Disney's Remaining Films

[vanscottie]

With Jungle Book dropping yesterday we now have five major films left: Aladdin, The Black Cauldron, Hercules, 101 Dalmatians, and Tarzan (I have no idea how they intend to categorize The Adventures of Ichibad Crane or The Three Cabalaros - they are shorts, but so was Mickey's Christmas Carol and they gave that a separate Blu release) So anyway, I just picked up Jungle Book, inside was one of their inserts that proudly touted, "Sleeping Beauty - Diamond Edition" coming this fall. Now we all know there was "Platinum Edition" early on, and there was word early on that they'd re-release "Beauty" and "Pinocchio" as Diamond Editions. Setting aside any debate about whether or not there'll be new transfers or new Bonus Features (my God both films look gorgeous and are loaded with extras so I can't see room for improvement) WHAT NOW is the schedule?? I'd heard internet rumors that 2014 would be IT, the last year they'd push the rest of the catalogue out. BUT if a) they only do two Diamonds a year and b) if "S.B." is a Diamond then they're going to have to go into 2015 to add Pin and as I understand Aladdin will be a Diamond too.

So....anyone know anything about the new schedules? Will there be another Diamond after Aladdin, S.B. and Pinocchio? Would it be 101 D? Any ideas how they deal with Crane and Three Cabalaros? My Disney Shelf yearns for completeness!

[kidglov3s]

I wish Three Amigos was a Disney animated feature, it would somewhat redeem Martin Short's stature in the canon.

[jawsfan1975]

What about Song Of The South? Don't hold your breath for this!

[vanscottie]

Originally Posted by jawsfan1975

What about Song Of The South? Don't hold your breath for this!

a) Song of the South is not an animated feature any more than Mary Poppins was b) I keep telling you all it SUCKS (and not because of the Happy Slaves shit) and c) Nope, not in a million years will they release it and have the NAACP up in arms

[rexcrk]

Yesterday was my birthday, it would've been awesome if Aladdin was in Jungle Book's place as it's my favorite Disney movie but oh well lol.

But in addition to Aladdin, the one I'm looking forward to the most is Hercules. ESPECIALLY because the DVD is so awful in a letterboxed widescreen ratio.

[kidglov3s]

Originally Posted by rexcrk

Yesterday was my birthday, it would've been awesome if Aladdin was in Jungle Book's place as it's my favorite Disney movie but oh well lol.

But in addition to Aladdin, the one I'm looking forward to the most is Hercules. ESPECIALLY because the DVD is so awful in a letterboxed widescreen ratio.

I imported both from Germany on region free Blu-ray, and think they look/sound really nice. Bring on the package films/Black Cauldron, I say.

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by rexcrk

Yesterday was my birthday, it would've been awesome if Aladdin was in Jungle Book's place as it's my favorite Disney movie but oh well lol.

But in addition to Aladdin, the one I'm looking forward to the most is Hercules. ESPECIALLY because the DVD is so awful in a letterboxed widescreen ratio.

The region free UK releases of both look and sound excellent on Blu-Ray.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by jawsfan1975

What about Song Of The South? Don't hold your breath for this!

Apparently, a few years back Iger held a private screening to review it (if I recall, he hadn't ever actually seen it), and decided that it stays in the vault. I do give the guy credit for at least checking it out as a possibility, though.

As much as I feel it should be available, I do get why they don't and what a precarious situation it puts them in. Disney uses the characters in every theme park they have as walk-arounds, Splash Mountain (which is based on the film) is one of the headliner attractions in the three flagship parks (Disneyland, WDW, and Tokyo), and the only way Disney wouldn't get crucified by parents who pick it up for their kids is if they didn't put any of the characters on the cover and put it in a brown paper label that said Adults Only, LOL - which ain't never gunna happen. ;-)

It is a shame, it does have historical value - but I shu' nuff can't see no way 'round it.

[MifuneFan]

Including international releases, there are only 6 movies from Walt Disney Animation Studio that haven't been released (or isn't confirmed)

Saludos Amigos
The Three Caballeros
Make Mine Music
Fun and Fancy Free
Melody Time
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Of those, I can only see Ichabod and Mr. Toad getting a BD release. All the ones released overseas (Tarzan, 101 dalmatians, Hercules, etc..) will eventually make their way here. It'll just take several years. They're all region free though so there's little point playing the waiting game with Disney.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Including international releases, there are only 6 movies from Walt Disney Animation Studio that haven't been released (or isn't confirmed)

Saludos Amigos
The Three Caballeros
Make Mine Music
Fun and Fancy Free
Melody Time
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

What about The Black Cauldron? I haven't seen it on BD anywhere.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

Apparently, a few years back Iger held a private screening to review it (if I recall, he hadn't ever actually seen it), and decided that it stays in the vault. I do give the guy credit for at least checking it out as a possibility, though.

As much as I feel it should be available, I do get why they don't and what a precarious situation it puts them in. Disney uses the characters in every theme park they have as walk-arounds, Splash Mountain (which is based on the film) is one of the headliner attractions in the three flagship parks (Disneyland, WDW, and Tokyo), and the only way Disney wouldn't get crucified by parents who pick it up for their kids is if they didn't put any of the characters on the cover and put it in a brown paper label that said Adults Only, LOL - which ain't never gunna happen. ;-)

It is a shame, it does have historical value - but I shu' nuff can't see no way 'round it.

Perhaps they could launch a "Forbidden Disney" series with it, with something like your brown-paper wrapper. Maybe the kids will buy it anyway, but that way there's no way you can say they weren't warned.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

Apparently, a few years back Iger held a private screening to review it (if I recall, he hadn't ever actually seen it), and decided that it stays in the vault. I do give the guy credit for at least checking it out as a possibility, though.

It is a shame, it does have historical value - but I shu' nuff can't see no way 'round it.

And....he turned out to be one of those dopes who still think Remus was a "slave".
I can take OTHER clueless Disney pop-misinterpretations, but we've lived for more than 12 Years with that one...
(The time period is never mentioned, not once, but it's been privately said to be postwar Sharecropper Reconstruction, which would account for how Remus could take all that flak for not working so much.)

At this point, he thinks it's "idealism" not to release the disk, and publicly jokes about the fans hounding him about it at the stockholders' meetings.
But since he announced his retirement for '15, South fans have kept the "Iger Retirement-watch", as he seems to be one of the only few white people at the company that still keep that dopey urban legend going.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by EricJ

And....he turned out to be one of those dopes who still think Remus was a "slave".
I can take OTHER clueless Disney pop-misinterpretations, but we've lived for more than 12 Years with that one...
(The time period is never mentioned, not once, but it's been privately said to be postwar Sharecropper Reconstruction, which would account for how Remus could take all that flak for not working so much.)

At this point, he thinks it's "idealism" not to release the disk, and publicly jokes about the fans hounding him about it at the stockholders' meetings.
But since he announced his retirement for '15, South fans have kept the "Iger Retirement-watch", as he seems to be one of the only few white people at the company that still keep that dopey urban legend going.

I don't think Remus himself is the problem; I understand it's the live-action sequences based on the old Southern "Dunning school" view of Reconstruction, which modern-day historians totally reject under the assumption (IMO not correct, though there is some truth to it) that it was just a cover for the Jim Crow era which followed.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

Apparently, a few years back Iger held a private screening to review it (if I recall, he hadn't ever actually seen it), and decided that it stays in the vault. I do give the guy credit for at least checking it out as a possibility, though.

As much as I feel it should be available, I do get why they don't and what a precarious situation it puts them in. Disney uses the characters in every theme park they have as walk-arounds, Splash Mountain (which is based on the film) is one of the headliner attractions in the three flagship parks (Disneyland, WDW, and Tokyo), and the only way Disney wouldn't get crucified by parents who pick it up for their kids is if they didn't put any of the characters on the cover and put it in a brown paper label that said Adults Only, LOL - which ain't never gunna happen. ;-)

It is a shame, it does have historical value - but I shu' nuff can't see no way 'round it.

I have a pretty good DVD bootleg of Song of the South, so if it never releases I'm fine with it. However I still think it's a shame that this film stays locked up as Disney's "dirty little secret." To me, it's no worse than Gone With The Wind and that movie has been made available for purchase time and time again to very little backlash. Personally I believe if SOS was released the fallout would not be anywhere near as bad as so many anticipate. People need to understand the era in which a piece of art was created. If SOS was made today, yes I could certainly understand the issue with that. But this movie is nearly 70 years old! People need to gain a little perspective when judging a film.

Personally I do believe that Disney will eventually release the film. Why? Because it will eventually become public domain and there is absolutely no way Disney passes up an opportunity to make money off of it before that.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

I have a pretty good DVD bootleg of Song of the South, so if it never releases I'm fine with it. However I still think it's a shame that this film stays locked up as Disney's "dirty little secret." To me, it's no worse than Gone With The Wind and that movie has been made available for purchase time and time again to very little backlash. Personally I believe if SOS was released the fallout would not be anywhere near as bad as so many anticipate. People need to understand the era in which a piece of art was created. If SOS was made today, yes I could certainly understand the issue with that. But this movie is nearly 70 years old! People need to gain a little perspective when judging a film.

Personally I do believe that Disney will eventually release the film. Why? Because it will eventually become public domain and there is absolutely no way Disney passes up an opportunity to make money off of it before that.

I saw a copy of Song of the South (obviously nothing official from Disney) a couple of years ago and was pretty surprised by it as a film. Obviously, the idea of a 'happy slave' who sings and tells stories is offensive as a concept, but what surprised me was that the adults in the film were portrayed as big racist a-holes, as terrible people... while their children like the film's central character and enjoy spending time around him and he is never portrayed as someone you shouldn't like as a person.

On the flip-side, I also think the film was trying to say something positive about trying to find some form of happiness even in dire situations. This seems passed over by many of the critics who dismiss it.

It's certainly dated and I can understand to some degree why Disney would not want to release it but it doesn't feel hateful, which is something I was glad of after seeing the actual film. I can basically see why people might consider it offensive but I can also see why some herald it as a classic. Disney's backlash would probably not be as bad they think it would if it actually got a release.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by jawsfan1975

What about Song Of The South? Don't hold your breath for this!

It was never even released on DVD. I'd like to see Fun and Fancy Free as well as The Three Caballeros make it to BD though.

[vanscottie]

Originally Posted by kidglov3s

I wish Three Amigos was a Disney animated feature, it would somewhat redeem Martin Short's stature in the canon.

THANKS, I f'd up, changed the titles lol

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by kidglov3s

I wish Three Amigos was a Disney animated feature, it would somewhat redeem Martin Short's stature in the canon.

Three Amigos seemed to be the only film Martin Short DIDN'T do for Disney...

Originally Posted by KG204

I predict that the package films will be released in August (Make Mine Music, etc.) and a couple of the regular films will be released in June (Hercules, Tarzan, etc.)
Fun and Fancy free will probably be released on its own, due to Mickey being the draw. Ichabod and Mr. Toad will probably be its own release, around Halloween.

The "key" movie seasons are February/March (for Valentine-Easter sales) and October/November (for early holiday sales)
That leaves a long stretch in between, and they've discovered August is a good time to clean up the back catalog and make it look like a big deal, with nothing else to compete.
I'd say to keep your eye on late summer, they're not finished yet.

(Oh, AND Halloween is always a time for new DTV titles, so an old established one has to go with it--They may be down to I&MT by that point.)

[DisneyBlu]

I'm hoping they do what they've done the last two years, which is have a day where they drop a bunch of titles at once.


August 21, 2012: Pocahontas two-movie collection, The Aristocats, The Tigger Movie, Chimpanzee, Lady and the Tramp II.

March 12, 2013: Brother Bear two-movie collection, Mulan two-movie collection, The Hunchback of Notre Dame two-movie collection, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

June 11, 2013: Lilo & Stitch two-movie collection, Oz the Great and Powerful, Atlantis two-movie collection, The Emperor's New Groove two-movie collection.

As you can see, none of these were their "prestigious" titles, so if we get a "big haul" day this year, probably Tarzan, Hercules, etc. would drop on the same day, maybe alongside two other titles. My guess would be Aladdin will be a 2015 Fall Diamond, with either Pinocchio or 101 Dalmatians being the 2015 Spring Diamond.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by DisneyBlu

My guess would be Aladdin will be a 2015 Fall Diamond, with either Pinocchio or 101 Dalmatians being the 2015 Spring Diamond.

I saw a list (speculative IMO) on one of the Disney wikis suggesting 101 in spring 2015, Aladdin in fall 2015, and Pinocchio in spring 2016. That gives a little more time to schedule multi-drop days for the package films, TBC, Hercules & Tarzan.