The Little Mermaid (1989) (Anniversary Edition) (The Signature Collection)

[TravisTylerBlack]

So here’s the big question- will Disney give us Mermaid in 4K with this 30th anniversary release or will they hold off until we’re closer to the live action remake a la The Lion King?

Furthermore, will the predicted Aladdin re-release this year be a rushed re-issue or will it get 4K treatment as well?

[Farerb]

Originally Posted by TravisTylerBlack

So here’s the big question- will Disney give us Mermaid in 4K with this 30th anniversary release or will they hold off until we’re closer to the live action remake a la The Lion King?

Furthermore, will the predicted Aladdin re-release this year be a rushed re-issue or will it get 4K treatment as well?

I want to belive that all four Renaissance films will get the 4k treatment soon.

[Farerb]

It seems like Amazon has it available again.

[Prompto]

Originally Posted by farerb

I doubt Disney will release the remake without having the original available at stores. My guess is a late May/early June release.

Could be a first time for everything. If Disney has proven anything, it's inconsistency. All the Diamond / Signature editions luckily have aligned with their live-action releases so far, but we'll just have to wait and see, I guess. I remember Cinderella's shelf-life was extended considerably because of that. If Aladdin does rerelease to coincide with the new film, it would be one of the shortest turnaround times for a vault title, up their with 101 Dalmatians (though, that being a DMC exclusive "purging" of Diamond releases, I'm not sure that really counts as being released from the vault).

Originally Posted by jlk5844

Seriously?! I thought they had abandoned the vault. And Aladdin only lasted two years?! Between the DNR, high prices, and the stupid vault practice...man, Disney sucks. There's the weak audio that's been around since 2015, too.

Honestly, only time will tell. The Signature Collection could be the dawn of a new era as none of those repackaged titles have returned to the vault yet.

Originally Posted by storythecorgi

Didn't The Lion King get a sudden release just a year after it went into The Vault?

It's not in the vault though. The Blu-ray version on shelves is a part of the same Signature Collection that the new 4K format release is a part of. It's kind of similar to how Disney released Blu-ray format laaate into the life of the Platinum Editions with Sleeping Beauty; this is like a staggered release integrating another new format.

Originally Posted by The Mad Kiwi

The D23 issue referenced earlier in this thread places it on a 2019 timeline right in between the live-action Kim Possible (which is coming in March but has no release date) and Captain Marvel (March 8th). I know Disney usually releases these early catalogues in February, but maybe for Mermaid they're doing March 5th instead? I'll be surprised if they don't try to appeal to Valentine's Day shoppers and do it February 12th.

I was genuinely shocked when they didn't release Lady and the Tramp, one of the most fitting Disney films for V-Day, before the 14th last year. Thanks for the deets.

[BladedTech]

Originally Posted by dig311dug

4k or bust

Same. I got burned on The Lion King's "Signature Collection" release and now it's re-releasing in 4K a year later.

This actually is likely going to be my strategy for any Disney catalog title release in the next year or two.

[storythecorgi]

Originally Posted by TravisTylerBlack

Furthermore, will the predicted Aladdin re-release this year be a rushed re-issue or will it get 4K treatment as well?

Do you know something? I've been waiting for an Aladdin announcement to coincide with the live action film but it seems like we would have heard something by now since May is just right around the corner.

[TravisTylerBlack]

Some of the signature editions were not announced until within a month or two of their release. There’s plenty of time between now and May for it to happen.

[PowellPressburger]

Wish we could get the original credits back instead of the altered version.

What a mess.

The fact Disney still cut The Lion Kings original sound opening doesnt give me much hope.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

Wish we could get the original credits back instead of the altered version.

What a mess.

The fact Disney still cut The Lion Kings original sound opening doesnt give me much hope.

The missing opening is because it no longer carries the original dedication to Frank Wells, which itself was later replaced by a "The Lion King: Special Edition" title card, and now both are gone.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by TravisTylerBlack

So here’s the big question- will Disney give us Mermaid in 4K with this 30th anniversary release or will they hold off until we’re closer to the live action remake a la The Lion King?

Furthermore, will the predicted Aladdin re-release this year be a rushed re-issue or will it get 4K treatment as well?

Same 2k masters, upscaled to 4k.

[The Mad Kiwi]

I thought Mermaid's diamond restoration was done in 4K since it was sourced from the negative? I read somewhere that all major Disney animated restorations from Sleeping Beauty onward were mastered in 4K (I stress "major" since obviously the 70s and 80s titles are highly questionable, and Sword in the Stone isn't even a candidate). So if that's the case, at the very least, the following should be ready for UHD:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Pinocchio
Fantasia
Dumbo
Alice in Wonderland
Sleeping Beauty
The Little Mermaid

[Spotty]

Originally Posted by BladedTech

Same. I got burned on The Lion King's "Signature Collection" release and now it's re-releasing in 4K a year later.

This actually is likely going to be my strategy for any Disney catalog title release in the next year or two.

Yup same here!

After having to double dip on Lion King, I am hesitant to get any new Signature release unless it is 4k.

[Class316]

So is this any different from the Diamond edition? I'm guessing no?

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Class316

So is this any different from the Diamond edition? I'm guessing no?

The presentation will most likely be the same with extras that might be new or dropped.

[Farerb]

I have no problem with the 2k masters of Aladdin and TLM, they should look great in 4k. I hope they use the 3D master for Beauty and the Beast.

[shinobipopcorn]

Originally Posted by Class316

So is this any different from the Diamond edition? I'm guessing no?

Impossible to tell since it won't be released until probably March.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by The Mad Kiwi

I thought Mermaid's diamond restoration was done in 4K since it was sourced from the negative? I read somewhere that all major Disney animated restorations from Sleeping Beauty onward were mastered in 4K (I stress "major" since obviously the 70s and 80s titles are highly questionable, and Sword in the Stone isn't even a candidate). So if that's the case, at the very least, the following should be ready for UHD:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Pinocchio
Fantasia
Dumbo
Alice in Wonderland
Sleeping Beauty
The Little Mermaid

OCNs for the film-sourced titles *captured* in 4k, meanwhile restoration, dust-busting, color timing, digital fixes etc. all mastered in 2k. Not that there is anything really wrong with 2k masters upscaled, I just wouldn't expect any new masters, as to date on the Signature line, they're using the same masters as the prior releases. I don't expect that to change for Mermaid. I expect them to use the master created for the 3D/2D version, which cost Disney $20 million to create. If you have the (corrected) 2D version of Mermaid on Blu, that's what you're going to get on 4K, with HDR. Was the 3D/2D Mermaid master finalized in 4k? Don't know.

[phobicsquirrel]

Disney has dropped the ball with home releases for some time now. I wouldn't expect a 4k scan or even a new restoration in 4k. Even after the issues with the 3d release they didn't do anything to fix it.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by phobicsquirrel

Disney has dropped the ball with home releases for some time now. I wouldn't expect a 4k scan or even a new restoration in 4k. Even after the issues with the 3d release they didn't do anything to fix it.

They did a disc replacement for the 2D version, but not for the 3D version. Streaming uses the corrected 2D master. I don't know if that was finished in 4k or not, a good question. Disney usually likes to toot their horn about tech upgrades on their movies as a selling point, (you've owned this movie for 30 years, here's a reason to buy it again!), but really don't know if the 3D/2D master was finished in 4K.

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by BladedTech

Same. I got burned on The Lion King's "Signature Collection" release and now it's re-releasing in 4K a year later.

This actually is likely going to be my strategy for any Disney catalog title release in the next year or two.

Yup - ONE year later.