Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Company type	Subsidiary of Walt Disney Studio Entertainment
Founded	1978
Headquarters	Burbank, California, U.S.
Products	Home video
Revenue	Disney Blu-ray; Disney DVD; DisneyFile Digital copy
Owner	The Walt Disney Company
Parent	Walt Disney Studio Entertainment
Website	disneydvd.com

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (also known as Buena Vista Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. Disney began distributing videos under its own label in 1978 under the name Walt Disney Home Entertainment, while Village Roadshow distributed the Disney home video titles in Australia throughout the 1980s, even in the UK, BBC Video / The Video Collection and Rank Video distributed the Walt Disney Home Video library throughout the 1980s. In Belgium and the Netherlands, PolyGram Video distributed the Disney video library throughout the 1980s as well.

Company structure

The company distributes DVDs under the labels Disney, ABC Studios, Touchstone Home Entertainment, and Hollywood Pictures Home Entertainment. With the advent of DVD and eventually Blu-ray, "Home Entertainment" replaced "Home Video" in label names.

MCA DiscoVision releases

Before Disney began releasing home video titles itself, it licensed some titles to MCA Discovision for their newly-developed disc format, later called Laserdisc. According to the Blam Entertainment Group website,^[1] which has extensive details of DiscoVision releases, only seven Disney titles were actually released on DiscoVision. One of these was the feature film Kidnapped. The others were compilations of Disney shorts. The first titles released in 1978 included: On Vacation with Mickey Mouse and Friends (#D61-503), Kids is Kids (#D61-504), At Home with Donald Duck (#D61-505), Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale (#D61-506), and finally The Coyote's Lament (#D61-507) which was released in May 1979. Disney's agreement with MCA ended in December 1981.^[2]

Walt Disney Home Video releases

In 1980, Disney established its own video distribution operation as part of Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company (WDTNT) with Jim Jimirro as its first president.^[3] Home video was not considered to be a major market by Disney at the time. WDTNT also handled the marketing of other miscellaneous ancillary items such as short 8 mm films for home use.

First releases on Beta and VHS

File:Pete's Dragon front cover (1980 release).JPG

The very first VHS release from Disney

Disney's first releases on tape were 13 titles that were licensed for rental to Fotomat on March 4, 1980,^[4] initially in a four-city test (Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose), to be expanded nationwide by the end of 1980. The agreement specified rental fees ranging from $7.95 to $13.95. This first batch of titles on VHS and Beta included 10 live action movies: Pete's Dragon (#10), The Black Hole (#11), The Love Bug (#12), Escape to Witch Mountain (#13), Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (#14), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (#15), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (#16), The North Avenue Irregulars (#17), The Apple Dumpling Gang (#18), and Hot Lead and Cold Feet (#19); and three of the compilations of short cartoons previously released by DiscoVision: On Vacation with Mickey Mouse and Friends (#20), Kids is Kids starring Donald Duck (#21), and Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale (#22). Later, on December 30, 1980, Mary Poppins (#23) was added to make 14 titles in all.

Authorized Rental Dealers

No new titles were released for half a year after Mary Poppins, but Walt Disney Home Video announced an expanded program for "Authorized Rental Dealers" in December 1980, and began to expand its dealer network during the first part of 1981.^[5] From January 1 to March 31, 1981, Disney had a "License One — Get One Free" promotion to encourage dealers to sign up. They also offered free rental use of a 7-minute Mickey Mouse Disco videocassette for customers who rented any title from an Authorized Rental Dealer from February through May 1981.

Disney was unusual among the major studios in offering a program for authorized rentals. Most of the other studios involved in the videocassette market at the time were trying to find ways to stop dealers from renting out their movie tapes. Magnetic Video (with titles from 20th Century Fox and others) ceased doing business with Fotomat after Fotomat began renting Magnetic Video cassettes without authorization.^[6] Disney's rental cassettes in blue cases looked completely different from sale cassettes, which were in white cases. That was designed to make it easy for Disney representatives to tell if dealers were violating their dealer agreements by renting out cassettes intended for sale, and it continued until 1983 or 1984, when they stopped doing so.

Animated features

File:Robin Hood front cover (1984 release).JPG

The first of the 15 untouchable animated films on videocassette.

The first of the Disney animated features canon to be released on videocassette was Dumbo on June 28, 1981,^[7] for rental only. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was released for rental and sale at the same time. Alice in Wonderland was released on October 15, 1981, for rental only.^[8] Disney films were so appealing to audiences and Walt claimed that he wanted the magic to be experienced at home on their TV and locally. Reissues were now and then every few years -about four times in a decade for classic confirmation and anniversary.

First Walt Disney Home Video laser videodiscs and animated features for sale

File:Waltdisneyhomevideo78.jpg

The original logo used by Walt Disney Home Video between 1978 (on Laserdisc, it would not be on VHS and Beta releases until 1980) and 1986. This variant of the "Neon Mickey" logo was introduced in 1983; the original variant read "Walt Disney Home Entertainment" with different fonts.

Their agreement with DiscoVision having ended in 1981, Disney began releasing Laserdiscs under the Walt Disney Home Video label to their own network of distributors and dealers. The first five titles were shipped in June 1982: The Black Hole, The Love Bug, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Cartoons, Collection One. Five more titles shipped in July: Pete's Dragon, Dumbo, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, On Vacation With Mickey Mouse and Friends, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Cartoons, Collection Two.^[2]

Disney released more cartoon compilations (pre-Walt Disney Cartoon Classics in 1983) in late 1981, including Goofy Over Sports and A Tale of Two Critters.

Dumbo was released for sale on tape in summer 1982, while Alice in Wonderland was released for sale in November 1982.^[9] The next major animated feature to be released (excluding the "package" anthology features) was Robin Hood on December 6, 1984, starting the Walt Disney Classics collection. By 1982, all the video releases were for sale and rental, along with newer releases, but at high prices.

To market these new video releases, the company produced an exclusive promo seen after various Disney video films. The promo was nicknamed "Walt Disney and You" by fans on account of the customized tune in the promo. The promo also featured clips from the various releases and ended with a video-freeze of the then-current Walt Disney Home Video opening sequence (known as the "Neon Mickey"; a screenshot from this can be seen above).

July 16, 1985 saw the home video premiere of Pinocchio which became the bestselling video of that year.

Disney later produced the Disney Sing-Along Songs collection of videos for young children in association with Harry Arends and Phil Savenick. The series first hit stores on December 23, 1986.

Disney DVD

Disney DVD is the brand name under which Buena Vista Home Entertainment releases its Disney-branded motion pictures. In 1997, Disney began releasing titles on DVD, with VHS releases phased out after Bambi II was released in 2006. The brand launched a loyalty program called Disney Movie Rewards in October 2006. Participants can collect points by submitting ticket stubs from Disney feature films, "magic codes" from Disney home video purchases and Disney CDs. The points can be redeemed for prizes like games, DVDs, books, posters, and collectibles.^[10]

Platinum Editions

The Platinum Editions are a line of special edition DVDs released by Disney. Originally, the line comprised the company's ten best-selling VHS titles and was released in October of each year. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first film to receive this honor in 2001. The two following titles, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King were released in IMAX and other giant screen theaters during the holiday season before its October DVD release. Due to underperforming box office results, this tradition was terminated after Aladdin. In May 2003, Disney announced that they would be adding the next four best-selling titles to the collection. Starting in 2005, a Platinum Editions was released in October and February/March. Another tradition practiced for these released are gift sets. These gift sets contain supplements such as original animation sketches, a film frame, and a companion's book.
The current list of Platinum Editions includes: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Bambi, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, 101 Dalmatians, Sleeping Beauty, and Pinocchio. The original plan for the Platinum Editions was that they would be released ten years after they are put in the Disney Vault. Since then, this time has been shortened to seven years.

Diamond Editions

Beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in October 2009, Disney began re-issuing Platinum Editions titles under a new Diamond Editions classification on Blu-tay with an accompanying DVD several weeks later.^[11] Disney plans to release all the Platinum Edition titles once again.

Disney Blu-ray

Disney Blu-ray is the brand name under which Buena Vista Home Entertainment releases its Disney-branded motion pictures in High-Definition. In late 2006/early 2007, Disney began releasing titles, like the Pirates of the Caribbean films, the National Treasure films and the first two Narnia films, on Blu-ray Disc.

Disney Blu-ray 3D

On November 16, 2010, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment began releasing their first 3D Blu-ray discs, starting with A Christmas Carol.

Disney Second Screen

A new feature that was included in the Bambi Diamond Blu-ray release on March 1, 2011,^[12] "Disney Second Screen" is a feature accessible via a computer or iPad app download that provides additional content as the user views the film.^[13] Disney Second Screen syncs along with the movie, and as the film plays, interactive elements such as trivia, photo galleries, and animated flipbooks appear on the iPad or computer screen.^[14] As of December 10, 2010, it is scheduled to be available in the United States and English-speaking Canada.^[15]

Notable releases

The brand name first used by Walt Disney Home Video on their American home video releases of Disney animated features was Walt Disney Classics. The first title arrived in stores on December 6, 1984. With the October 28, 1994 release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , the existing titles in the Classics series became part of the new Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection and the Classics line was retired. The Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection was released by Walt Disney Home Video from 1994 to 1999. Starting in October 2001, the Platinum Editions are a line of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment. The series features restored digital versions of several of the most popular Disney animated features.^[16]

Following are the movies that have been released in the various collections, with the original release date in each category:

Movie Title	Classics	Home Video	Masterpiece	Gold	Platinum	Diamond	Special
One Hundred and One Dalmatians	April 1992		March 1999		March 2008	February 2015
A Bug's Life				August 2000
A Goofy Movie				June 2000			Summer 2015
Aladdin	October 1993				October 2004	February 2013
Alice in Wonderland	May 1986	October 1981	October 1994	July 2000			February 2011
Bambi	September 1989		February 1997		March 2005	March 2011
Beauty and the Beast	October 1992			August 2000	October 2002	October 2010
Bedknobs and Broomsticks		October 1981	October 1994	March 2001			Spring 2016
Cinderella	October 1988		October 1995		October 2005	October 2012
Dumbo	December 1985	October 1981	October 1994	October 2001			September 2011
Fantasia and Fantasia 2000	November 1991			November 2000			November 2010
Fun and Fancy Free		October 1981	July 1997	June 2000			Summer 2016
Hercules			February 1998	August 2000			December 2016
Lady and the Tramp	October 1985		September 1998		February 2006	February 2012
Make Mine Music				June 2000			Summer 2016
Mary Poppins		October 1981	October 1994	July 2000			Spring 2016
Melody Time			June 1998	June 2000			Summer 2016
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas				November 2000			November 2015
Mulan			February 1999	February 2000			Fall 2013
Oliver & Company			September 1996	May 2002			Spring 2014
Peter Pan	September 1986	October 1981	March 1998	February 2002	March 2007		December 2014
Pete's Dragon		October 1981	October 1994	January 2001			Spring 2016
Pinocchio	July 1985		October 1999	March 2000	March 2009	March 2016
Pocahontas			February 1996	June 2000			Summer 2012
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World				September 2000			Summer 2012
Robin Hood	December 1984		October 1994	July 2000			Fall 2013
Saludos Amigos				May 2000			Summer 2016
Sleeping Beauty	October 1986		September 1997	September 2003	October 2008	October 2015
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs			October 1994		October 2001	October 2009
So Dear to My Heart		July 1986	October 1994
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad			May 1999	October 2000			Summer 2016
The Aristocats		October 1981	April 1996	April 2000			August 2012
The Black Cauldron	September 1986		August 1998	October 2000			Fall 2014
The Fox and the Hound	March 1994			May 2000			August 2011
The Great Mouse Detective	September 1987		August 1999	July 2002			Summer 2014
The Hunchback of Notre Dame			March 1997	March 2002			Spring 2013
The Jungle Book	May 1991		October 1997		October 2007	October 2014
The Lion King			March 1995		October 2003	October 2011
The Little Mermaid	May 1990		March 1998		October 2006	October 2013
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh		October 1981	March 1996	May 2002
The Rescuers	September 1992		January 1999	May 2003			Summer 2012
The Rescuers Down Under	September 1991			August 2000			Summer 2012
The Sword in the Stone	March 1986		October 1994	March 2001			Fall 2014
The Three Caballeros		October 1981	October 1994	May 2000			Summer 2016
Toy Story				January 2000

Notes and references

^ Young, Blaine. "MCA DiscoVision". Blam Entertainment Group. Retrieved September 19, 2006.
^ ^a ^b "Disney Releases 10 Titles on Laser Videodisc". Videodisc/videotex. 2 (3). Meckler Publishing: 175. Summer 1982.
^ Froke, Marlowe (December 12, 1989). "Oral History Collection – James P. Jimirro" (Interview transcript). The Cable Center. Retrieved September 19, 2006.
^ "Walt Disney – Fotomat Announce Video Tape Programming Pact". Dow Jones News Service – Ticker. March 3, 1980.
^ "Studios hamstrung as rentals of videocassettes trim profits". Wall Street Journal. March 27, 1981.
^ Kopp, George (February 14, 1981). "Magnetic Video Decision Awaited: Firm's Cassette Rental Policy Expected in 3–4 Weeks". Billboard.
^ "(Title unknown)". Billboard. August 15, 1981.
^ "Disney releasing six video titles". The Globe and Mail (United Press International). October 14, 1981. p. 15.
^ Wollman, Jane (September 16, 1982). "A wider selection in children's video". The New York Times.
^ Arnold, Thomas K (April 5, 2007). "Studios keep spotlight on DVD". The Hollywood Reporter. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ http://www.ultimatedisney.com/diamondcollection-pressrelease-0910.html
^ "'Bambi (Two-Disc Diamond Edition)' Blu-ray Fully Detailed". High Def Digest. December 10, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
^ Snider, Mike (February 24, 2011). "Second Screen creates a 'Bambi' for multitaskers". USA Today. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
^ "Disney to Bow a New iPad and PC App with the Bambi Diamond Edition (Blu-ray)". BD-Live News. December 10, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
^ Lawler, Richard (December 8, 2010). "Disney announces Bambi Blu-ray/DVD combo for March 1st, debuts new Second Screen PC/iPad app". Engadget. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
^ http://www.ultimatedisney.com/releasetypes.htm

External links

[1] Young, Blaine. "MCA DiscoVision". Blam Entertainment Group. Retrieved September 19, 2006.

[disneylaser-2] "Disney Releases 10 Titles on Laser Videodisc". Videodisc/videotex. 2 (3). Meckler Publishing: 175. Summer 1982.

[3] Froke, Marlowe (December 12, 1989). "Oral History Collection – James P. Jimirro" (Interview transcript). The Cable Center. Retrieved September 19, 2006.

[4] "Walt Disney – Fotomat Announce Video Tape Programming Pact". Dow Jones News Service – Ticker. March 3, 1980.

[5] "Studios hamstrung as rentals of videocassettes trim profits". Wall Street Journal. March 27, 1981.

[6] Kopp, George (February 14, 1981). "Magnetic Video Decision Awaited: Firm's Cassette Rental Policy Expected in 3–4 Weeks". Billboard.

[7] "(Title unknown)". Billboard. August 15, 1981.

[8] "Disney releasing six video titles". The Globe and Mail (United Press International). October 14, 1981. p. 15.

[9] Wollman, Jane (September 16, 1982). "A wider selection in children's video". The New York Times.

[10] Arnold, Thomas K (April 5, 2007). "Studios keep spotlight on DVD". The Hollywood Reporter. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[11] ttp://www.ultimatedisney.com/diamondcollection-pressrelease-0910.html

[High_Def_Digest-12] "'Bambi (Two-Disc Diamond Edition)' Blu-ray Fully Detailed". High Def Digest. December 10, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010.

[USA_Today-13] Snider, Mike (February 24, 2011). "Second Screen creates a 'Bambi' for multitaskers". USA Today. Retrieved February 25, 2011.

[BD-Live_News-14] "Disney to Bow a New iPad and PC App with the Bambi Diamond Edition (Blu-ray)". BD-Live News. December 10, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2011.

[Engadget-15] Lawler, Richard (December 8, 2010). "Disney announces Bambi Blu-ray/DVD combo for March 1st, debuts new Second Screen PC/iPad app". Engadget. Retrieved January 10, 2011.

[16] ttp://www.ultimatedisney.com/releasetypes.htm

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