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DISNEY LIVE ACTION BLU-RAY - WHAT'S HAPPENING?!? (1 Viewer)

Nick*Z

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Dear Mr. Harris:
For some time I have noticed that the powers that be at the Walt Disney organization have had little to zero interest in releasing Blu-rays of either their vintage or contemporary live action catalogue. Frankly, I cannot understand what the delay is.
Don't they realize that film fans would love to have 1080p copies of Mary Poppins, Swiss Family Robinson, Pollyana, the original The Parent Trap, Pete's Dragon, 20,000, Leagues Under the Sea, The Love Bug, Song of the South, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Happiest Millionaire, The Shaggy Dog, and That Darn Cat - but also be able to enjoy their more recent Touchstone/Hollywood Pictures catalogue of great releases like Evita, Adventures in Babysitting, Can't Buy Me Love, I Love Trouble, Beaches, Outrageous Fortune, Sister Act, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Journey of Natty Gann, Never Cry Wolf, Alive, and the extended director's cut of Pretty Woman?!? I mean, we're not talking obscure titles here, but hits of their day.
I have also been extremely disappointed with Disney's committment to their TV archive. Have you seen the transfer quality on The Golden Girls?!? It's horrible! Again, we're not talking niche market, but one of the biggest successes Disney had on the small screen and arguably, one of the most beloved series in TV history!
Granted, Disney Inc. has done an absolutely outstanding job preserving their animated catalogue. This, of course, is what the studio is justly famous for. But it isn't the only part of their history and I believe the other part is sorely being neglected. Any thoughts you might be able to share would greatly be appreciated. Many thanks in advance.
Sincerely,
NZ
 

Adam Gregorich

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The good news is they have also been preserving and restoring a lot of their early live action films for eventual release, so I think they will look pristine when they finally get around to releasing them. As to some of the "more recent" catalog titles, I'm not sure how ready for release they are, and frankly those type of catalog titles just aren't selling well, so I wouldn't hold your breath for those, unless Disney farms them out to another company.
 

Mark-P

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Just a few days before you posted this, Disney announced a whole slew of catalog titles including these 5 from your list:
Pete's Dragon
Evita
Adventures in Babysitting
Beaches
Sister Act
As for "Song of the South" - you can expect that when hell freezes over.
 

Lord Dalek

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Originally Posted by Mark-P /t/319388/disney-live-action-blu-ray-whats-happening#post_3909790
As for "Song of the South" - you can expect that when hell freezes over.
At this point I'm willing to bet on hell freezing over first.
 

Nick*Z

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Disney Inc. hasn't exactly been forthcoming with a reply to a lengthy letter I wrote nearly 6 months ago to their home video division, wondering what was happening with their live action output. A trickle is still a trickle and their's has been petering out for a while.

No word on While You Were Sleeping - promised last year as part of their initial live action push.

We're also missing the truly great classic Disney live action movies like The Original Parent Trap, Swiss Family Robinson, Pollyanna, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Old Yeller, Davy Crockett, The Love Bug, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Happiest Millionaire, That Darn Cat, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, The Absent Minded Professor, and, of course, Mary Poppins to name a handful of stellar Disney product still MIA.

Song of the South will never come out. Sorry to sound negative, but given the climate of political correctness at Disney Inc. - which borders on obsessive/compulsive - desperate to please the whole world and make everyone LOVE the Disney brand in totem - you probably won't see a movie where non-Caucasians are represented as they were for that time period - as slaves.

Personal opinion of course, but I'd really like someone to explain to me how obfuscating the historical record or ignoring it in its entirety is doing anyone's cultural heritage any favors?!? Is slavery a glowing part of the American historical record. Certainly not! And I don't believe you'd find anyone on this forum professing as much. But Song of the South at least attempted to honor the 'black perspective' of its own time.

And quite frankly, it never talks down to that perspective or treats its black performers as cliches that embarrass or criticize blacks as a race in totem. Above all else, this is a family film featuring two very fine performers - James Basket and Hattie McDaniel - really giving the material their all and also contains the Oscar-winning Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah which I notice Disney has reissued on multiple anthology albums and CDs without first considering that the slang within the lyrics might be considered "offensive" by some.

So, lets get off the pot about Song of the South being a pro-racist piece of propaganda. It's not!

Perhaps someone in Disney's marketing ought to address my letter or this comment about why so many truly outstanding masterworks from the studio remain out of circulation in anything but rather lackluster DVD transfers. Now, that really would be a progressive approach to customer service!
 

Matt Hough

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I just wanted to mention that during TCM's Vault Disney presentation a few Sundays ago, one of the live action classics they screened was Third Man on the Mountain. I hadn't seen this since I was a little boy, and I had forgotten how truly wonderful a movie it is! Great location photography, superb performances from all the leads, and a story that really grabs your attention and holds it for almost two hours.

A great film fully worthy of being rediscovered on Blu-ray!
 

youworkmen

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darkrock17 said:
The classic 1976 Freaky Friday would be nice, new special features would be great as well.
During the last 7 days UK C4 have aired both The Parent Trap and the original Freaky Friday in glorious HD.
I recorded the former to Bluray but didn't bother with FF as its not a film I like.

Unfortunately the BBC's screening of Pollyanna turned out to be SD despite being billed as HD
 

bujaki

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Matt Hough said:
I just wanted to mention that during TCM's Vault Disney presentation a few Sundays ago, one of the live action classics they screened was Third Man on the Mountain. I hadn't seen this since I was a little boy, and I had forgotten how truly wonderful a movie it is! Great location photography, superb performances from all the leads, and a story that really grabs your attention and holds it for almost two hours.

A great film fully worthy of being rediscovered on Blu-ray!
Had never seen the film. The print was gorgeous (HD transfer?). Agree with you. Great production values, good actors (did you spot Helen Hayes?), etc. Walt Disney really availed himself of some of the best in the business. Even the score by William Alwyn!
 

Matt Hough

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bujaki said:
Had never seen the film. The print was gorgeous (HD transfer?). Agree with you. Great production values, good actors (did you spot Helen Hayes?), etc. Walt Disney really availed himself of some of the best in the business. Even the score by William Alwyn!
Oh, yes, definitely spotted Helen in her quick little cameo.

It might have been an HD transfer. It did have strong color and excellent sharpness.
 

Tommy R

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I LOVE Third Man on the Mountain!

I'd love to have Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Angels in the Outfield on blu-ray too.
 

Ejanss

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Matt Hough said:
Oh, yes, definitely spotted Helen in her quick little cameo.
I'll settle for Helen in Candleshoe and Herbie Rides Again.
 

JoeDeM

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lukejosephchung said:
"Herbie Rides Again" IS available on blu-ray via Disney Movie Club...have it in my library along with "The Love Bug"...
Still not good enough to make me want to join, now if they were to release 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea I may consider it.
 

David Norman

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Pollyanna has been announced though another Disney Movie Club Exclusive like the Herbies, Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes, etc

No date yet, but it is on the DMC site.
Price 24.95
Item ID 1246650
 

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