Anyone join the DISNEY MOVIE CLUB? (1 Viewer)

[Vince Talmadge]

So, has anyone watched The Love Bug yet? What's the word on PQ? Based on this, and [color=rgb(84,84,84);font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-weight:bold;]20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,[/color] I'm not so sure it's safe to buy..

 

[Ejanss]

Disney Movie Club website has now gone live with The Love Bug and Herbie Rides Again blu-rays.

It's rumored that the two might show up in a wide retail combo, with a '15 push for famous live-action titles, and a pair of Blu masters makes the prospects look very good right about now.
At least for the two "real" Herbie movies, not sure whether the non-Stevenson Monte Carlo and Goes Bananas will get the same treatment.

 

[MatthewA]

It's rumored that the two might show up in a wide retail combo, with a '15 push for famous live-action titles, and a pair of Blu masters makes the prospects look very good right about now.
At least for the two "real" Herbie movies, not sure whether the non-Stevenson Monte Carlo and Goes Bananas will get the same treatment.

Those two have never gotten OAR transfers, just the blame for the end of the Disney Live-Action Gimmick Comedy. Does anyone not a completist actually want Lindsay: Fully Loaded, oops I mean Herbie: Fully Loaded

 

[Paul Penna]

So, has anyone watched The Love Bug yet? What's the word on PQ? Based on this, and [color=rgb(84,84,84);font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;font-weight:bold;]20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,[/color] I'm not so sure it's safe to buy..

Well, even granting all the unknowns about the origins and methodologies and all the other potential problems with screencaps, based just on what I see in the shot of Nemo and Arronax the HD looks like a huge improvement over the DVD.

 

[Vince Talmadge]

the HD looks like a huge improvement over the DVD.

Sure is, but I still don't enjoy my classic films "teal'n'oranged"

 

[Mark-P]

So, has anyone watched The Love Bug yet? What's the word on PQ? Based on this, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,[/size] I'm not so sure it's safe to buy..

I finally received them from the club. It took longer than usual because they had to ship them twice as the first shipment got misrouted and returned to them. Both discs have gorgeous PQ and 5.1 sound, though no original mono for the purists. Also barebones, so hold on to your DVDs for the special features.

 

[Mark-P]

Those two have never gotten OAR transfers, just the blame for the end of the Disney Live-Action Gimmick Comedy. Does anyone not a completist actually want Lindsay: Fully Loaded, oops I mean Herbie: Fully Loaded

Love Bug and Herbie Rides Again were both OAR (1.75:1) on DVD. They've been slightly opened up to 1.66:1 on the new Blu-rays. It's the other 2 Herbie movies (Monte Carlo and Bananas) that have never been OAR on disc.Edit: Nevermind. I see now that the "those two" you were actually referring to WERE the latter Herbie movies!

 

[Vince Talmadge]

I finally received them from the club. It took longer than usual because they had to ship them twice as the first shipment got misrouted and returned to them. Both discs have gorgeous PQ and 5.1 sound, though no original mono for the purists. Also barebones, so hold on to your DVDs for the special features.

Cool beans man! Thanks for the heads up

 

[darkrock17]

So what I'm hearing about these exclusive club only releases is that there's no special features included right?

 

[David Norman]

So what I'm hearing about these exclusive club only releases is that there's no special features included right?

So far that;s been about right

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

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

 

[Mark-P]

Not on the DMC website as of yet, but information has leaked (presumably from an early peek at the forthcoming mailers) that the next pair of exclusives will be Old Yeller and Pollyanna (as mentioned above). I know a lot of people are disappointed that Disney is relegating all these classic titles to the club, but I couldn't be happier about it.

 

[classicmovieguy]

People are upset because the club isn't open to customers outside of the US, and there probably now isn't an Olaf's chance in hell that these titles will be released on regular Blu-ray's in other countries.

 

[Ejanss]

So far that;s been about right


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

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (pronoun trouble) was also on the Rumor list to be going retail for '15, IIRC.

Between this, Old Yeller, Pollyanna and the Herbies, sound like the Blu Club Exclusives are just doing advance sales to generate interest, but they can't keep expensive Blu's hiding around in the closet forever, unlike WA's MOD Blu's.


(Now, I just have to dig up what Bill Hunt said about that list rumor:

Disney is confirmed to be releasing a number of live-action classics on Blu-ray as exclusives to their Disney Movie Club, but they’re all expected to be released widely in 2015. Included are The Apple Dumpling Gang: 40th Anniversary Edition and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes: 45th Anniversary Edition (made available on 9/9), the Herbie Rides Again: 40th Anniversary Edition (coming on 12/2), and The Love Bug: 45th Anniversary Edition (coming on 12/16). An Escape to Witch Mountain: 40th Anniversary Edition also seems possible for 2015, given that next year is the film’s 40th anniversary. Thanks to Bits reader Bill M. for the heads-up.

I'm not one of the "anniversary-counters" that think that something has to be released mandatorily by law by the calendar, but with the move to streaming, it sounds like they're trying to turn it into more of a promotional "test screening" and not going to play the Exclusive MOD game on disk as long as they used to.)

 

[McCrutchy]

Not on the DMC website as of yet, but information has leaked (presumably from an early peek at the forthcoming mailers) that the next pair of exclusives will be Old Yeller and Pollyanna (as mentioned above). I know a lot of people are disappointed that Disney is relegating all these classic titles to the club, but I couldn't be happier about it.

Yes, I can confirm that Old Yeller is indeed coming out February 10th.


I hate to admit it, but I had let my DMC "lapse", after I received no less than two unwanted shipments (which I struggle to decline, as sometimes, they end up in my spam, for whatever reason) and just let them sit. The card they charged was inactive at the time, so DMC eventually started sending me bills for them.


I was going to get around to returning these unopened packages, but the news that Disney is offering DMC exclusive BDs got me going, and I called DMC.


I have always had fantastic experiences with DMC customer service (I always call the phone support) and this was no exception. A lovely lady named Sarah noted my account about the returns (which I then dropped at the post office) and then conformed to me that Old Yeller is coming. She declined this month's featured title for me (Guardians of the Galaxy, apparently), and then mentioned that the featured title starting today is 101 Dalmatians (Diamond Edition) + 101 Dalmatians 2, releasing on February 10th as well.


Since I have no interest in the second film (and am already VIP/Commitment-fulfilled) I asked if we could pair up the first film with Old Yeller and place an order. With the club discounts, I'll get 101 Dalmatians for $23.95 and Old Yeller for $14.97, or a total of $38.92 shipped, and I have the confirmation e-mail to prove it.


So in all, I would have to recommend the DMC, it is a pain to decline the featured title (and it would be just as much of a pain to join the DVD side and have to always specify BD versions), but if they're going to have exclusive BDs, I think I will start using them a lot more.

 

[McCrutchy]

Oh, for what it's worth, I asked Sarah about the exclusivity period on these, and she surprised me by saying that they are only pressed in limited quantities, so seemingly, there will be no wide releases for these DMC exclusive BDs.


Of course, take with the requisite massive grain of salt.


And Old Yeller was just added to the web site as well. Here is the cover:

 

[Ronald Epstein]

As a member of the Disney Movie Club I have mixed feelings about these

exclusive releases.


I don't particularly mind their exclusivity given the fact they are being made

available for the reason of limited pressings.


Like anything else, if these are the only way that we can get these titles on

Blu-ray, then so be it.


My current problem is that I have not yet completed my obligation requirements

for the club. For that reason, buying these titles at full price do not count towards

my fulfillment obligation.


I really wanted The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes. I paid a pretty outrageous

price to get it immediately. If I had waited to complete my membership obligation

I would have paid half price for it.


So, these titles can be bought at a steal if your membership requirements are

completed. If not, you pay a more hefty fee to purchase them.


Again, I really recommend the Disney Movie Club. I get email reminders telling

me that I have to make a YES or NO decision on the monthly selection so nothing

gets sent to me without my permission.

 

[MatthewA]

People are upset because the club isn't open to customers outside of the US, and there probably now isn't an Olaf's chance in hell that these titles will be released on regular Blu-ray's in other countries.

Some of us are also upset that titles that had really, really good special editions on DVD are getting scaled down to bare-bones releases with lossy sound. Not everyone is an obsessive collector who has to have every version of every title, so why are they taking away a good incentive to upgrade? I also sell my DVDs to help pay for the Blu-ray upgrades, and with Disney that's turning out to be a mistake. This isn't a trade-up, it's a trade-off.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Matthew,


Do not take what I am about to say as being non sympathetic to your cause.


I am very sympathetic. I totally agree and understand.


However...


I think the days of catering catalog releases to the collector is over.


Today's formula of releasing catalog titles is through exclusive distributors who

limit pressings and offer limited to no extras.


The reason for this is very simple: catalog sales are down and if the studios can

get their product out there more cheaply, they are going to opt for that method.


That is of course, my opinion, not necessarily fact.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Matthew,


Do not take what I am about to say as being non sympathetic to your cause.


I am very sympathetic. I totally agree and understand.


However...


I think the days of catering catalog releases to the collector is over.


Today's formula of releasing catalog titles is through exclusive distributors who

limit pressings and offer limited to no extras.


The reason for this is very simple: catalog sales are down and if the studios can

get their product out there more cheaply, they are going to opt for that method.


That is of course, my opinion, not necessarily fact.

That may be true, but does it really cost that much to port over the existing extras from an earlier deluxe DVD release, even if they remain in standard definition? Twilight Time does it with Columbia titles like LOST HORIZON, which will never sell out its 3000 allotment.

 

[Jason_V]

I get what you're saying, Ron, but it seems...counter intuitive...to leave off previously created VAM in the name of having cheaper titles. How much work can really go into taking the info from the DVD of Old Yeller, for instance, and porting it over to the BD? I'm not talking about new interviews or remastering in HD. I'm talking take the files they currently have and put them on the BD.


I also understand this is Disney we're talking about and there is no rhyme or reason to what they do most of the time.