The Puppetoon Movie - Limited to 3000 copies

[RogelioT]

The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray

The Puppetoon Movie is getting a limited Blu-ray release. Only 3,000 copies to be produced.

http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php...ie-on-blu-ray/

Some screenshots from the bluray. Which appear to be mostly from the bonus features...
http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php...lu-ray-update/

Available for order here.
http://b2mp.net/products/the-puppeto...xyshop_gallery[136]/2/
Now shipping!

The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray

Limited Edition 2-Disc Set

The Puppetoon Movie is a 1987 animated film written, produced, and directed by Arnold Leibovit. Some of the Puppetoons included in the film are Tubby the Tuba, Tulips Shall Grow, John Henry and the Inky Poo, all created by George Pal in the 1930s and 1940s, and framed by a story featuring Gumby, Pokey, and Arnie the Dinosaur.
Not Available at retail. Limited to 3000 copies.

• Bonus Puppetoons (High Definition):
– And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street
– 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
– The Sky Princess
– Rhapsody in Wood
– Date with Duke
– Jasper and the Beanstalk
– Rhythm in the Ranks
• The Great Rupert (High Definition) B/W:
starring Jimmy Durante, Terry Moore, and the Puppetoons
• Previously unreleased interview footage (Standard Definition):
– Ray Harryhausen
– Ray Bradbury
– Gene Roddenberry
– Roy Disney
– Wah Chang
– Duke Goldstone
– Russ Tamblyn
• Bonus Puppetoons (Standard Definition):
– What Ho She Bumps
– Bravo Mr. Strauss
– Olio for Jasper
– Philips Cavalcade
– Jasper’s Derby
– Hoola Boola
– Ether Symphony
– Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
– The Magic Atlas
– Jasper and the Haunted House
– The Philips Broadcast of 1938
– The Ship of the Ether
• The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal (Standard Definition):
Arnold Leibovit’s inspired tribute to George Pal
• Audio commentary by Arnold Leibovit and Jerry Beck
• And more…
Full-color and B/W • 79 Minutes on 2 Discs • 19487 • Not Rated

Note: The shipping date has been moved from late October to November 22, 2013.

Click on spoiler to see several examples of shorts collected in the Puppetoon movie.
Note: the Puppetoon movie chops of the original titles for many of the shorts in it. So some of the opening/closing titles you see below aren't in the film.

[Show spoiler]

Tulips Shall Grow - YouTube

Phillips Broadcast of 1938 - YouTube

Hoola Boola - YouTube

[MifuneFan]

[NoirFan]

The Great Rupert, in HD? Sold!

The Great Rupert - YouTube

[Page14]

AWESOME NEWS!!! Thank you OP!!!

Maybe it's just the animation fan in me, but I'm thinking this will sellout in the pre-sale stage. Definitely worth keeping an eye on!

EDIT: Not that I need to explain, but my excitement for this comes from a time many years ago when I had very real dreams (to me) of becoming a stop-motion animator. I was really intrigued by George Pal (as well as others) at the time and couldn't read/find enough info about those great pioneers. I had doubts that I would ever see George Pal's work come to bluray, so this feels special to me. I realize it isn't for everybody.

[bigshot]

What's with all those standard def cartoons and special features? I hate that. I'm buying a bluray, not a DVD.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by bigshot

What's with all those standard def cartoons and special features? I hate that. I'm buying a bluray, not a DVD.

Oh ........ maybe I got excited a little prematurely?

(Looks like a great collection though)

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by bigshot

What's with all those standard def cartoons and special features? I hate that. I'm buying a bluray, not a DVD.

You'd rather have no extras at all than SD ones? Those are bonus features. Give me a break.

Is this Region A only? I didn't see any mention of region coding on the product page.


Edit: And seven of them are in HD, plus you get the superb full-length Pal doc, interviews, bonus cartoons, commentary, 'and more'. I swear, some people just like to complain.

Assumedly some/all of the 'and more' will be the extras from the George Pal doc DVD:

- Theatrical Trailers:

- The Fantasy Film Worlds Of George Pal
- Destination Moon

- Promotional Excerpts for Doc Savage: Man of Bronze

- Reminiscences by Disney Animator Ward Kimball and Puppetoon Animators

- Kinescopes on the Set of Destination Moon and at the Premiere of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm

- Interview with George Pal

- Pal Family Home Movies

- Production Photo & Art Gallery

[Kor-ray]

Would be cool to have. But 49.99$?

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

The Great Rupert, in HD? Sold!

Oh, and "Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal", just as an extra?

[GxyExpress999]

I thought online stores = retail sellers.

http://www.kantarretail.com/KR2013To..._Retailers.pdf

[MasterChief3624]

How many copies are left of this? I didn't expect it to still be available at this point. Usually the 3,000-copy runs don't last too long, but since this isn't a major Twilight Time release, maybe the popularity isn't as high!

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

How many copies are left of this? I didn't expect it to still be available at this point. Usually the 3,000-copy runs don't last too long, but since this isn't a major Twilight Time release, maybe the popularity isn't as high!

I'm curious myself, though at this price, I can't do it. It's just too pricey for what it is. $35 I could understand for a 2-disc set like this, but $50 for a bunch of Puppetoons is crazy. This isn't for Puppetoon fans, it's for collectors, and that's what I have a problem with. I love Puppetoons, but I'm not made of money. With all the crap I see in stores, this should be in retail for fans to discover. I'm so sick of this limited-edition crap. More and more, blu-ray is being treated as a high-priced collectible, instead of a popular home-media format.

Don't get me wrong - I know this must have been a lot of work to restore such rare elements, but I think $50 is awful pricey for a collection of shorts. Especially since some of the bonus shorts are in SD, and not even HD.

[DMRI2006]

I'm so sick of this limited-edition crap. More and more, blu-ray is being treated as a high-priced collectible, instead of a popular home-media format.

It's because not enough people buy the older catalog titles. There's a reason studios are bypassing the format for these type of films and more and more smaller labels are filling in the gap. For movies like these and older pictures, there's just not enough demand to make releasing them a profitable venture...that's reality.

You truly believe the Puppetoon movie would sell if placed on retail shelves? Most of this format's core buying demographic has no clue what these shorts even are.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by DMRI2006

It's because not enough people buy the older catalog titles. There's a reason studios are bypassing the format for these type of films and more and more smaller labels are filling in the gap. For movies like these and older pictures, there's just not enough demand to make releasing them a profitable venture...that's reality.

You truly believe the Puppetoon movie would sell if placed on retail shelves? Most of this format's core buying demographic has no clue what these shorts even are.

Yes, I do. Lots of people buy older catalog titles all the time. I see tons of rare, not-very-well-known stuff on store shelves. Would they sell as popularly as new Hollywood Blockbusters? Of course not. I realize that. But I think there are tons of animation fans who like this type of animation and many probably have never even heard of these Puppettons but would enjoy them if they were aware of them. I'm not saying that every Best Buy should have 10 copies, but how can people discover these and buy them if they aren't even for sale? People aren't going to go to Amazon thinking about Puppetoons, but I'm betting if classic animation fans are wandering through Best Buy and see this on the shelf, it would peak their interest enough to pick it up, read about it, and maybe buy it.

Sadly, nobody wants to bother putting things like this out on shelves any more. It was different with DVD. You saw everything on store shelves on DVD. Best Buy used to be awesome with their DVDs, and studios used to actually want to release their stuff for retail sales. Now they don't want to bother if they can't guarantee millions of sales. When I think of all the animation compilations I see in Best Buy - do those sell out regularly? No, but they carry them. There is a market for this stuff. I'm seeing too many catalog titles (lots of horror and sci-fi) getting this type of limited release treatment and I think the studios are underestimating the films. Sure, they're not going to sell out on store shelves in a week. These are titles that fans see casually and pick up over time. But studios want everything now - they want to release 3,000 limited editions and sell every one of them in pre-order in a few weeks or months, not release them in stores and have them sell slowly over time. And that's hurting the format and souring fans, and gives the impression to many people that older films aren't hitting blu-ray, because they're not seeing them in stores.

[bigshot]

I think the problem is the supplements. They spend a lot of money on them and have to be able to recoup those costs. Personally, I buy blu-rays for the film, not for the talking head cheerleader documentaries, so I'm satisfied with the way Olive Films does it.

[John_Drake]

I hope this comes to fruition as volume 1 is excellent.

B2MP has released some excellent titles but they've also struggled with output. I've been waiting for I don't know how many years now for their restoration of King Vidor's Our Daily Bread.

[bigshot]

Will it deliver before the 90 day PayPal refund window expires?

[zeze]

Originally Posted by bigshot

Will it deliver before the 90 day PayPal refund window expires?

It is actually 180 days.

[mar3o]

So if this comes together, will this not be offered at a more normal price via retail like vol 1? I love my vol 1 set but there's no way I can contribute $110. Is that the only way you would be able to get vol 2?

[Page14]

FWIW, I'm in.

The Puppetoon films are just too special (to me) to risk losing them for generations to come (as well as for ourselves).