Re: Disney DVD Collection

This one's for you, Sheena!

When I was growing up, I never owned any legitimate copies of movies until I was probably around 8 or 9. Back then VHS tapes didn't have any security devices in them and were easily duplicated. I think the only bootleg Disney tapes that have survived the last decade are The Little Mermaid and 101 Dalmations... After my aunt sent me a genuine copy of Fantasia for Christmas when I was 7 or 8, I gradually started stocking up on real videos... that and security devices were added to VHS tapes so my parents had no choice.

After a while, my Disney fandom was more or less replaced by anime fandom until, for who knows what reason, last summer 2 friends and I threw a MONSTROUS overnight Disney animated movie marathon. Ever since I've been more or less completely obsessed with Disney, far enough that now I'm a Walt Disney World Orlando Cast Member. Anyway, here is the story of my Disney DVD collection (and yes, I do know the original theatrical release years by heart).

A majority of my favorite Disney animated classics fall under the Platinum Edition line of DVDs, which are only in print for a couple of years then go back into the Disney Vault for another 7-10 years. Because I've only recently become re-obsessed with these films, a lot of them are no longer around so I had to get them second-hand on eBay. Serves me right for not getting them while they came out, though. Luckily it seems that the other half of my favorites are still in print and are much easier to get... even though I still haven't gotten them all yet.

I also love the Platinum Editions for another reason: they're loaded with bonus features. I am a complete sucker for anything behind-the-scenes or making-of. Every DVD that I get has to be the 2-disk version if there is one available (I'm still waiting for Lilo and Stitch to be re-released on 2 disks). So far my favorites as far as making-of content have to be The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which isn't Disney so I'll just move right along.

Here's a list of the Disney films that I do have:
1. Aladdin (1992)
2. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) [w/Walden Media]
4. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
5. Lilo and Stitch (2002)
6. The Lion King (1994)
7. The Little Mermaid (1989)
8. Mulan (1998)
9. National Treasure (2004)
10. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) [w/Touchstone Pictures]
11. Peter Pan (1953)
12. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
13. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
14. Pocahontas (1995)
15. Tarzan (1999)

You may notice that I didn't list Mulan II and The Lion King 1.5 and that is for this reason: I am not a fan of sequels. In the case of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Chronicles of Narnia I'm perfectly fine because they are all coherently linked for the most part, and because they're live action and the rifts between the film quality isn't blatantly obvious. I think that the sequels to the animated classics ruin the spirit of the originals. I am absolutely horrified that Disney is giving Tinker Bell a voice in the upcoming CGI fairy movie. I haven't seen all of the sequels, but the one that I enjoyed the most was The Lion King 1.5. It gave me a really great laugh so I went out and got it on eBay for cheap. I have seen around half a dozen sequels, but I don't have the patience to reminisce through them all.

This time, here's a list of the movies that I plan on buying:
1. Hercules (1997) [I'm angry at myself for not having it yet...]
2. Brother Bear (2003)
3. 101 Dalmations (1961)
4. Robin Hood (1973)
5. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
6. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
7. Monsters, Inc. (2001) [The one Pixar film that I really enjoyed...]
8. Alice in Wonderland (1951)

I've been re-watching a lot of the old films lately so I'll probably be adding a lot more later on. Is Oliver and Company even available on DVD? And I have to re-watch both Rescuers movies... I saw Bambi, Lady and the Tramp and Cinderella a couple of days ago, but I didn't enjoy them enough to track down their Platinum Editions on eBay for $40+ a piece (hm.. sound familiar?).

To conclude, here's a chart, from UltimateDisney.com, of the tentative Platinum Edition DVD release schedule and a timeline of the ones that have already been released.


Enjoy, Sheena!