SMURFS IN R1... what the hell?!? (1 Viewer)

[MarcoBiscotti]

Now I'm well aware of the R2 French PAL and Dutch sets which do not feature English audio tracks, but I was just browsing Metro Video's website which is a local retailer here in Montreal and low and behold under "upcoming releases" on November 2nd... Schtroumpfs Volume 1!

For those of you who didn't pick that up... it translates to "Smurfs Volume 1" :wink:


Now I'm not sure what audio or language tracks will be presented, but considering this IS apparently some sort of exclusive R1 Canadian release, I am hoping that optional English soundtrack will be available...

What a surprise!


I'm going to do a search for further info right now, hopefully this will be some sort of limited box-set with the early 80's Hanna Barbera produced TV episodes!


I'll post more details as they become available!

 

[Kim Olav Svines]

Check this out:
amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00064MWEW/qid%3D1098215408/701-8292790-7793124
dvdsoon.com/show-title-details.xml?uid=125833

Lists French as only language, and apperantly a 4 disc set.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

aah... why only french!!!

 

[Greg Madsen]

There is a set coming out in Australia that would be English I assume. Only contains 6 episodes though.

http://www.sanity.com.au/product.asp...rtistID=193415

 

[Paul Miller]

Hopefully this is one of the next sets HB targets, I'd gladly plunk down my money for Smurfs on DVD.



Paul

 

[Kim Olav Svines]

I see the company behind the Australian release, is Magna Pacific. They're the same company that released the complete Nelvana cartoons with Care Bears. (12 volumes in total). Therefore I'm positive there will be more volumes to come (if it sells satisfactory enough, that is). I will at least buy the first volume, and enjoy myself, reliving my childhood. (Seems I'm doing that every day lately).

 

[David Lambert]

Look for complete details about this French Canadian release tomorrow (Sunday) at TVShowsOnDVD. Thanks Marco...you get the credit for the discovery!

 

[Dane Marvin]

According to TVTome.com there are 421 episodes of the Smurfs, and the series ran from 1981-1989. Quite a run. It's hard to tell how many half-hour episodes there were because they have the stories split up into 10- or 15-minute shots. At one point in the series though, the Smurfs was running at an expanded 90 minutes on Saturday mornings. HB season sets would be a big undertaking.

 

[David Lambert]

News is up!

 

[Paul Miller]

This has to be the most frustrating DVD news ever.

Smurfs season sets would be a lot of work, but I think the following is there that they would do be worth it.

Paul

 

[Matthew Green]

You mean there is no interest in the American market for these? Yeah right...Someone is really messing up...I'd buy the first couple of seasons right away.

 

[Dane Marvin]

I believe the word you're looking for is "Smurfstrating".

 

[David Lambert]

Noone said that! We're following up on leads in regards to an R1 English release. Stay tuned!

 

[Tory]

Could there be rights issues with the English tracks?

 

[Amy Mormino]

I guess there must be a rights issue involved, otherwise this makes no business sense. It would be great if there is an English language release in the future, but the company could have just put both English and French language tracks and saved the bother of putting out two sets. Honestly, are Canadian French-speakers so anti-English that they wouldn't buy such a set?

 

[PhilipG]

Hmm... Perhaps the French-Canadians just don't want to have to put English on their covers!

 

[Patrick Soucy]

"Honestly, are Canadian French-speakers so anti-English that they wouldn't buy such a set?"

No no no...

I am a french-canadian, and you have to know that here, the companies make their DVD without any consumer survey...

Many of US love the movies in their original langage and purchase only DVD with the english titles... We really don't care about a french 'ugly' cover...

Concerning the Schtrouph, I think French is the original langage track (From France)... and like many US DVD with only english, I think the Canadian Company only added the original track and forget the dubbed version...!

 

[David Lambert]

* The original comic books by Peyo were in Belgium, and written in French (one of Belgium's official languages). So French is the "original" language of the comic books.

* The cartoon series was born in the USA, when NBC head Brandon Tartikoff saw how much his daughter loved playing with a Smurfs doll. Therefore, English is the "original" language of the cartoons.

* The Canadian company, DEP, told me very clearly that they did not try to buy a license to the English language version of the cartoon, because of the expense. The French language rights were affordable to them, and so they did that.

* As I said, the person at DEP I spoke to gave me some leads about an R1 English-language release. I need to follow up on that. I was unable to do so today, due to time constraints. But I can tell you it would be a big-name studio...I have multiple candidates.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

Wasn't the Smurfs cartoon by Hanna-Barbera? Maybe the studo that's been releasing the other HB cartoons on DVD will release The Smurfs as well.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

That studio would be Warner Bros. and I'm somewhat confused about the rights issues concerning this series considering it's been licensed out to dozens of smaller independant "specialty" studios internationally and currently being sold in just about every single European country and all through different production companies to boot. Perhaps the original creator of the characters and comics still holds some control over the series so Warner Bros. would have to come to an agreement with his company before releasing anything to DVD in the U.S.? I still find the international licensing thing a little strange though, I don't understand how a tiny independant studio such as DEP would be able to release episodes exclusively in Canada when Warner Bros. would assumably "own" the series and I'm guessing distribution rights as well through Hanna Barbera of which it was produced... Oh well.

I'm very excited to hear David's follow-up on the lead!!!