Disney Movie Club -- Thoughts and Experiences

[Ernest Rister]

Just thought I'd give some of you people out there interested in the Disney Movie Club the benefit of my experience. If you're interested in signing up, you may find some information here that will help you mkae an informed decision.

I joined the Disney Movie Club for one reason -- as a longtime student and admirer of Walt Disney, there are a good dozen or so titles that are not available in retail outlets, and some that have never been released on home video at all, let alone DVD. The DVD Movie Club was offering these as exclusives -- if you want to see the restored and remastered So Dear to my Heart on DVD, you can't buy it in stores. You have to join the DMC. If you're like me, and you've read about some of Walt's lesser known but respected live-action action titles such as The Story of Robin Hood, The Fighting Prince of Donegal and Kidnapped, but never saw them, the DMC allows you the opportunity to own them on DVD. If you admired the Zorro TV series, you can't buy it in stores, you have to join the DMC. You want the celebrated Donald in Mathmagicland or the largely forgotten Ducktales movie, "Treasure of the Lost Lamp"? Gotta buy it from the DMC.

Normally, these type of "club deals" are a bit of a scam -- having roped you in with free movies and low-priced introductory offers, you quickly find out you have several hoops to jump through simlpy to keep from being sent promotional offers and movies and CDs you had no interest in, with all the onus on you to prevent recurring charges. The DMC is no different. Also, of primary concern is the quality of what you're actually buying. True, Disney is offering some very obscure titles that Disney completionsits salivate over. Does that mean these obscure titles look good on DVD? Not neccessarily, so buyer beware.

Here's my experience...P icked up the following...

I've always wanted to see The Story of Robin Hood ever since Leonard Maltin gave high praise to it in his classic book, The Disney Films. On a whim, I perused the DMC website, and was stunned to see this and other obscure movies available as "club exclusives". That sealed the deal. I joined up and ordered a slew of these exclusive titles. About a week later, the items arrived. Here is what I got...

* So Dear to my Heart -- One of Disney's greatest live-action films, this title was slated for a home video release several years ago before the title was inexplicably pulled and the release cancelled. To this day, the scuttling of the DVD release remains a mystery, but the disc is available here (and only here). The title has been lovingly restored and remastered, and if you've only seen the title on VHS, this is an easy "must buy". The sound and picture are lovely, and the disc includes a scrapbook of bonus information (including images of deleted scenes) similar to the early days of the Disney Gold Collection DVD titles.

* Donald in Mathmagicland -- the disc appears to be a straight port of master used for the 90's VHS release. It remains as charming as you remember, but don't expect anything other than the featurette.

* The Story of Robin Hood -- Title comes in a mustard-yellow jacket that reads: "The Wonderful World of Disney: The Story of Robin Hood". This was Disney's second all-live-action feature film after Treasure Island. Shot at Pinewood studios with natural locations, the potential is here for a beautiful DVD. Unfortunately, what you get is a DVD so pared down that it doesn't even include chapter stops. After a piece of vintage 70's Disney (the film begins using the NBC TV Wonderful World of Disney opening titles from the 70s, you're presented with the movie. The image looks to have come from a transfer struck in the 80's -- blown out whites, excessive noise, and more grain than a flour mill, it might be the ugliest Disney DVD of all time. The movie, however, is wonderful, and fans of Disney's 1974 animated feature will see where much of that film's material was lifted from -- in many ways, the animated film is a remake of this vastly superior fore-runner.

* The Fighting Prince of Donegal -- As before, title comes in the mustard-yellow jacket and sports the WWOD main titles. Another fine bit of vintage family action fare from Uncle Walt, this title shares the same problems as Robin Hood -- no care at all has been taken with this transfer. It is essenitally VHS on DVD. Wonderful movie, though.

* A Tiger Walks -- Again, yellow jacket and WWOD main titles, and little care taken with the transfer. This film is an oddity in that it features harsh portrayals of American media and American politicians looking to capitalize on a crisis -- not your typical Disney fare, although the themes of animal rights are a hallmark of Disney's naturalist films.

* Kidnapped -- Disney's rousing treatment of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic is another reason to join the DMC, but again, the DVD is little more than VHS on DVD.


Now, after picking up these titles, I was obligated to buy three more titles at regular club prices. The web site is very, very sneaky, however, as it rolls in discounts on damn near anything else you buy to make the title ineligble -- in other words, the website will discount the item, meaning it doesn't count toward your commitment. You have to actually type in a code (0001) to make the website charge you the non-discounted prices so that the discs will cuont towards your commitment so you can cancel and escape with your life. Disney sent a mailer and a catalog as well -- with most of the titles discounted (again, they won't count towards your commitment). Very sneaky, borderline shady.

So I found the code and purchased the following:

The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin
Zorro: The Complete 1st Season
Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates

Now I'm going to cancel ASAP. I'll let you know how that goes.

So, yeah -- pros of the DMC include uber rare titles you can't purchase anywhere else. Cons include sneaky pricing (you have to keep on your toes) and some of those uber-rare titles looks like old VHS or broadcast masters.

Just my experience in case you're thinking about using the DMC. As always, look before you leap.

Regards,

ER3