more featurettes makes for a pretty good disc.

(You may consider that they backtracked on Wall-E, but they seemed happy enough to put out a single disc Ratatouille without any corporate dithering, and Wall-E had the feature-length Pixar Story included - it will be interesting to see if Up gets a double or single disc, Bolt or Meet the Robinsons weren't doubles).

Well, neither Bolt nor Meet the Robinsons were Pixar. Plus, I have a feeling that Pixar has some control over the features that end up on their discs. Word on the street is that the delay in an (expected) Finding Nemo blu-ray was because they wanted more time to perfect the disc.

I can only assume they've done a survey somewhere (or perhaps read some of the posts on this forum) and come to the conclusion that people care more about brief preview clips for upcoming films than any other supplement or disc art.

I'm hoping the economy gets better soon, just so I don't have to think about this.

[Mason_Ireton]

I was surpised by the "new" disc art, it's just plain dull, not appealing, I like to see my disc having an attractive feelin to 'em, the art makes it more wholesome to bestow.....then again I remember when I bought Pinocchio: Platinum (DVd) both discs were full on color so I'm guessing that the Platinums/Diamonds are gon'na retain color discs or....well let's wait till Snow White: 70th aniv. Diamond comes out.

[milojthatch]

Yeah, maybe Emma, but Disney have been neglecting their DVD line since 2004-ish. Long really if you include their non-releases/re-releases of their classic live action films.

At the end of the day, we could all see it coming - the lackluster Treasure Island DVD in 2002? 2003? Walt's first live action film and not a single celebration of the fact. But even before then, the signs were there - the folding back of the Vault Disney line from double disc releases to single disc releases. Even later, we had Cars and Ratatouille released as single discs (annoyingly, both with value added "retailer exclusives" which, in my mind shows Disney was thinking more about their pocket than hi-def double-dipping).

Sure, some of the discs may not have sold as well as other discs - but you can't expect The Love Bug to sell as many copies as Pirates of the Caribbean - I'm sure it still sold enough to cover the cost of the release, and then some. But that's irrelevant, because a single disc Love Bug would most likely have sold just as well. Just like the single disc Cars would no doubt have sold as many as the double disc The Incredibles.

(You may consider that they backtracked on Wall-E, but they seemed happy enough to put out a single disc Ratatouille without any corporate dithering, and Wall-E had the feature-length Pixar Story included - it will be interesting to see if Up gets a double or single disc, Bolt or Meet the Robinsons weren't doubles).

The re-release especially of Enchanted Tales baffles me. What about all the stories of the next in the line being finished and then pulled? Why re-release what was (presumably) a reasonably selling title when (let's face it) they expect most of the purchases to re-buy the release for the second disc pushing The Princess and the Frog?

(As an aside, this shows Disney have contempt for their customers much, much more than them pushing Blu-ray as aggressively as they do. I mean, they expect people to rebuy a DTV compilation?)

I can only assume they've done a survey somewhere (or perhaps read some of the posts on this forum) and come to the conclusion that people care more about brief preview clips for upcoming films than any other supplement or disc art.

I'm not a fan of Blue-ray, as has been discussed on other threads. But anyway, despite that, i found it interesting after I actually got to see a few BR discs, only the find the same boring gray disc color that current DVD's seem to be getting. Very sad if you ask me.

I think it is the economy, it is just a way to cut costs.

[ajmrowland]

What's really perplexing is that we're talking major studios. These guys aren't likely to go bankrupt just by putting a little more content onto their discs, and that includes disc art. Unless they make some MAJOR economical mistakes, they'll all still have millions to take to the bank. And they've all fallen for the slipcover trap(the same one as the Hitchhiker trap), thinking that their movies will be better noticed in shiny slipcovers. I guess great minds do think alike, because the not-so-great ones certainly do.

[The_Iceflash]

Now it's out for revenge and we're punished with bare bones Disney dvd's with no sllipcovers, inserts or disc art.

Actually, it's funny how they can't do disc art, inserts, and are holding back on bonus features . . . yet still find a way to include slipcovers.

I'd take a slip-cover over disc art any day. I can also do without Blu-ray propaganda inserts with my DVDs to be quite honest as I would rather have DVD chapter inserts.

[drfsupercenter]

I'm not a fan of Blue-ray, as has been discussed on other threads. But anyway, despite that, i found it interesting after I actually got to see a few BR discs, only the find the same boring gray disc color that current DVD's seem to be getting. Very sad if you ask me.

I think it is the economy, it is just a way to cut costs.

Yeah, seems like Paramount does this a lot, the Blu-Rays of Eagle Eye, and a few other movies I've gotten were boring grey like that.

I mean, cutting costs... what's so bad about making colorful disc art? You think the grey is free? Why can't they just make it cost 50 cents more a disc, that would be about what a label costs... or something like that...

But it never ceases to amaze me how they're supposedly trying to go green, as well as cut costs... but yet Disney can consistently put Blu-Ray ads and DMR codes in there. Smart move, very smart.

I mean, as far as DMR goes... they should do it where you insert the DVD in your computer, and that activates the thing on the site, it detects you put the DVD in and gives you points for it. True, somebody could abuse it by lending them to friends... but I guess they'd have to hope people don't do that. Blockbuster has had these "rental versions" for a while, they would just simply leave that ability off those.
They've done that with CDs before... where you can redeem free mp3 downloads and stuff by putting the CD in your computer. Why not do that with DMR points on the DVDs?