Why would Disney wait so long between Platinum titles? (1 Viewer)

[DarrylWHarrisJr]

Jeez Lion King (the best Disney movie ever) in 2006, one whole year for Hunchback (don't so good, but..). Where's Bambi? Can I get Aladdin? What's with the so called remastering of Little Mermaid?
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[PhilipW]

Money, Money, and Money and maybe a little greed.
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[Jose Q]

Hopefully Disney will wise up and after they see the sales from Snow White. People want this stuff now and I think it's pretty obvious.
May be with the economy being down and all Disney will turn to these huge sellers as an answer to keep their revenue flowing.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

My guess is that they'll stay on schedule for Beauty and the Beast next year, and then perhaps they'll decide to speed up the process a bit.
But if all these titles are as good as the Snow White DVD, I suppose they'll be worth the wait.
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[GlennH]

I agree they should speed it up to 2 per year. But I think Lion King is scheduled for 2004, not 2006. Aladdin 2003.

 

[GaryEA]

I'm with you guys on two Platinum titles per year (just as long as the next one is Aladdin... oops sorry! ), but I got to thinking as I breezed through Snow White.
The amount of work to make the SW set must have been pretty sizable, taking up to a year's time (maybe more) to plan, produce and release.
So if Disney were to up the production by one a year - meaning a Platinum release every other quarter - could they handle it? Would the quality be compromised? Perhaps the amount of supplements would be greatly reduced, just to meet a timetable.
SW feels like the culmination of a hell of a lot of work, Streisand not withsatanding. Although I'd love a steady flow of Platinums to come in, maybe our patience will reward us with better and increasingly improved product. I can't imagine what innovations DVD could offer Aladdin, or any title, two years down the line.
Just musing.
Gary

 

[Jason Seaver]

Pretty straightforward - one major release for the Christmas buying season, per year. Find the movies people are willing to wait for, and maximize the revenue by building up demand, delivering a quality product (which, from all I've heard about the Snow White DVD, probably took months of work), and getting people to buy because they don't want to wait a daunting amount of time until the next window.

 

[GlennH]

One thing that bothers me about the Platinum Collection is that it is available "for a limited time only." They are supposed to stop selling Snow White in January.
That's fine if my copy stays around, but what if something happens to it, despite my best efforts to care for it? I really don't want to buy 2 copies of each release, keeping the spare in a different location from the original.
I hate the "moratorium model." It was no good on VHS and will really be a pain on DVD should something happen to my copy.
I guess they think this model is more profitable but I really don't see how. I know they lost out on quite a few VHS sales. When I started buying Disney tapes for my daughter I couldn't get Beauty and the Beast because it was (still is) on moratorium. Eventually a co-worker gave me his when his kids grew, but that was a lost sale for Disney. How do they make that up? Yes, I'll get the DVD next year, but I would have bought that anyway.

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

Don't forget about the planned IMAX re-release for these films in January prior to their ultimate release on DVD. I'm definitely looking forward to that. But it would be nice to have these titles released on DVD now.
~Edwin
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[Craig Beam]

In the Disney DVD catalogue that came with SNOW WHITE, there's a registration card that reads:
"Register your DVD! Fill out this card to become eligible for the 'Disc Replacement Program' that allows you to replace damaged DVD discs...."
Sounds like if something "happens" to your SNOW WHITE, you'll be able to get a replacement if you fill out the card and send it in. I'm assuming this offer extends beyond January....?
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[Chad E]

Craig Beam wrote:
In the Disney DVD catalogue that came with SNOW WHITE, there's a registration card that reads:
"Register your DVD! Fill out this card to become eligible for the 'Disc Replacement Program' that allows you to replace damaged DVD discs...."

I don't remember seeing a card like that in my Canadian version. Is this 'Disc Replacement Program' only available in the U.S.?
Chad

 

[Dick]

In a way, Disney IS speeding up the release of special editions of their animated classics - PETER PAN, not in the Platinum series, is due out soon. All new releases are sure to be 2-disc specials (ATLANTIS). Not that I wouldn't love to have BAMBI next year, but there is only a certain number of these elaborate projects they can release in a year. What with the SILLY SYMPHONIES and MICKEY MOUSE sets coming in December, I think Disney is doing a truly marvelous job trying to please us these days.

 

[John Besse]

I want Song of the South on DVD damnit! I don't want to shell out close to $200 for the Laserdisc...
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[Brian Kidd]

Disney is just protecting their assets by releasing their big films once a year. I don't blame them at all. They have a limited number of films in their animated catalog, so they want to stretch their earning potential as long as possible. As much as I would love to have all of these films right now, I can see why they have chosen this strategy. As long as their future releases are of the same quality as the current SNOW WHITE release, I'll be more than happy.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Regarding the amount of time that went into producing the Snow White DVD, the latest issue of Sound and Vision indicates that the process took two years!
If that kind of time and effort is going to be put into these Platinum editions, that would partially explain why they will only release one per year.
I also am willing to wait if the quality and content of the future platinum releases are as great as Snow White.

 

[Damin J Toell]

Money, Money, and Money and maybe a little greed.

and what money are they making by not releasing things? not releasing DVDs doesn't earn them a penny.
DJ

 

[Ryan Spaight]

The theory is that if they release them too close to each other, each will get less hype, the releases will be less of an "event," and the sales will be less.
Not saying I agree, that's just the theory.
Ryan

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

And what money are they making by not releasing things? Not releasing DVDs doesn't earn them a penny.

That is true in the short-term. They can't make a single cent on a Lion King DVD if it doesn't exist, right? However, the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term. Why? Imagine dumping too many of these on the market at once. Their own products would essentially end up competing with themselves. Even if each disc was equally spectacular (on a par with the Snow White DVD), they couldn't all "win" and become huge best-sellers like what we are seeing now with Snow White (at over a million copies in its first week of release). But spread out annually, the public's buying psychology has more than enough time to be "reset" and build high anticipation for the next title. Beauty and the Beast will no doubt be another astonishing sales success for Disney next year.
[Edited last by Jonathan Perregaux on October 13, 2001 at 03:16 PM]