Disney Vault
The "Disney Vault" is the term used by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment for its policy of putting home video releases of Walt Disney Animation Studios's animated features on moratorium. Each Disney film is available for purchase for a limited time, after which it is put "in the vault" and not made available in stores for several years until it is once again released.
History
The practice is the modern version of Disney's practice of re-releasing its animated films in theaters every couple of years which began with the reissue of 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[1] Television commercials for Disney home video releases will alert customers that certain films will be placed on moratorium soon, urging them to purchase these films before they "go back into the 'Disney Vault'", in the words often spoken by Mark Elliot. Some direct-to-video Disney films, among them Bambi II, have also been released with a pre-established window of availability.[2]
Controls
The Walt Disney Company itself states that this process is done to both control their market and to allow Disney films to be fresh for new generations of young children.[3] A side effect of the moratorium process is the fact that videos and DVDs of Disney films placed on moratorium become collectibles, sold in stores and at auction websites such as eBay for sums in excess of their original suggested retail price.[citation needed] The practice also has made the Disney films a prime target for counterfeit DVD manufacturers.[citation needed]
See also
- Walt Disney Platinum and Diamond Editions
- Artificial scarcity
- Moratorium (entertainment)
- Disney Special Editions
References
- ^ "Front Row, Sofa! - Di$ney Does The Little Mermaid". dvdfuture.com. 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
- ^ Arnold, Thomas K. (2006-02-06). "'Bambi' is back for 70 'II' days". Usatoday.Com. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
- ^ "Buena Vista Home Entertainment: A Very Lucky Accident Indeed". Awn.com. Retrieved 2011-11-28.