| Things are getting back to
normal around here with the new Krock family addition, and several
newsworthy items have come up over the last couple of weeks. Most good. A little bad...
First the bit of bad news:
I received word last week that Buena Vista Home Video has decided to pull
its School House Rock! DVD and VHS releases from its scheduled
August release. No specific reason was given, and no new release date
has been set.
On the good news front, I have
some very cool details about contents and bonus material on several of
Buena Vista's other DVD releases this year.
Snow White - Releases on October 9
- Hosted by Roy Disney and "The Magic Mirror"
- Deleted scenes
- Guided tour through the vast virtual galleries
- All-new rendition of "Some Day My Prince Will Come" by Barbara Streisand
- "Heigh-Ho" karaoke or sing along
- Rare behind-the-scenes footage
- "Disney through the Decades" hosted by studio favorites
- History and development
- Art and design
- Abandoned concepts
- "Much more!"
All material is subject to change
Dumbo - Releases on October 23
- Audio commentary
- Michael Crawford "Baby Mine" music video
- Exclusive Dumbo II sneak peak
- Original Walt Disney TV Introduction
- "Celebrating Dumbo" featurette - The origins and history
of Dumbo
- Dumbo DVD storybook
- Elmer the Elephant and The Flying Mouse animated shorts
- Dumbo art gallery
- Theatrical trailers
All material is subject to change
And, for those of you interested
in Wave 1 of the Walt Disney Treasures DVDs, here's the current list of the
episodes/shorts on each of the volumes. Wave 1 looks very promising, and I hope we get to
see many of the remaining episodes/shorts in future waves.
Walt Disney Treasures DVD
Volume 1: Mickey Mouse in Living
Color
- The Band Concert
- Mickey’s Garden
- Mickey’s Fire Brigade
- Pluto’s Judgement Day
- On Ice
- Mickey’s Polo Team
- Orphan’s Picnic
- Mickey’s Grand Opera
- Thru the Mirror
- Mickey’s Rival
- Moving Day
- Alpine Climbers
- Mickey’s Circus
- Mickey’s Elephant
- The Worm Turns
- Magician Mickey
- Moose Hunters
- Mickey’s Amateurs
- Hawaiian Holiday
- Clock Cleaners
- Lonesome Ghosts
- Boat Builders
- Mickey’s Trailer
- The Whalers
- Mickey’s Parrot
- Brave Little Tailor
Walt Disney Treasures DVD
Volume 2: Disneyland USA
- The Disneyland Story
- Dateline Disneyland
- Operation Disneyland
- Disneyland After Dark
- Disneyland 10th Anniversary Show
Walt Disney Treasures DVD
Volume 3: Silly Symphonies
Fables and Fairy Tales
- Mother Goose Melodies
- Babes in the Woods
- Lullaby Land
- The Grasshopper and the Ants
- The Tortoise and the Hare
- The Flying Mouse
- The Robber Kitten
- Who Killed Cock Robin?
- The Golden Touch
- The Country Cousin
- Elmer Elephant
- Wynken, Blynken and Nod
Favorite Characters
- Three Little Pigs
- The Big Bad Wolf
- Three Little Wolves
- The Wise Little Hen
- Toby Tortoise Returns
Accent on Music
- The Skeleton Dance
- The China Plate
- Egyptian Melodies
- Flowers and Trees
- The Cookie Carnival
- Music Land
- Woodland Café
- Farmyard Symphony
Nature on the Screen
- The Ugly Duckling (1931)
- Birds of a Feather
- The Busy Beavers
- Just Dogs
- Father Noah’s Ark
- Funny Little Bunnies
- Peculiar Penguins
- Mother Pluto
- The Old Mill
- The Ugly Duckling (1939)
Walt Disney Treasures DVD
Volume 4: Davy Crockett
- Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter
- Davy Crockett Goes to Congress
- Davy Crockett’s Keelboat Race
- Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
- Davy Crockett at the Alamo
In other news,
Warner Home Video (WHV) recently made several announcements worth mentioning.
First of all, on August 21, WHV releases The Neverending Story
and The Neverending Story 2. The discs feature anamorphic widescreen
transfers, English and French Dolby Digital 2.0 surround tracks, English,
French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles and trailers, and retail for
$19.95 each.
Then on August 28, WHV releases a spiffed up 30th anniversary special
edition of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. This edition,
to retail for $24.98, sports many additions not present on the original
DVD release, including:
- Animated menus
- All-new documentary "Pure Imagination: The Making of Willy Wonka & The
Chocolate Factory"
- Audio commentary with the now grown-up Wonka kids
- Sing-along Wonka songs
- Deleted scenes
- Outtakes
- Original theatrical featurette
The new documentary contains behind-the-scenes secrets, a first look
at script changes, special effects techniques, anecdotes, and all-new
interviews with Gene Wilder and all the now grown-up Wonka Kids.
Also on August 28, WHV is distributing its first Teletubbies DVD ($19.98
retail). From the press release:
Created specifically for preschoolers
and their families, this release both invites children to play along
with the Teletubbies and their furry, feathered and fluttery friends
and teaches valuable lessons that parents will appreciate. The program
features the four Teletubbies caring for a little lamb, a beautiful
butterfly and a friendly dog and includes live-action scenes of young
animals interacting with their own families. Viewers may then join the
Teletubbies as they watch children from around the world at play with
a wide array of baby animals, from playful puppies and majestic elephants
to a family of graceful swans and even baby penguins!
The new Teletubbies DVD,
Baby Animals, is loaded with special features, including:
For children:
- Four "Come and See" live-action
inserts in which children invite viewers to meet the animals they love, including a
newborn calf, fuzzy lambs, sloppy piglets and fluffy chicks.
- A delightful musical montage featuring the
famous Teletubbyland rabbits.
For parents and caregivers:
- Interviews with the series
creators highlighting the movement, patterns, language, music and,
of course, fun. — Favorite scenes from five of the most popular
Teletubbies videos.
- Instant access to five
specific Baby Animals scenes. — Animated
program menus. — English subtitles for hearing-impaired viewers.
— Language selection for American and Canadian viewers.
That's it for now, but stay
tuned for more! |
