>>>> Spoke to Warner Rep today concerning WONKA & CATS - here is what I was told..... (1 Viewer)

[CRyan]

Thank you Ron for going out of your way to get an answer. I guess most of us expected such a response. It would be interesting to see the sales figures for this and upcoming P&S only titles. It just seems as though the "average" DVD consumer is not sitting and waiting the release of these older titles. I would think that their initial sales will be much lower than expected depending only on spontaneous purchases.
C. Ryan

 

[Kevin M]

How will WB "family" films, such as Goonies and the like, fare in the future I wonder?
This is not good.
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-Kevin M.
"Have a good time all the time........that's my philosophy, Marty."

 

[Gary Kellerman]

I do not think profanity is the answer on the upcoming chat with HTF and Warners. HTF should maintain the professional standards that have been set on recent chats.
One reason roaming around in my head as to why Warners is not placing both a P@S and W/S version of "family' fare is perhaps they believe that certain titles with two types of video choices would "confuse" people on the menu thus they might not get the choice of viewing that they wanted. From the two-pack of Disney's Toy Story l and 2, Toy Story 2 offers you a choice of two video versions to watch. You have to go through two steps of the menu to select your choice. The choices change color from green to red. If you do not remeber that the red is the color of choice, you will not correctly get what you chose. Perhaps this is why Warners is not offering the widescreen choice.
The remedy would be to have two menu choices pop up immediately;FAMILY MENU with the P@S version, the other labled something like VIDEOPHILES CHOICE which would contain the OAR aspect.

 

[Chris Maynard]

Just less titles I have to buy.....

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Please be very polite and precise with your
opinions in this thread. It is being read
by the studio and will be forwarded to the
head of the department.
Thank You

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Ronald Epstein (pronounced like the English "Ronald Epstein")
Circa 2000
Home Theater Forum Administrator
All forum questions & to get on our private forum mailing list (new members)... Email: [email protected]
Problems with the webpage or site? Contact WEBMASTER
Email Packy [email protected]

 

[Jose Q]

I guess if their policy does stick for a while we will have to hang on to our already released Wonkas and Iron Giants at the cost of getting more supplements with Special Editions.
This whole thing is ridiculous. Get with the program WB. First the snaper case thing (which they will never let go), then the Batman Beyond Return of the Joker fiasco and now this.
Nice of you to appreciate the people that supported you and helped make The Matrix one of the best selling DVDs.

 

[Jay Taylor]

In a world where the majority of the population may prefer pan&scan, this action makes me appreciate even more the leadership and foresight of the studios that release DVDs in widescreen format.
I will reward the leaders with my purchases.
Jay Taylor

 

[Doug D]

(Apologies if this seems like a ramble ... I swear I have a point.)
We are, in some ways, in a very fortunate time. I've been collecting DVDs for 2 1/2 years and remember when I had just about everything I had any passing interest in, even if I hadn't seen it before buying it. I'm not even close now, and the gap will only keep increasing.
Because of that, I'm picking and choosing my titles much more carefully. My selections have to pretty much meet four minimum criteria:
1. Must really like the movie (or, if I haven't seen it, strongly suspect I will like it, or have it be so cheap I'm willing to take a gamble)
2. Must be presented in its OAR
3. Must have no technical flubs
4. Must be the best edition likely for the foreseeable future. (Generally, this means anamorphic, lots of extras, etc. ... although not so much for obscure films that I often enjoy.)
Even within these criteria, I have to pick and choose. That could be construed as a gripe, but it's actually a privilege. We (DVD consumers) now have a huge freedom of choice, and the chance to vote with our dollar.
The point? WILLY WONKA and SHREK both meet criteria #1 - they're two movies I like about equally, probably leaning slightly towards WONKA. I won't know on #3 until they're released, but #4 seems likely to apply to both titles. But with #2 out the window for WONKA, that takes it off my list. And therefore I buy SHREK, and therefore Warner loses another sale.
Sure, not everyone likes OAR. That's why plenty of companies have presented discs in both aspect ratios. It's a solution that satisfies virtually everybody. So why not do it here? I'm truly at a loss, and disappointed in Warner to no end.
Warner - pay attention to how many copies of SHREK DreamWorks sells. Pay attention to how many copies of CATS AND DOGS you sell. (Not fair to compare WONKA, as it's a catalog title.) Granted, the former did better BO ... but I'll bet you SHREK outstrips it sales-wise by a disproportionate percentage. Market research is one thing, but the voice of money talking is another thing. And my money is going to be talking to Fox, Dreamworks, Criterion, and other companies ... but probably not so much to Warner Bros.

 

[Dave Lyons]

Warner Bros.,
I'll keep my reply short. Simply, I will NEVER, under any circumstances, purchase a title that does not offer OAR as a viewing option. Moreover, I am FAR less likely to purchase a title from a studio, OAR or not, if they have any kind of exclusive pan & scan policy (e.g. your "family film" trend)!
In conclusion, let me state that I have cancelled my Willy Wonka and my Neverending Story I and II pre-orders, and currently have no other WB title on order. I purchase 1 to 5 DVDs per month, and currently have about 15 titles pre-ordered through online vendors.
I'm thoroughly disgusted with what has transpired here recently with your studio.

 

[Steve Y]

I believe Warner would be wrong to assume that no "home theater" market exists for family titles. As large as our population is here, there are many, many more people who feel the same way and don't have a voice on this forum.
As evidenced elsewhere in the HTF, many parents are teaching their children about film using Original Aspect Ratios / Widescreen in general as a starting-point. At the very, very least, it provides for a theatrical experience versus a video experience.
In my very humble opinion, giving the consumers pan & scan is coddling, and underestimates the intelligence of many potential consumers.
Many uninformed home-movie consumers - those weaned on the big plastic VHS clamshell family videos - will tell you they prefer the chopped-up version of FamilyTitleX if they are asked overtly, but give them the widescreen and they will buy it anyway - what's more, they will grow to appreciate it, particularly as anamorphic-supporting televisions become the norm. It will happen, Warner. You must plan for it.
Steve Young

 

[Rain]

I own about 170 DVDs and I know it is a relatively small collection compared to some HTF members. Then again, I've only been buying them for about 9 months. Guess that's only about 4-5 DVDs per week. I don't buy non-OAR titles.
I know another guy who's not very picky. He doesn't care much if the movie has those black bars or not, you know that widescreen thing. After all, it didn't stop him from buying Titanic and The Matrix. Those are two of the 6 DVDs he owns. Well, yeah, it's a relatively small collection, but then he's only had his DVD player for about 3 years. Give him time, I'm sure he'll buy more...eventually.
Do the math Warner. Get the picture (and is it OAR or formatted to fit your corporate brains)?
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"People always clap for the wrong things." - J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
Anyone in the Vancouver, BC area interested in meeting up? If so, click here.
Please sign the online petition against Warner Brothers' recent non-OAR releases. Click here.

 

[Youssef]

Even though i don't care for this movie, the fact that WB is releasing all future family titles in P & S has really frustrated me. I have widescreen tv and i DEFINETLY do not even Consider renting a dvd let alone buying one that isn't 16x9 anamorphic. I truly believe if each of us wrote a letter to them we would make a difference. BTW, i currently have over 95 dvd movies that i have purchased and if the movie is not 16x9 anamorphic, I WILL NOT purchase it!

 

[Dean DeMass]

Warner Bros.,
You used to be a studio I admired, now I loathe you. I hate to say it, but Disney runs circles around you in the DVD department. The Goonies will be my last title I buy from you and if Harry Potter is done in Pan & Scam only I will be banning you completely. That means no more purchases or rentals, and no more money goes to the theatrical releases either. I currently have about 30 titles from your studio and I will only be adding 1 more this Tuesday. Here is a simple survey for you.....
Will the Goonies outsell Wonka and Cats and Dogs? I bet it will. Survey say....OAR=$ for you, no OAR=No $ for you.
-Dean-
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Link Removed
"I've seen you and you are not cool."
[Edited last by Dean DeMass on August 17, 2001 at 06:35 PM]

 

[Tom Ryan]

Warner: Please, PLEASE don't do this. You must be aware of the fact that the majority of people who prefer pan-and-scan only do so out of ignorance. Most people, once shown the difference, appreciate and even demand widescreen. So what we would like is at least the OPTION of widescreen. If your family discs included both pan-and-scan and widescreen, it would still rankle a bit that we were paying for pan-and-scan, but there would be nowhere near as much outrage as there is now. I'm asking you to give ALL your customers what they want, so everyone can be happy.
-Tom

 

[Tom J. Davis]

Goodbye Warner, nice knowing you. You remind me of an old girlfriend of mine. I thought she was the greatest thing in the world at first.
I haven't bought any titles that were not oar since 1990 or so.
Ron says we should be nice so I'll stop here.

 

[Rich P]

I was told that Warner Brothers did an
extensive survey and found that family
buying consumers prefer the Pan & Scan
format.

This family buying consumer wasn't asked and my family (children included) enjoy watching films in their original OAR on a regular TV with black bars at the top and the bottom. Children are amazingly adaptable to new technologies and presentation formats. In my opinion, more so than adults.
I am interested in knowing how WB interpreted their results to determine "consumers prefer the P&S format". 51% to 49% indicates a preference for one, but ignores the large representation of the other opinion. Also, the phrasing of questions can have a lot to do with eliciting slanted opinions. Did the questions ask black-bars or full-screen. Was either or both even an option?
I was anticipating The Neverending Story and The Iron Giant SE as my family enjoys both these films. But I am very afraid that my anticipation will turn to dread if WB's current trend continues. If the OAR is not available, I will not buy these discs.
As I stated in the Wonka thread and in my e-mail to WB. They (WB) have made their economic decision. I have made mine. I will not buy any DVD where the OAR is not a a viewing option.

 

[Scott Barnhart]

Warner,
I am in my mid-30's, married, have 2 children, and am affluent. In short, I and the untold thousands of others like me are your dream demographic, especially for "Family" movies. However, not only do I prefer Original Aspect Ratio DVD's, so does my wife, and between the two of us we make all the purchasing decisions for our house. But in addition, my children also like OAR movies. So my point is this - your "Full-Frame for Family Flicks" campaign is alienating the very people who you want to buy your products! People with DVD players and income to spend on purchasing many DVD's are usually well educated, and know the value of OAR. And as everyone else has pointed out, there are plenty of other studios we can hand our money to since they are producing the product we want to spend it on.
Please reconsider your position and at the very least, release the OAR version of a movie along with the Full-Frame version for each title that is put on DVD.
Thank-you,
Scott Barnhart
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Scott Barnhart
[email protected]

 

[balendu]

I too would like to know how they conduct this survey.
How do you get into one of these surveys. That way
some real opinions can be heard.

 

[Stephen Smith]

Dear Warner Bros,
By not offering an Anamorphic Widescreen version of a film, you destroy the vision that the Director, and his crew worked so hard to bring us. You do the film itself a big injustice.
Stephen Smith
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[gregstaten]

Sigh... Sadly, they are missing the forest for the trees.
I am a purchaser of family DVD titles. I purchase an average of 25 DVD titles a month. BUT - neither WONKA or CATS AND DOGS will be purchased. Before I found out they were not being released in their original aspect ratio, I was planning on buying both of them. Not now.
Sadly, CATS AND DOGS will not be an open matte release. Most of the film was digitally composited at 1.66:1. Quite a bit will be lost on the sides.
To bad more directors don't have the clout of Richard Donner (who could demand OAR on GOONIES). Fortunately, Chris Columbus probably has that clout so HARRY POTTER may be safe. (Note: the film was shot Super35, but is planned for a 2.35:1 release. The effects will therefore all be done at a ratio slightly less than 2.35:1 (I think 2.05:1). The release will suffer greatly from Pan and Scan.
Please, Warner. Reconsider. If the "families" you polled want the image to fill up their TV screen, let them eat VHS.
-greg