DMC Exclusive Disney Blus

[EricJ]

I still say there's only ONE reason we're not seeing Make Mine Music on that double-feature disc with Melody Time yet, and bring it on.

Quite a bit of the 80's (that was once handed off to Anchor Bay, back in the day) is still missing even from DMC Exclusive, and my annual Halloween-dusted-off Something Wicked This Way Comes disc is still awaiting an upgrade...

I maaaay cave on Fully Loaded, but I never cracked open the free DVD I got from DMR.

At least you got it free--I only had to buy one to get the free bonus Virtual Magic Kingdom card for a Herbie bench.

Think the costume came with it:

[Ben]

Well, I believe that the double feature is out and we'll get individual discs for each of the last two animateds.

The South American features are one thing (they couldn’t really sell Amigos on its own without extras, and they don’t usually want to get into those), and Disney isn’t dumb. They know we're all going to spend twice to get the last two movies.

As to why you think we won’t get MMM, I’m intrigued: you know that both are apparently out on D+ uncut, right? I haven’t checked personally, but it’s been mentioned here already as a reason we might start getting excited for the disc(s) to finally come along...

[Randall]

MMM is still AWOL on D+.

[Ben]

My mistake. I did read somewhere that the film had been restored and included The Martins And The Coys opening segment intact, as it should do. This was around or before D+ was launched, so there was first hope of a DMC release and then that it might pop up on D+ unscathed. Anyone else remember that?

I’ve also changed the name of this thread to a DMC friendly one, since we had kind of hijacked the Movie Rewards one to talk about these releases before!

[Daniel]

Sorta does ring a bell.

[EricJ]

My mistake. I did read somewhere that the film had been restored and included The Martins And The Coys opening segment intact, as it should do. This was around or before D+ was launched, so there was first hope of a DMC release and then that it might pop up on D+ unscathed. Anyone else remember that?

I suspect it's GOING to be intact--and that's the reason for the holdup--as soon as Disney gets all its cool new toys off its plate, and things get a little easier to re-release classics, but that's only supposition.
When, Not If, but still mostly If at this point.

[Randall]

It hadn't quite registered, until I went to the DMC site today, that The Kid and Ice Princess are also new exclusives. Wow, 4 titles this month! None are essential for me, (and only one really tempts), but it's great to see more titles getting listed already after such a long wait prior to The Black Cauldron and Valiant.

[Ben]

Yeah, for some reason, since the other two new ones were not highlighted as much as Vin and Herbie, I thought Kid and Ice had just been out a while already and just not registered with me. So I didn’t realise that they were new as well. Neither needed, though I’m pleased to see Herbie finish up the Bugs on Blu.

[Ben]

What with Cruella coming to D+, and quite a bit of coverage in articles remembering Glenn Close's take, I wonder if we'll see her original two Cruella movies join the Disney line anytime soon? It’s a slight mystery as to why they seem to have "disappeared" in recent time — I mean, I can understand the second one being somewhat swept under the rug, but the first was the first attempt to mine the animated catalog for live-action retellings, with all of the might of the studio's merchandising and marketing publicity behind it. I would probably spring for both, but it’s a mystery as to why they haven’t had the usual tie-in reissues (I don’t think the second is even on D+). Maybe when Cruella comes to disc...?

[Dacey]

That's been really frustrating for me. I've been wanting to add both to my collection (I have a soft SPOT for the second one), but even the old DVDs go for absolutely extravagant prices now.

[Randall]

There's a double-feature UK DVD that goes for under $15. But of course you'd need a Region B or region-free player.
https://www.amazon.ca/101-Dalmatians-Li ... 222&sr=1-5

And Region 1 used copies of 102 can be had fairly cheaply off Amazon. Copies of the first do get more expensive.

But yeah, those films seem to have been ignored in favour of promoting the new film. We did watch the first one on Netflix a couple of years back (I still didn't find it too great, TBH). My first watch of it was on a rented LaserDisc in 1999. I've never seen the second.

Similarly, just try finding a copy of the 1994 Jungle Book!! As I recall, it was pretty good, but it's been absent on disc for years.

[Ben]

The '94 Book definitely made it to DVD, at least here, as I nearly got it once, though I never found the film to be that engrossing.

I have both Dalmatians on DVD (and a massive two-film review here on the site of them, if I recall correctly) and, while the second is non-essential, despite Dacey's fondness and questionable pun, I’d go for both and woild kind of really like the first one on Blu, as I think the ‘Scope framing would look very nice in HD (the second was flat 1.85).

[EricJ]

I'm guessing there's some kind of ownership issues with 90's Silver Screen Partners, that sent half the late-80's/early-90's "McMovies" to Mill Creek, and is keeping the other, more Disney half in limbo.
It would explain a lot of missing titles, or even the ones coming out slowly to DMC/D+.

[Ben]

Nope. SSP, in its various incarnations was just a name for whatever group of financiers were co-funding that year's slate. As long as they got their investment-plus back (and one massive hit movie could wipe that year's debt off) they were happy, and never had any ownership. Indeed, on some films Disney has removed that credit, since those obligations have been fulfilled.

I don’t even think Dalmatians was a Silver Screen co-pro, it came under the Great Oaks banner, which was a joint John Hughes production company set up to make, and was administered by, Disney Pictures.

The Mill Creek thing (which hasn’t been a thing for several years now) didn’t have access to all of the titles since Disney retains those it believes it can still package for TV or sell themselves. Currently, Kino Lorber has options on various Touchstone titles to release on Blu-ray, but I’d very much doubt Dalmatians wouldn’t be anything less than a full Disney issue, even albeit via the Movie Club.

I won’t expect it, though I wouldn’t even be surprised if we got a 4K of the first film when Cruella hits disc, or as a three-pack down the line sometime...

[Daniel]

I'm thinking Blus are definitely in the offing. I also like 102 well enough, and it's available on Disney+ over here. Here's that review you mentioned.