Disney Muppets OAR petition... (1 Viewer)

[Marc_E]

I did not see a thread dedicated to this (though it is mentioned in the BIG disney post) but I just wanted to make sure everyone saw / signed this after I saw it on the Bits:
http://www.petitiononline.com/muppetws/petition.html
Lets make another Wonka and more effort!
Marc

 

[Neil Joseph]

Thanks, I will stick this at the top for everyone to sign.

 

[Bingo]

Actually, this is already being discussed here

 

[Marc_E]

Yes it is but I figured this was so important that it should be right out in front rather mixed into the thread.

Marc

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Yeah,

People need to sign this one way or the other...signatures do make a difference when the number gets high enough...see WW. I also called about these titles, and will send an e-mail next week.

Take care,

Chuck

 

[Dave E H]

Signed up! I've got all the other discs, including the Time-Life collection of the Muppet show. I would hate for this to be in P & S - especially Christmas Carol, which I pine for every year come Christmas season... sigh..

 

[Kyle McKnight]

Agreed this deserves it's own sticky thread.

#1518

 

[Marc_E]

It is very important to sign this even if you don't care for these particular Disney flicks for the message we are sending them. No OAR=No Sale!

Marc

 

[LukeB]

It is very important to sign this even if you don't care for these particular Disney flicks for the message we are sending them. No OAR=No Sale!

Except that when you do that and when Disney sees you posting something like that, it devalues the entire petition and drive to get content released in OAR. Then they get your petition of 10,000 names and say how many are duplicates, jokes, signed out of principle.

They're obviously not deciding Aspect Ratios by principle, they're looking at a title-by-title basis.

Clearly, I think there is an adult customer base for the Muppet movies and they'd be losing a significant amount of money if they release these two in P & S only. But encouraging people to write/call/sign who aren't really interested in the affected titles and are doing it as their duty or their overall feelings in the matter is not helpful to the cause, since it just sends a mixed, confused, and diluted message to Disney.

It makes us look like a bunch of fanatics who are calling to complain out of sense of duty and not because we actually care about what they're doing to some movies that we'd really like to own.

 

[cafink]

It is very important to sign this even if you don't care for these particular Disney flicks for the message we are sending them.

I agree with Marc on this point. Internet petitions tend to be rather worthless, but if Disney does put any stock in this one, sees a zillion signatures on it, releases a widescreen DVD but then sells only a few copies, they'll just be all the more inclined to ignore them in the future.

 

[LukeB]

I agree with Marc on this point. Internet petitions tend to be rather worthless, but if Disney does put any stock in this one, sees a zillion signatures on it, releases a widescreen DVD but then sells only a few copies, they'll just be all the more inclined to ignore them in the future.

That completely contradicts what Marc said.

 

[cafink]

Oops! That's my mistake — I meant to say "Luke"! Sorry about that… I agree with you, buddy! :b

 

[Dwayne]

Number 1634.

 

[RossH]

#1649, and I also sent them an email detailing why I think they are making a poor decision to release Muppet movies in pan n scan. I also encouraged them to include "Why Widescreen?" trailers on their videos, or at least some informative pictures on the package.

If the misinformed audience thinks that the black bars are actually covering up parts of the image, why do so many TV commercials have the black bars? Why would an advertiser want to spend millions making an ad, and then cover parts of it up? Same with music videos.

Bring on the black bars of happiness!

Ross

 

[Marc_E]

Point well taken Luke.

I personally want these movies (and all movies) in OAR. That is the message.

OK, I know there are OAR only petitions, or everyone sign that one as well.

Everyone who wants these movies in OAR, sign this one. Everyone please take it seriously because we want a representative message rather than pure numbers at any cost. I know, as you all do, that the people who want these films in OAR are very large so lets see them sign it. Wonka had 17,000+ and I believe the audience is probably the same so lets do it and show we mean business.

 

[Randy A Salas]

To drive home Luke's point even further, this petition is definitely an uphill battle. I have talked to a higher-up at Disney (via an off-the-record phone conversation) and--without getting too specific, in general terms--have been told that they know where most of the dissent on widescreen vs. pan-and-scan comes from and that they group those complaints accordingly.
Read: HTF = 1 collective complaint from people who won't buy the movie anyway.
Now, that's what their view is on titles like Snow Dogs and Max Keeble's Big Move. But they do acknowledge that the Muppets probably are of bigger appeal to adults than kids these days--that is, it's not a hot kiddy franchise these days. So, this petition drive could have an impact like Wonka's as long as it's done sincerely and handled professionally--which it appears to be. Unfortunately, my signature puts it at 1,707, so there's a long way to go. :frowning:

 

[GlennH]

Read: HTF = 1 collective complaint from people who won't buy the movie anyway.

Now, that's what their view is on titles like Snow Dogs and Max Keeble's Big Move.

Well, then they are not reading things correctly, are they? Because there are a lot of OAR enthusiasts with families who will now pass on either buying or renting these titles out of principle, but who otherwise would have. In my case these particular releases would probably have been rental. In the case of WHITE FANG, and some others, it would have been a definite buy. But not now.

Bottom line: lost revenue for Disney. That's the message they need to get.

 

[Clint B]

Number 1717. If Buena Vista doesn't mind missing out on the millions of dollars that they would get by the simple act of releasing their movies in widescreen, then I don't know what to say. How difficult is it to realize that catering to as many customers as you can is good for business?

 

[Scott Weinberg]

#1719.

(I hope I didn't sign this one twice! I can't remember which ones I've signed!)

 

[Randy A Salas]

In my case these particular releases would probably have been rental.

You've proved Disney's point--on those two movies (Max Keeble and Snow Dogs). Disney looks at this and says: "See? He wasn't going to buy it anyway, so we were right." A lost rental isn't going to hurt Disney--not for a long time, anyway. Blockbuster won't rent that one copy you're passing on, but Disney has already sold it--to Blockbuster. Eventually, of course, Blockbuster might realize that people aren't renting the full-screen family releases from Disney and stop buying so many. I have a feeling that's not going to happen anytime soon, and probably not at all. How many widescreen versions of dual-release titles does your average rental store have vs. P&S?

Scene: You march up to the Blockbuster counter with full-screen Snow Dogs in hand. "I will not rent this because it's not in widescreen! You have just lost my business!" Guy behind the counter rolls his eyes and says, "Whatever, dude"--and rents it to someone else that evening. Not renting one title isn't going to have an effect; not renting at that store might.

I'm not saying any of this is right, mind you. Disney is making these decisions on a movie-by-movie basis. Unfortunately, they're not being logical--reference Three Men and a Baby/Little Lady, White Fang and WF2, and the Muppets (not as much kid appeal as adult appeal).