When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Blu-ray Release?! (1 Viewer)

[JeffT.]

In response to Michael's message post your suggestions are excellent and I see that you are both a knowledgable and devoted fan of this classic 1960s SF tv series. This is precisely the kind of participant that I want to attract here. If forum members are interested in other SF tv series than start your own discussion thread and freely talk about it. Who's stopping you?!
I not here to get too analytical in the conversation like I have to always justify my point-of-view. Absolute balderdash!
Read some of the early message posts in this thread. Many of the objections raised to a DVD release of VOYAGE voiced by others are now invalid.
Perhaps someone at 20th Century-Fox Home Enterainment is reading this discussion thread Michael and will apply (at least in your case) some of the suggestions in the future.
I concur they could have used the Minisub which is still (impressively) modern looking enough but unlike other SF tv series that are so over exposed on television maybe those responsible are just not that well informed about the show.
Fox gets much of its input on the Irwin Allen 1960s SF tv series from Kevin Burns (of Synthesis Entertainment) but all he seems to be really interested in is primarily LOST IN SPACE (CBS 1965-68) his pet television show and he may not really know all that much about VOYAGE himself. Obviously his participation hasn't really helped any in the determination of the packaging design.
And people (in general) are certainly not perfect so there's always the likeliness of mistakes being made particularly in the case of an older tv property.
But I'm mighty glad that Fox didn't risk using the likenesses of Richard Basehart and David Hedison and winding up with legal issues that could have conceivably held back the DVD release!
These DVD boxes are really quite small in size and there's a limitation on just what can be (effectively) featured. Most of them are really not that extraordinary anyway.
Jeff T.

 

[David Lambert]

Fox tells us that the cover art we had shown was not the actual finished box design.

 

[JeffT.]

Just when I was getting used to the preliminary design too!
This new information only confirms what I've said that the SSRN SEAVIEW and the FLYING SUB seen together are representive of the entire series and not just a single season per se.
It's obvious that 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment has something truly extraordinary in store and recognizes VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (ABC 1964-68) which was a television sensation back in the 1960s launching Irwin Allen's tv series dynasty as one of his more important SF tv ventures.
It can only get better from here on and VOYAGE fans will certainly have something extra special to look forward to.

Bring on VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA - FIRST SEASON - VOLUME ONE in February 2006!

Jeff T.

 

[Harry-N]

Great! At least someone at Fox is paying attention. Let's see some great first-season artwork.

God, I love good black & white!

Harry

 

[michael_ks]

Well, all this means is that Fox is not using the Seaview/FS-1 as pictured for an ad insert as the cover. That still leaves it open for a TT-like cover, or...?

 

[Mark_TS]

a perfect cover to me would be the VOYAGE LOGO and a grab from the titles as the Seaview rises in a cloud of bubbles...

And I hope FOX ahs the foresight to include that seasons blueprints of the SEAVIEW as an extra-and maybe some out takes

 

[JeffT.]

So many people have raised issues over the preliminary packaging design that was previewed even to the point that it misrepresented the first season (1964-65) episodes...and not just here so that it's really getting on the absurd side.
While I'd like to see a worthy design graphics fittingly appropriate to the stellar first year shows utilized myself I'm probably much more concerned that it's definitely too late in the day to still be coming up with satisfactory box art when the intended release date of this DVD set is scheduled just a mere month and a half away.
I would have thought that this product had been already manufactured and ready to go by now! It's really being cut precariously close to the scheduled deadline of February 21st, 2006.
The big question is "Will it be ready on time?"
That's precisely why it was absurd to dare suggest that all three remaining Irwin Allen 1960s SF tv series be released in 2006 because 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment obviously can't properly handle the two that will be.
Without an identifying packaging design it's very difficult for VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (ABC 1964-68) supporters or the casual SF fan buyer for that matter to really rally around this DVD release right now...and this can only have a detrimental effect on retail sales.
But I'll say this that VOYAGE fans had better not procrastinate and come out to support this particular DVD release. Let's see some genuinely outstanding retail sales numbers for Pete's sake!
I can promise that for all three remaining Irwin Allen 1960s SF tv franchises you will most definitely see some excellent rare bonus archival material included.
You can bank on it!
Jeff T.

 

[Richard_Gregory]

I agree with Mark-TS, it really rankles that there's been no announcement for the r2 release of either series, even though the advertising flyers in many Fox sets were showing both VTTBOTS and Time Tunnel early last year (as "coming soon"), and they also asked us to vote for which of the remaining Irwin Allen series we wanted on DVD on the UK website nearly 18 months ago! (I voted for all three). The UK was ahead of r1 when it came to Lost In Space...

So far all we've got is the latest re-churning of bl--dy Buff and Angel, I mean, how much more can they wring out of these two over here? What next "Buffy: The Closing Credit Collection"?

Come on Fox, get yourselves in gear.

Oh well, I'll have to import them I suppose. Makes them a bit expensive though, after our crazy import taxes get slapped on top.

Whats the release rate going to be? A bit faster than the early days of The X-Files or The Simpsons it's to be hoped, one every six months, if you were lucky. That would make it four years for Voyage...:-(

 

[Harry-N]

I wonder why the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment page isn't showing any information for VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA?
http://www.foxhome.com/foxhome_main.php?section=tvondvd
TIME TUNNEL is prominently displayed (and it warms my heart to see it pictured next to STAR WARS EPISODE III!), and I see NYPD BLUE listed for 2/21.
I wonder if this art snafu could be delaying things?
Any word?
Harry

 

[Jeff Willis]

Thanks for the link, Harry-N. I'd guess that the cover art issue is the reason it's not up at the Fox site.
- Jeff "12 days until the senator visits "Operation Tic-Toc" (& Tony/Doug get a free ride on the Titanic)" W.

 

[michael_ks]

Heck, just slap that photo of bikini clad Barbara Bouchet receiving a lesson on diving tank air regulation by David Hedison--and be done with it...
http://www.david-hedison.com/voyage/...and/left01.jpg
I'm starting to get a little antsy over the purported 2/21 release date now.

 

[MattHR]

TVShowsOnDVD has posted the final art for Season 1-Vol.1
http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4887
I like it much better than the temp art that was posted previously.

 

[Harry-N]

Well, that makes me feel better about the release date being firm, but I'm not sure I like the "floating heads". Maybe I'll warm up to it.
Harry

 

[MattHR]

I'm not sure I like the "floating heads". Maybe I'll warm up to it.

That was my first thought also, since I hate "floating head" coverart. But upon closer inspection, they aren't really floating heads. The heads are, in fact, attached to visible necks and shoulders, with collars and ties also visible.
Maybe we should set some criteria for what constitutes a FH cover. I would classify VTTBOTS as a non-FH offender, due to the details described above. Either way, I give the new cover a big

 

[Mark_TS]

Now they have the wrong SEAVIEW on the cover!
The four-window Sub didnt appear until Season 2!!!
and no searchlights under the 'wings'!!
bitch-moan. bitch-moan...
but I like it better...than the other one...

 

[Harry-N]

Maybe that's why this looks better than most floating head designs. They're attached to bodies!

I think I've warmed up to this one - I hadm't noticed the later sub-design. That's less of an infraction than having the Flying Sub on the cover. I like the fact that they've used blue-tinted black & white - that's an honest depiction that the series, at this point, was black & white.

This cover is OK in my book.

Harry

 

[Gary OS]

I'm not prepared to say that I like this design better than the "pre-release" one we saw a couple of weeks ago, but it's certainly superior to the "TIME TUNNEL" cover art. And I'd agree there is a huge difference between what we have here versus floating heads (which would have looked horrible, IMHO).

I also immediately noticed the wrong Seaview had been used, but that's probably because I absolutely love the first season Seaview design with the two seperate observation levels. So I do kinda wish they would have gotten that one design point correct.

Gary "I can't say either cover art design was that much better than the other, so as long as the dvd comes out on time, it's fine with me" O.

 

[michael_ks]

A question: Is the entire cover an artist's rendering? If so, it's very well done where Basehart and Hedison are concerned. I'm not nearly as enamored with the Seaview, with its oversize observation windows, but that's minor.

Having a shot of Adimaral Nelson on the bottom of the spine is keen and I really like the "cold" bluish tint and sweeping sonar image softly blended in. The overall look reminds me of the style employed by Rittenhouse, the folks who made the OL and TZ cards a few years back.

 

[Mark_TS]

well, as long as the rumors are true that this is getting an HD restore-they should look great.

Im sure the heads are photos, with a painting added underneath.

Like I said before-FOX must be letting the Art Dept interns design these covers.

 

[michael_ks]

FOX must be letting the Art Dept interns design these covers.

It would seems so. The cover does not depict the Seaview from its most flattering angle and fails in depicting its graceful lines. If I'm not mistaken, rarely, if ever was it shown from the starboard side.