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Warner Chat 2010:No Plans At This Time (1 Viewer)

Unless I did a search in the wrong place I couldn't find a thread on the WB tv show/cartoon chat that took place Monday so, I thought I'd start one.

I hope I don't get in trouble for saying this but, I have to be honest...that was the most useless and/or uninformative chat I've ever been witness to. The standing answer to most questions was "No plans at this time".

So, what exactly is WB releasing on dvd tv show/cartoon wise? Just new stuff, seemingly nothing old. There were a few things mentioned...they may release the rest of the Filmation DC cartoons but nothing firm, and Batman:Brave and the Bold Season volume 1 is coming out this summer. Volume 1? Would it really kill them to release all of the season 1 episodes in a set? So frustrating.

I'm sure there were other blades of wheat amongst the "no plans at this time" chaff. Anybody remember them?
 

Jack P

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I think the only vintage show that they seemed to offer more tantalizing suggestions of was "Maverick". No one bothered to ask about "The FBI," or "The Girl From UNCLE" which are the only two 60s titles I'm interested in. They did suggest that there were "short-lived" series that might get out via the Warner Archive project without being specific as to time etc.
 

DeWilson

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It's great the Reps take the time to come on for the Chats. However, The Chat format would be better served as a moderator conducted interview-round table with the reps, followed by some pre-sellected questions. (This would eliminate duplicate or similar questions.)

That way the reps can do their pitch and pr about upcomming releases,and talk what is being looked at or in the pipeline,what titles are on hold ("Stalled") and this would lessen the disapointment of the "no plans at this time" by focusing on WHAT is planned. Maybe even talk about the ins and outs of their departments and the steps it takes to go from sellecting and planning a title to hitting the store shelves.

I wonder if the SHOUT! licensing deal limited what they could talk about.
 

SMKfan

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Did they say anything about releasing the next seasons of Scarecrow and Mrs King on DVD.
 

JamesSmith

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I couldn't get through, and I missed the first two hours of the chat. Did anybody ask about Duck Dodgers or Pinky, Elmirya, and the Brain? Or any more volumes of the Saturday Morning in the Seventies sets? Perhaps the first commentator here was right. Some pre-selected questions on what was already decided on might have helped.

James
 

younger1968

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i attended the session last night was able to ask and have a question answer. I asked a question about the classic hanna-barbara cartoons and the answer was vague and said buy 1980s and 1970s saturday morning cartoons and they will gage the interest. My initial thoughts are they are not planning to release the cartoons box sets. However, i can see another saturday morning cartoon coming out. I will not be buying the 1980s cartoon set, because it was not my era. My era was 1970s and the late 1960s. I am thinking that the 1980s and 1960s set will not be hot sellers. I could be wrong and i hope i am. I do remember someone saying the 1960s sold very poor and the studio was not planning anymore 1960s cartoons. However, the 1970s set seem to be selling very well, which makes sense, because that is when saturday morning cartoons were in there hey day.

I welcome anyone else's thoughts.
 

Ronald Epstein

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[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]I have to be honest...that was the most useless and/or uninformative chat
I've ever been witness to. The standing answer to most questions was "No plans at this time". [/COLOR]
Well, the studio was being honest. If it's not in their pipeline
they are going to answer accordingly.

On the other hand, there were many questions that they were
able to answer as well as notes that were taken to use for future
release decisions.
 

LCD22

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Ron, the "Tom and Jerry" theatrical shorts were raised twice last night and Warner responded that they're reviewing a complete collection and looking at releasing further collections. What wasn't directly addressed is revisiting their stance against issuing a replacement program for Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection, Vol. 3.

Is it possible you can run this by them for those who have been waiting to complete the Hanna-Barbera era (with Volume 3) with the two missing shorts, and possibly fixing the edited "His Mouse Friday" and misframed "Pup on a Picnic"?

Thanks.
 

JamesSmith

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Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein



Well, the studio was being honest. If it's not in their pipeline
they are going to answer accordingly.

On the other hand, there were many questions that they were
able to answer as well as notes that were taken to use for future
release decisions.
Such as?

James
 

MattSav

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I got my question in pretty early - asking about "V" and "V: The Final Battle" on Blu-Ray. I think both would be good sellers and it would be nice to have the discs in a non "flipper" disc format. Here's hoping. I think they were good sellers for Warner Bros on DVD back in the day, because they followed up the release rather quickly with the V television series from 1985.

I came away from the chat somewhat hopeful about the future of releases from Warner Bros. I'm most interested in the DC related titles. I think Warner took a mis-step by releasing Justice League Season 1 in Blu-Ray in open-matte format. It's already out in open-matte on DVD and they could have used that opportunity to release a 16:9 version, which was aired in some markets. I think that's why it sold poorly - I didn't buy it because I knew it was still in 4:3. If they rereleased season 1 as part of a "complete series" set on blu, all in widescreen, I'd buy it.

I'm hopeful about Shazam and Time Trax - either on DVD through Warner or sub-licensed to Shout Factor or Warner Archive. I mean, if the demand is there (in a smaller audience) why not make a little money on stuff sitting in your library through a third party instead of just sitting on it and not making any money (or making the fans miserable).

Likewise with Superboy Seasons 2 - 4 - a great candidate for Shout Factory or Warner Archive. Good news that the 1960's Superboy animated cartoon is being considered (unless they were talking about the newer Superboy and Legion of the Superheroes show, in which case that's a major pass from me).

I wonder what the Smallville season 1 technical glitches are about which prevent that season from coming out on blu? Maybe it wasn't shot at full 1080P? Who knows...
 

Keith Paynter

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Television releases are a very tricky thing. If interested is not sustained over the course of a series, there is little incentive for them to pursue the expense of preparing further seasons, and I empathize that mastering costs are astronomical (this is not something simply done with Roxio Media Creator). That was pretty obvious with 'Wait Till Your Father Gets Home'. It's such a Catch-22 when a popular series doesn't find its stride until 3 or 4 seasons in, but the first two have to sell well enough to justify the expense.

The bottom line will always be cost vs. return on investment - this is, in the end, a business...Just ask MGM how they're doing right now...

Programs with high music costs will always be the first to suffer. (Wonder Years, WKRP anyone?). Current programs have (a) high definition production and (b) rights management based on the current state of media storage and licensing. Most older shows do not ('60's Batman', is the best example, as Ron and WB said last night, where impasses are still keeping what is arguably them most in-demand series from ever reaching our hands intact.)

I don't keep my expectations high for the Television/Animation chat, but find the Feature Film chat more enlightening, and ultimately rewarding. (Paramount just gave us 'The African Queen after -how many years-? of research and restoration?)

I expect to be (much more) old and grey by the time WB manages to do something with The Censored Eleven.
 

Jack P

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Well in the end, I have to side with those who generally find these chats not very helpful. It's usually an opportunity to hear just two answers, "No plans" or "We're considering it" which is something I might note Warners once said in a chat about "The FBI" years ago. I can't recall a time when I ever learned exciting news about an upcoming TV on DVD release of interest to me from a single one of these chats.
 

Nick Graham

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At this point I'm just thankful to still have the TV/Animation chats. The TV on DVD market has been tapped dry - it was already getting drained thoroughly before the economy really tanked, and now it is just about gone save for the really popular stuff. If you're bag is older and/or more obscure shows, I see Shout Factory in your future, and not major studios. Both my questions got answered satisfactorily, though it helped they were about existing or soon to be existing releases.

With the market for TV and animation the way it is, there's just no way for a chat about them to be particularly newsworthy. We're long past the glory days, guys.
 

westumulka

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So this seems to be what's happening:

Adventures of Superboy (animated) - coming in the future
Alice - issues with masters, looking at 'various alternatives'
Captain Planet - evaluating
Courage the Cowardly Dog - July 20th
Dallas Tv movies - after series release
Growing Pains - potential 2011 release
Johhny Bravo - Season 1 June 15th
New Adventures of Old Christine - evaluating different options
Tom & Jerry - Deluxe Anniversary Collection June 22nd

And the rest as 'no plans' for new or continuation of seasons:

2 Stupid Dogs
Adventures of Superboy (live action)
Baby Blues
Brimstone - no plans
CHiPS
Detention
Drew Carey - problematic due to music costs
Dukes of Hazard (animated)
Duck Dodgers
Enos
Flintstones TV movies
Harry O
Histeria!
How the West Was Won
Jack and Bobby
Knots Landing
Love Sidney
Macahans
Mighty Orbots
Moral Orel
Murphy Brown - problematic due to music costs
Pac-Man
Perfect Strangers
Pirates of Dark Water
Road Rovers
Shazam
Silverhawks

Step by Step
SWAT Kats
Tarzan Lord of the Jungle
Taz-Mania
TimeTrax
Tom And Jerry Grape Ape Show
Treausre Island (1990 with charlton Heston)
Wait till Your Father Gets Home
 

Sam Favate

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Originally Posted by westumulka

So this seems to be what's happening:

Adventures of Superboy (animated) - coming in the future
Is this the Filmation show, circa 1966?
 

Fredbloggs

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Thanks Wes

It wasn't what I wanted to hear about Harry O but at least I know.

I suppose there's not much chance now as they only did 2 seasons plus a couple of pilots.

It's such a pain as there are scam websites out there and others selling really duff stuff because of the demand .
 

Stephen Wight

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I planned on attending the chat,but got the times mixed up.Did anybody ask about Freddy's Nightmares and Eight Is Enough?
 

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