An Open Letter to Disney UK

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Hey guys I've copied the letter to it's own thread please comment. If you've emailed the letter somewhere else please post and I'll add their address to the 1st post.

wdshe.consumerrelations@disney.co.uk

dcpukpress@disney.co.uk

totalfilm@futurenet.com

An Open Letter to Disney UK,

As members of the Blu-ray.com forum we’re writing to you to voice our concerns with regards to your apparent apathy towards the UK Blu-ray buying public. For a lot of collectors and home video enthusiasts Disney and PIXAR were the reasons why we went over to Blu-ray. The quality of the early releases blew most consumers away not only with incredible audio and video quality but the care and attention that went into the discs themselves. From the novel DisneyView to the supplemental bonus material and the archival DVD bonus features. They were definitive releases.

Blu-ray is the epitome of the home video experience we feel the Disney Blu-ray releases in the UK should match.

Sadly over the last few years the quality of your products has dropped dramatically it almost seems that the UK is merely an afterthought after consistently stellar releases in the US. We’re sure you’re aware the UK is one of the biggest home video markets in the world after the United States of America.

Below is a list of issues we have with the recent (and upcoming) output of your products.

Brave – The early news isn't good, all the special features that seem to be included on the US release have been certified by the BBFC (at your expense), yet it seems that the 2nd disc of special features will excluded from the general release. Oddly we've been given a reversible cover with the Japanese title on one side and Brave on the other as a Play.com exclusive! The US is getting a 5-disc Ultimate Edition.

Avengers Assemble - First you gave the UK public a different version of the film that we watched in cinemas up and down the country. You suggested viewers might have imagined the original theatrical version. Secondly you left off most of the extras from the US release (the commentary was one notable absentee) and gave spurious reasons behind the omission. Thirdly you told your loyal UK public if they didn't like the UK release they should import the US one (which has lead to many consumers boycotting UK releases in favour of their US counterparts)! You gave Sainsbury's a store exclusive 2nd BD disc which should have been included with the standard release), even though the Avengers Assemble was one of the biggest events of the year the UK release was no reflection of its critical and commercial success.

You sent out a newsletter through email telling everyone that the Avengers Assemble would be eligible for Disney Movie Reward points when the release didn't come with any (you even mentioned that The Avengers wasn't a Disney brand in one response even though the film is on the DMR scheme in the US). To your credit you gave points to DMR members asking for them but some were left feeling that you’d done them a favour when the issue could have been resolved more graciously.

John Carter – You downgraded the High Definition Master Audio of the US release to High Resolution Audio for the UK one.

Pirates of the Caribbean On Strangers Tides – The UK release missed out on the 2nd disc of bonus features which included numerous featurettes and deleted scenes. Another case of a bonus features disc been omitted from a UK release. The US had a 5-disc Limited Edition.

The Incredibles – Like Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides the UK lost out on the bonus disc. The UK missed out on HD deleted scenes as a result. The US had a 4-disc combo release.

Pinocchio – You re-issued a beloved Diamond Edition as a single BD but forgot to remove the numerous special features from the disc specifications on the back of the case!

The Muppets – Wow what a difference! The US had several versions all laden down with goodies, from soundtracks, to DVD copies, digital copies, special features and even Muppet Finger puppets! The UK release was lethargic in comparison, although there was an exclusive Sainsbury's release, which offered episodes from The Muppets Show.

Tarzan – While priced competitively the actual video quality left a lot to be desired, the video had a flickering problem and the audio wasn't even in HD! Buyers were left wondering if you’d issue a replacement or ignore the problem. It does seem that you've re-issued the release though. What happened to the extras? Tarzan on DVD had two great releases a Special Edition and a now very hard to find Collector’s Edition everyone would have loved a BD which could have rivalled Beauty and the Beast but Tarzan was just run-of-the-mill.

Warhorse – ASDA were given a store exclusive, leaving consumers little choice of extras if they preferred to shop elsewhere.

Cars 2 – This was around the time you decided consumers didn't really like Double Play releases so you removed the DVD from the BD release but gave customers the chance to get the DVD through DMR for a limited time only. You also removed the extras from the 2D release and made them exclusive to the 3D one. The US had a 5-disc set including 3 BD’s and 2 DVD’s along with several collector sets.

Winnie the Pooh – This much loved 2011 family movie remains unreleased in the UK on Blu-ray. We were given a DVD only release. When asked why there was no BD release we were told that after the underwhelming performance of a similar release it wasn't deemed a viable option to release the movie in the UK. Collectors have been left wondering if you’ll continue the Classic line-up (and numbering) after the non-release of the title.

The Tigger Movie – Another example of your inconsistent release strategy. The US, Canada and Brazil have had a release yet only a few European countries have had a release or have one scheduled.

The Rescuers Down Under – After the release of The Rescuers in October many fans were hoping for similar treatment of the sequel. No release date is scheduled. The US has had two double-pack releases.

UP – The Triple Play and 3D release were the only way to get the bonus extras disc.

Peter Pan – It wasn't included as part as the Diamond Edition line-up. Many fans felt Peter Pan deserved the Diamond Edition treatment. The US will receive a 3-disc Diamond Edition next year.

Blu-Ray Cover Spine Design – This is a bugbear of many buyers who want a bit of uniformity with their collection and they are collections, enthusiasts want the complete Disney line-up. A bit of forward planning with cover and spine designs could have done wonders towards the aesthetic appeal.

O-Rings – The dreaded slip covers. They enhance the appeal of any release but some of your best loved titles came without them. Alice In Wonderland the most notable example. The US has received a more consistent release of slip covers for both Disney and PIXAR releases.

Box Set Design And Artwork – A minor detail but one where the US is leaps and bounds better than its UK counterpart. Often sets with one or more movie will have split-panel artwork in one case. If there’s a Classic numbered movie in a box set a lot of collectors would prefer separate cases. The Fantasia / Fantasia 200 set was an excellent example of how a multi film box set should be handled.

Bonus Features Only Available With 3D Releases – Many feel this is unfair. Granted you’re not the only company that does it but people hate it. Not everyone wants to go 3D and making the special features exclusive to a release that has one redundant disc isn't winning you any fans!

One Format Releases – Unfortunately unlike your US releases you've dropped the combo releases, whether they were Double Play, Triple Play or Super Play 3D sets much to the chagrin of UK consumers. We like DVD and Digital Copies with out release they offer greater value for money and a much wider flexibility for use around the house or on the move. While the price of Blu-ray players has dropped considerably since their inception they are still a luxury in a lot of households and those households are limited to one player with DVD players in the kitchen or bedrooms (and cars). Even if your catalogue titles remain BD only releases, the new releases and Diamond Editions should offer more ‘bang-for-our-buck.’ Cinderella in the US received a 3-disc Diamond Edition including DVD and Digital Copy and The Incredibles a catalogue title had a 4-disc set laden with bonus features.

We don’t believe that we’re too different from the average US Disney consumer yet they receive far more combo releases and special features than we do. If you have no plans to reinstate the Double and Triple Play’s maybe you could include the option for customers to redeem a DVD or Digital Copy when they redeem their DMR points? Buyers who don’t need a DVD or DC can opt out and you wouldn't have the expense of releasing a multi-format release. The option shouldn't be time or stock limited as the Cars 2 offer; a more open-ended scheme would suit customers who don’t buy releases straight-away.

Audio Quality Downgraded And Original Audio Dropped – This happens frequently you’ll downgrade the bitrate or codec of the English soundtrack in favour of cramming as many other tracks on as possible or you’ll drop the original audio track of older films completely. As previously mentioned the John Carter soundtrack was downgraded to HR over the US’s HD track and Alice In Wonderland was released without the original mono track. While that we sympathize that you try and make accommodation for as many languages as possible this should never be at the expense of the original audio tracks quality or inclusion.

US-Only Releases – Now if recent comments made by Disney UK are true you’d like us to import all our titles but many UK consumers don’t want to do this. So titles like Pete’s Dragon, The Rocketeer, Treasure Planet and many of the DTV titles (many sequels to titles released in the UK) are unavailable to us or have not been scheduled for a UK release.

The UK has also been left waiting for 3D releases like Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons.

Importing Releases from the US and the Side-Effects for Consumers and Disney UK – If recent comments (with regards to the Avengers Assemble) are true, you’d be happy for unsatisfied customers to import from the US but at what cost? Disney UK will lose money in the long-run and while it may be only a small blip in your profits customers who feel they've been marginalised and want to shop elsewhere will have to pay more. Most of the Disney titles are over the UK’s £15 import limit so they will have to pay duties on each order. They’ll also miss out on your excellent Disney Movie Reward scheme, something we all agree on that’s one of the best of its kind. US points aren't eligible towards the UK scheme.

Price Increases of Titles – Over the last few months your 3D Blu-ray prices have increased with every retailer but compared to their US counterparts the value for money has dropped dramatically. We don’t want to pay more for less.

Hopefully you’ll take time to read through our concerns. They come from the hearts of many loyal Disney enthusiasts who wants to buy Disney products from the UK and don’t want to shop ‘elsewhere’ a lot of us feel the UK BD releases are churned out thoughtlessly, with little regard for the consumers buying. We now feel you now have a like-it-or-lump attitude to the UK section of the market and its consumers.

We love Disney and the best of your releases like Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the PIXAR movies stand pride and place in many collections. We feel that they should be the standard of every release whenever possible.

We’d also like to while the points in this letter concern UK release, the feeling that Disney releases have dropped in quality are not just from UK consumers. Customers from Ireland and the rest of Europe have expressed concerns and had input into this letter. Many of which import from the UK but now feel they should be looking towards the superior US releases when purchasing titles.

Your loyal supporters (for now….) members of the Blu-ray.com Forum