"Pinocchio", "Snow White" Getting Blu-ray Treatment

[tjcjr]

Walt Disney is dispatching Pinocchio, Snow White and a team of other characters into its effort to accelerate consumer adoption of next-generation DVD technology.
Disney, like other media companies, is counting on high-definition Blu-ray discs - and companion technology that connects them to the Internet - to reinvigorate its highly profitable home entertainment business. But so far, Blu-ray players are selling more slowly than expected, apparently because people are not convinced they need a better DVD experience.
So Disney is sending in the troops. The company will release five "platinum" titles from its library in the Blu-ray format over the next two years, hoping that classic animated movies will spur wider interest.
The films are "Pinocchio," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Fantasia 2000" and "Beauty and the Beast." The company had previously announced plans to introduce one such title, "Sleeping Beauty."
All the DVDs will include unusual features geared toward a generation that embraces interactivity and social networking. Viewers can watch a movie in tandem with friends in other locations, while they chat using a laptop or cellphone (the comments appear on the screen).
Such activities are possible because of a technology called BD Live that connects Blu-ray discs with the Internet.
Bob Chapek, president of Disney's home entertainment unit, said that his company hoped the animated favorites would help it "break past early adopters" to a wider group of consumers.
"BD Live is not a niche product," Chapek said. "We see mass adoption of the technology."
Chapek said that "Snow White," last available in 2001, had helped start the market for traditional DVDs. "The power of these titles is incredible," he said.
Disney needs all the muscle it can find. Sales of Blu-ray players have been disappointing - although the industry has big hopes for the coming holiday season - and players compatible with BD Live just became available a few months ago.
They are also expensive: Blu-ray players that function with BD Live are priced from $300 to $700, much more than regular Blu-ray machines.
Making DVDs exciting is a trick that movie studios are desperate to pull off. After years of blistering growth, domestic DVD sales fell 3.2 percent last year, to $15.9 billion, the first annual drop in the medium's history, according to Adams Media Research.
Blu-ray sales are growing fast, but still represent a tiny part of the business. The industry estimate for sales of Blu-ray discs in 2008 is nearly $1 billion, up from $170 million last year.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/...ess/disney.php

[sailerm]

Interesting that Disney sees the Blu Ray as a slow growth product. I wonder what economic incentives are tied in with Sony to force them to roll out more product sooner (that's not a bad thing).

Shame they never released a Platimun Edition DVD of Pinocchio given that just a couple of years before they released a beautiful special edition Laser Disc, (which I own)It includes an awesome Making of Disc, plus a remastered CD soundtrack!

It was just a good as the Sleeping Beauty Laser Disc that did make it's way to DVD.

[Sorcerer's Apprentice]

I think the gold edition is awesome looking via upscale dvd on a hd tv!

I can't image it looking better, or me noticing it.

[sailerm]

The Gold edition looks very good as it is the same restored master used for the Laser Disc. I don't know if that version was mastered in High Def, they may have to go back and remaster it if the previous restoration was in standard def only, that said, I'm sure will notice a difference if seen in High Def, whether it's enough for most people to sell out $30 for it, or $300+ on a new player is another story.

As far as the DVD remaster of Snow White, I was disappointed as I felt the video was over processed, I preferred the Laser Disc edition, as it kept all the brush strokes and detail of the original cells and backgrounds intact. As far as bonus features and menu's It's still hard to top the Snow White DVD (though I still don't understand why Bab's is on it)

[Angie_Duke]

Pinocchio's platinum edition will be released day-to-date with the Blu-ray. A few years back it got a single disc special edition in Region 2 with a new transfer that will most likely be the one used on Blu-ray, since that and most Disney animated film restorations are done in high def (like Warner's "Ultra Resolution transfers"). Since I didn't buy the Gold Collection DVD, I will be picking this one up.

I'll only buy Fantasia to replace my scratched disc (part of the Fantasia Legacy Boxed set) and because I think the transfer on that disc could certainly be improved. If it's uneditied and includes Destino than I'm all for it.

Snow White and Beauty I'll just up-convert later.

It should also be noted that Mary Poppins is going under a new restoration (mentioned by the Home Video forum) for what will probably be a new Blu-ray release (Possibly next year for it's 45th Anniversary I'm guessing). It's proving to be quite difficult since each layers of the Jolly Holiday scene have to be restored individually.

[sailerm]

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

I'll only buy Fantasia... because I think the transfer on that disc could certainly be improved. If it's uneditied and includes Destino than I'm all for it.

I have the Laser Disc version of Fantasia. My understanding is that for the DVD release they completely replaced the historian's narration with another person's voice. As a result I never 'upgraded' to the DVD (and I prefer the soundtrack to the actual film)

[Angie_Duke]

Corey Burton re-recorded Deams Taylor's dialouge because the audio was mostly or completely lost. I thought this was done back in 1991 for the video release, or the 1990 theatrical re-issue. If it was first done for the 2000 DVD than that's news to me. I can't remember if it was any different before since I haven't vied that VHS in a long time.

[sailerm]

From the IMDB:

For its first re-release in July 1947, the film was re-edited to a running time of 120-minutes. "Tocatta and Fugue" was restored to the film, but most of the interstitual footage was shortened, dubbed over, or removed. This cut of the film is the most common, and most subsequent versions of the film are based on this edit.

The 60th Anniversary reissue for DVD in 2000 was an attempt to re-create the original 124-minute Roadshow Version, with missing footage from the intersitials (including Deems Taylor's expanded introductions and additional shots of the on-screen orchestra) restored, and the original midway-point title card (which included the RKO Radio Pictures credit), but still containing the edit to the "Pastoral Symphony." Because most of Taylor's original dialogue tracks had not been preserved, it became necessary for Disney to have voice actor Corey Burton re-dub Taylor's lines (Taylor had passed away 34 years earlier).

[pineapplewhipaddict]

I'm still trying to switch over from cassettes to DVDs! Why would I want to waste even more money in such a short period of time to switch over to Blu-ray?

Disney, stop forcefully sticking your hands in my pockets. Let me buy more plush instead.

[sailerm]

Originally Posted by pineapplewhipaddict

I'm still trying to switch over from cassettes to DVDs! Why would I want to waste even more money in such a short period of time to switch over to Blu-ray?

This is why Blue Ray is such a hard sell, most people don't see the justification of upgrading from DVD to something else.

Heck it took TV over ten years to convert from Black and White to Color, almost 20 years to switch from Mono to Stereo, and surround sound has been around how long? 20? 25 years? I still don't see that most people have taken advantage of that.

As much as I'm glad to see Disney loosening it's grip on some of the 'A' titles, I don't really see it furthering the High Definition market to much for a long time, may be 10 years. Of course if they stopped shipping standard DVD's tomorrow, it may only take 5 years, but there is still to much money to be minted from good 'ole fashioned standard def DVD.

(PS there are a lot of titles that I never replaced with DVD from VHS or Laserdisc... didn't see the need to spend the money twice on a rarely watched 'classic' title)

[Mickey_Mouse]

I'm still on the fence on whether to buy the blu-ray titles or not. I told myself I would not upgrade a DVD unless it had a substandard transfer. Sleeping Beauty already had an excellent DVD transfer, as did Fantasia, Fantasia 2000, and Beauty and the Beast. Pinocchio had a pretty bad one, so that one might be on my list. I've got some of the laserdisc sets as well, but LD tends to have transfers that don't hold up on today's newest digital equipment.

[sailerm]

Originally Posted by Mickey_Mouse

Pinocchio had a pretty bad one, so that one might be on my list. I've got some of the laserdisc sets as well, but LD tends to have transfers that don't hold up on today's newest digital equipment.

Which Pinocchio LD do you have. It was released twice, the first one about 1983 with an off the shelf print used, the second time in about 1990 it was beautifully restored and released as a movie only CLV disc or $100 CAV Special Edition with lots of bonus features and CD soundtrack. The DVD was struck from this restored version (minus all the bonus material)

And yes laserdisc does reveal it's limitations on today HD big screens (non anamorphic transfers being the biggest hinderence), but for the most part I'm done buying the same movies over and over again.

[netenyahoo]

I wouldn't mind too much to get the BluRay disc for all these movies. The problem is the BluRay player. They need to get the price down. I am going to buy the Sleeping Beauty BluRay (my 1st BluRay disc) because it is also coming with the regular DVD too, so I can at least watch it. The problem is that BluRays do not work in regular DVD players. With the economy the way it is it is hard to pay $300 or more for a new player when the DVD player works fine. I would eventually like to start buying only BluRay when I can afford the player. Disney is smart to offer a regular DVD disc with the BluRay to make it look like BluRay is selling well. I think many people want to upgrade to BluRay, but it is too expensive right now.

[sailerm]

Disney is including a standard DVD version of Sleeping Beauty with the Blue Ray? This is news to me.

[osdscm]

Disney is offering DVD or Blu-ray, not both in one package.
$19.98 DVD and $29.99 for Blu-ray, at least at the Disney Store.