One of Walt Disney's most-requested titles, "Cinderella," has just been reissued on video. The film has been unavailable for purchase since it went on moratorium, or "out of print" some years ago - and reportedly, sales are quite brisk.
Meanwhile, Disney has already announced that its 33rd "classic" animated feature, "Pocahontas," which has earned nearly $150 million in movie theaters, will be released on video next March.But what about those titles that have long been part of the "classic" list - or, as Walt Disney Home Video now refers to it, "The Masterpiece Collection" - but have never seen the light of video release?
No, we're not talking about "Lady and the Tramp" or "Sleeping Beauty" or "The Little Mermaid," which were once on video but are now on moratorium (though they are still available in rentalstores).
We're talking about titles that have yet to receive any kind of video afterlife.
It's an elite group, especially since "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Fantasia" became available a few years ago. You may recall that the folks at Disney once promised those two titles would never see the light of video.
It's only natural to assume that if those two "sacred" Disney classics could find their way to video that these lesser titles will eventually get there. But at the moment, these films remain in limbo, unavailable to the public in any form:
- "Oliver & Company" (1988) is the most recent of these, a cartoon variation on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," with the talking and singing voices of Bette Midler and Billy Joel. Tom Schumacher, vice-president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, said the film will be in theaters again in the spring. How does he know? He saw a preview in a movie theater. (And he added that a video release after the theatrical showing would seem logical.)
- "The Aristocats" (1970) was promised as a video release for this past summer, as touted in a preview on the front of the "Lion King" video. It did not happen, of course. Why? Things change. There is a possibility that this film will also go into theaters again before coming to video, but probably not for another year or two.
- "The Black Cauldron" (1985) was Disney's most expensive animated feature at the time and it remains the studio's biggest financial loser. For that reason, the film has always been considered the black sheep of this line and the possibility of its potential video earnings has been in question. The film remains, however, one of the most-requested titles that has never been on video, so it seems likely that it will eventually surface. Schumacher says Disney does extensive marketing research to decide which titles will be released, and the yearning for this title by collectors may have some bearing.
- "Song of the South" (1946) is the only one of these that is not part of the official "classic" title list, but it remains one of the most-requested by the general public. Though it has never been on video here, the film is available through catalogs on Japanese laserdisc, with a double soundtrack (one in English, one in Japanese). Because of complaints about the film's "racial stereotype" of Uncle Remus, however, this one is less likely to receive another release in this country - perhaps ever.
- "Melody Time" (1948) and "Saludos Amigos" (1943) are lesser-known films, both featuring episodic pieces that have been broken out for television showings (such as "Little Toot" and "Pecos Bill" from the former and "El Gaucho Goofy" from the latter), so the perception is that the complete films would probably not sell as well as others. Look for these to possibly show up on the Disney Channel, but a video release for either is not as likely. (Similarly, most of the segments from 1943's "Make Mine Music" and 1947's "Fun and Fancy Free" have been on television or tape as individual shorts, have the two that make up 1949's "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.")
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A year-by-year list of Disney animated features
Here is a chronological list of Disney's animated features:
1937: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
1940: "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia"
1941: "Dumbo"
1942: "Bambi"
1943: "Saludos Amigos"
1945: "The Three Caballeros"
1946: "Make Mine Music"
1947: "Fun and Fancy Free"
1948: "Melody Time"
1949: "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad"
1950: "Cinderella"
1951: "Alice in Wonderland"
1953: "Peter Pan"
1955: "Lady and the Tramp"
1959: "Sleeping Beauty"
1961: "101 Dalmatians"
1963: "The Sword and the Stone"
1967: "The Jungle Book"
1970: "The Aristocats"
1973: "Robin Hood"
1977: "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" and "The Rescuers"
1981: "The Fox and the Hound"
1985: "The Black Cauldron"
1986: "The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective"
1988: "Oliver & Company"
1989: "The Little Mermaid"
1990: "The Rescuers Down Under"
1991: "Beauty and the Beast"
1992: "Aladdin"
1994: "The Lion King"
1995: "Pocahontas"