The two "Lizzie McGuire" DVD volumes coming December 9 will be just a random collection of episodes. Volume 1 (Fashionably Lizzie) will contain "Last Year's Model", "Best Dressed for Much Less", "Just Like Lizzie", and the not-yet-aired "Just One of the Guys". Volume 2 (Growing Up Lizzie) contains some stronger Season 1 episodes: "Misadventures in Babysitting", "Between a Rock and a Bra Place", "Rated Aargh", and from season 2, "Party Over Here".
Those of you with multi-region capability will no doubt wish to opt for the Region 2 UK DVD releases. Not only does each volume there contain 5-6 episodes per disc (compared to R1's 4-per-disc), but they are slowly providing all episodes in chronological order. Season 1 Vol. 1 and Season 1 Vol. 2 provide the first 11 episodes. Season 1 Vol. 3 (Come Fly With Me), coming in November, continues with the next several Season 1 episodes.
Both region's releases present the show in 1.33:1 fullscreen and 2.0 Stereo English. The UK discs also contain Cast Biographies, a Screensaver, and Photo Gallery; the Region 1 disc's extras (if any) have not been announced. So, clearly, Disney CAN fit more than 4 episodes on a disc. (Fox manages to put 6 episodes of "The Simpsons" per disc, with multiple language tracks, commentaries, and supplements for all of them.) They're making a conscious decision to underfill content and overcharge customers in the US.
Even with Amazon's 30% off discount on the US Volume 1 and Volume 2 releases, getting both sets with free shipping still amounts to paying $3.50 per episode, far more than "The Simpsons" ($1.35 per episode), "Saved By The Bell" ($1.14 per episode), or "ER" ($1.65 per 45-minute episode). Meaning that you're paying more than TWICE as much for a 22-minute "Lizzie McGuire" episode than you are for a 44-minute "ER" episode.
Something's not right here, and it may just be Disney's apparent opposition to TV show DVD boxsets. The reason you may be scratching your head at the noticeable absence on DVD of some of the studio's most successful sitcoms ("Home Improvement", "Boy Meets World", "The Golden Girls") and the popular cartoon series from the '80s that are offered in bulk on peer-to-peer networks ("DuckTales", "Gummi Bears", "Rescue Rangers").
Do they honestly think that overpriced 4-episode "Lizzie McGuire" discs will do better for them than season sets? (If so, maybe it's a good thing they haven't mistreated "Even Stevens" to a DVD release.) Or do they think that every other studio releasing TV shows to DVD in season sets is losing money with each season set release?
In any event, it does seem silly for "Lizzie" fans to embrace the format the US home video department has decided upon. But not nearly as silly as their selection of TV shows on DVD in terms of "what", "how", and "when." Outside of "Alias", their DVD releases of TV shows just aren't making a lot of sense. In the meantime, we're left to choose from a smorgasbord of TV programming on DVD from other studios utilizing the newfound market, most notably Fox, Sony, Warner, and HBO.
But perhaps our befuddlement is uncalled for. After all, this is the studio that spent years shunning the DVD format to back the limited-life "DIVX." Is history simply repeating itself?
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