WB Archive Collection: Discs On Demand!

[EricJ]

(And come to that, does Warner still OWN '62 MGM, or is that in the package owned by Fox, or Sony, or whomever now?)

[gaastra]

Chuck Norris cartoon trailer!

[Ben]

WB do own TWWOTBG.

[EricJ]

WB do own TWWOTBG.

...Ahh. Oom.

Still, it's been a while since we've seen any Cinerama Smilebox restorations come out of Warner, since HTW3...Hope they haven't given up on the process.
Looks like TWWOTBG would need Smilebox to get rid of the "fisheye" effect that Cinerama-flattened prints have while panning the camera (it does show up considerably on the TCM/VHS print), but we never did hear how well HTW3's conversion went over with the public. Warner was all set to restore "This Is Cinerama" next, but the project fell through, and never heard whether it was rights issues, or just the studio dropping the project.
A "big" restoration would keep Grimm out of the Archive, and it'd have to get a lot more respect and/or audience demand to get up there with the big catalog players. Looks like Warner is just have to going to be putting out the same default Song of the South answers to nagging fans until we hear any different.

[Ben]

WB have publicly said that the "restoration" to remove the three-panel filmstrip joins from HTW3 was enough to push that project over the edge into it needing to make a mint back, which is why they went overboard on putting together such a lavish boxed set. Unfortunatelty, the "major event" packaging didn't work and the numbers needed didn't buy the title.

It didn't help that HTW3 is actually quite a boring film, or that BD had yet to really bite into the market, so maybe it was a lot of money spent on a title that had limited prospects. They obviously still need to make money back on it: just witness how quick it got pulled as an expensive box and put out as a regular "book"-style BD release at a lower cost. Apparently it was nothing to do with the Smilebox presentation - that's just a correct digital filter added in the late authoring stages, just like letterboxing - and all to do with removing those lines.

A shame, really, since I might have put more money on TWWOTBG returning on a restoration investment, with the right marketing and such promoting the title as a Disney-style classic "discovered" again for the first time. Certainly the LE song and score album of a year or two ago was appreciated by the right crowd, and a bit of a big deal could have been made in combining it with tom thumb in a collector's set.

WB have acknowledged the interest in TWWOTBG, but also said that their experience on HTW3 has set them back on their Cinerama titles. I had heard This Is Cinerama was due to get a makeover, but didn't realise this had been dropped. Perhaps they should have done that first, as a test film that could have also been included on TWWOTBG and HTW3 discs. Such a shame that a flat edition of Grimm was never made: it's a great little film that has some really fun sequences in it.

Half the time I think that if a time machine could be invented, it should be used to "rescue" lost/unrecoverable films, or at least to make dupes of workprints that would later be deconstructed by the Studios...!

[Randall]

HHWTW is a nice little set, though I have't watched it all yet. I thought the "Smile-o-Vision" was kinda neat, actually. I did benefit from it being a low seller, as I picked it up for about $10 when Amazon was clearing out some stock.

I'd pay a whole lot more for a similar Grimm release, though. For now, I'll keep my unfortunately Pan & Scan VHS tape safe.

[gaastra]

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Hercul ... nned/15269

Artwork for gobots, mr t, and herculoids!

[Randall]

Well, it's about darn gosh time we got Herculoids!

Aaaand.... my collection of wanted Sat AM cartoons will now be effectively complete.

[gaastra]

Frank jr artwork and video

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Franke ... ries/15309

Mr t info and art.

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mister ... on-1/15311

[Randall]

I find myself oddly excited about Frank, Jr.

[gaastra]

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Challe ... ries/15326

Gobots will be remastered!

Also frank jr will have extras!

[Randall]

I never watched the show, but find myself excited to see it now, esp. since I know my little guy will be very interested.

[Randall]

Here is one of the better Warner Archive cartoon discoveries. Though Valley of the Dinosaurs lost out to Land of the Lost in the 1974 ratings, I think it holds up quite well now. In fact, it may be better appreciated by adults than kids.

http://animatedviews.com/2011/valley-of ... te-series/

[GeorgeC]

Well, it's about darn gosh time we got Herculoids!

Aaaand.... my collection of wanted Sat AM cartoons will now be effectively complete.

Really?

Are you forgetting the 1980s Space Ghost and Herculoids episodes?

Those were my first exposure to these potentially great characters. I think despite some mishandling and hamstringing network rules these were great character designs. The set-ups were good with classic 1960s comic book pseudo-science.

(Since then, I've watched the original series of both characters and am now more familiar with the 1960s. I hardly remember anything about the 1980s shows besides Ug-Lor and the redesigned Phantom Cruiser!)

Space Ghost had the potential to be a VERY good Batman/Superman hybrid of the Future. (I think it's safe to say that Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast has all but destroyed the possibility of doing a serious Space Ghost animated series for at least another 5 years... Maybe by then, enough people will realize again that the character is neat enough to be done seriously.) All the settings and trimmings were there with villains that needed just a bit of polish. Heck, the twins could have been kept as wards/sidekicks. The monkey was about the only thing that had to be tossed out! (Personally preferred the 1980 redesigned Phantom Cruiser, too.)

Herculoids had about everything good in it from John Carter of Mars to Planet of the Apes to Conan the Barbarian. Just didn't have the execution that Thundarr got...

[Randall]

Sure, I'd pick up the 1980s versions too, but they're not so essential to me.