Movie News

Disney to Include DVDs with Blu-ray Releases

Source:Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
January 7, 2009


Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will include a standard-definition DVD copy within many of its 2009 Blu-ray Disc releases. Here is the official announcement:

As more and more families transition to high definition, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) concentrates its efforts on offering consumers unprecedented quality, value and portability in the purchases of their favorite Disney Blu-ray movies with the announcement of its new Blu-ray + DVD Combo Packs.

Disney's Combo Pack will be extended across an exciting new slate of Disney-branded theatrical and Platinum titles releasing on Blu-ray between February and October of 2009. Some of the upcoming Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack titles families can look forward to include the teen phenomenon "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" (February 17), Walt Disney's animated classic "Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition" (March 10) and all those leading up to the highly anticipated release of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Platinum Edition" in October.

"These unique Combo Packs provide the opportunity for consumers around the world to take advantage of the quality of Blu-ray with the portability of a DVD disc in a single package, comments Bob Chapek, President of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. "As always, we are committed to offering our consumers exceptional quality and value when purchasing our products."

WDSHE first successfully introduced a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD in a single package) with the release of "Sleeping Beauty's 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition" in 2008 across limited markets. The inclusion of the feature film on standard definition DVD allowed consumers without Blu-ray players to "future proof" their collections.

In addition, WDSHE North America will be packaging 14 of its hot new Blu-ray titles releasing in the U.S. and Canada with a DisneyFile digital copy of the movie for consumers to enjoy anytime, anywhere on their Mac, PC or compatible portable devices. Digital copies will be made available in both iTunes and Windows Media file formats and are set to be included with such titles as "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," "Monsters Inc.," and "A Bugs Life."

As part of its continued worldwide Blu-ray release efforts, WDSHE is adding many exciting new titles to the line-up in North America, Europe and Asia. Titles include new theatrical releases, catalog, direct-to-video, top television series and some of America's most requested movies.

WDSHE North America will be releasing several new theatrical titles to Blu-ray day-and-date with the DVD including "Swing Vote" (Touchstone Pictures) on January 13; "Miracle At St. Anna" (Touchstone Pictures) on February 10; "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" (Walt Disney Pictures) on February 17; "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (Walt Disney Pictures) on March 3; "Morning Light" (Walt Disney Pictures) in summer of 2009; as well as an all new direct-to-video "Space Buddies" (Walt Disney Pictures) on February 3.

In addition, WDSHE North America will also be expanding its Blu-ray catalog library with more than 30 exciting releases including such titles as "Pretty Woman" (Touchstone Pictures) on February 10; "High School Musical Remix Edition" (Walt Disney Pictures) on February 17; "Monsters Inc." (Disney/Pixar); "A Bugs Life" (Disney/Pixar); "Microcosmos" (Miramax); "Rounders 10th Anniversary Edition" (Miramax); "Lost: The Complete First and Second Seasons" (ABC); "Sin City" (Miramax); "Miracle" (Walt Disney Pictures); "Sling Blade" (Miramax); "The Greatest Game Ever Played" (Walt Disney Pictures); "Pulp Fiction Special Edition" (Miramax); "Good Will Hunting Special Edition" (Miramax) and many more to follow in 2009.

In Europe/Australia, WDSHE will roll-out the following Blu-ray titles beginning with "Space Buddies" (Walt Disney Pictures) and "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" (Walt Disney Pictures) in February; "Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition" (Walt Disney Pictures) in March and "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (Walt Disney Pictures) in April; and "Monsters Inc." (Disney/Pixar) sometime in 2009.

Japan will see the following WDSHE Blu-ray releases starting with "Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition" (Walt Disney Pictures) in March; "Tinker Bell" (Walt Disney Pictures) and "WALL•E" (Disney/Pixar) in April; and "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" (Walt Disney Pictures), "Monsters Inc." (Disney/Pixar) and "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (Walt Disney Pictures) to follow at later dates.


COMMENTS (25)

Posted by:
Boiiinng
January 7, 2009
Everyone's going to have a central digital system someday real soon that holds thousands of titles, downloading new ones from the internet. Discs will be obselete real soon.
Posted by:
Hello Hollywood
January 7, 2009
It's not just Disney that has high costs for regular DVDs. I noticed that Mama Mia! on Blu-ray and the 2 disc DVD are the same price. That is crazy and it the same with Wanted and other new movies that came out. Remember I am not talking about the "single" disc DVD version, I'm talking about the 2 disc vewrsion wich would have the same stuff as the blu-ray.
Posted by:
rdh
January 7, 2009
This addresses one of my biggest complaints about Blu-Ray for kids. The Blu-Ray disc is fine and dandy in the house, but useless when we want the kids to watch the movie in the car on a long ride. This combo-pack is perfect...Blu-Ray in the house, standard DVD for in the car. We'd been continuing to buy classic DVDs rather than Blu-Ray for this reason, so this is a great announcement. I hope it spreads to all releases.
Posted by:
Bellatrix Lestrange
January 7, 2009
But do we who want normal versions get another chance at buying the movies or are these just Blu-Ray? I want regular versions. I got second handed versions of two.
Posted by:
Justin
January 7, 2009
as long as the don't stop releasing DVDs I'm fine.

Although i own a Blu-Ray player I have no need to repurchase my 1700+ DVD collection on this format the same way i did for VHS.
Posted by:
Darth Tyranus
January 7, 2009
Well, that's sure nice of 'em, but that does not make up for that horrifyingly left-leaning, totally non-objective "What Would You Do?" on ABC Primetime last night.
Posted by:
Spork
January 7, 2009
I think this is a good thing as long as they don't price it way out of proportion. As many have said this is useful for those who have hi def in some rooms but not others or want to take movies with them in the car or to hotels both of which for the most part don't have blu-ray players.
As for one comment on here about everyone having a central server in their house and getting all the content by download I don't think that will be at all common in the very near future because the knowledge of how to set up install and maintain a home network is just not widespread enough, there will be those who have enough money to pay for someone to install this for them but not most of use regular people. I do have to say though that this does already exist to some extent with directv, xbox, and playstation all offering downloadable content, but all of them are proprietary and all but directv require you to have a home network setupand a high speed internet connection. So if you want freedom in downloading and ease of use you had better wait a while or just stick to blu-ray or dvd and not only that even if we do get to the point of downloadable content I for one like to have the disc in my hand when I give out my cash not just some download and a number saying you know own this I mean has no one else had trouble with DRM licsense failures and lost account info? Well guess what happens if you lose that for your movie downloads not to mention if the hard drive on your server crashes and you suddenly have to rebuild your library of several hundred movies because you didn't have a backup for the several terabytes it will take to store all of this HD content and you have to redownload all of it, but wait all my liscense info was on the now deceased hard drive.....good luck! I for one will stick to the good ole optical disc.
Posted by:
Jason1978
January 7, 2009
If they keep the prices the same when they are released I am fine. Hopefully with Blu Ray becoming more popular the movie prices will drop a bit. Same stuff happened with DVD when it first came out and now you can get good movies for as low as $5. Oh and I would much rather have the regular dvd version than the digital copy for my computer. And I agree about the above poster saying they hope dvd doesn't go away soon and they have to replace all their old movies. I have over 800 movies at the moment and about 20 on Blu Ray.

Disney should release Song Of The South before anything else though I can't wait for Fantasia on Blu Ray.
Posted by:
gary, barry & larry
January 7, 2009
I AGREE.......... PLEASE F * * * * * G RELEASE "THE INCREDIBLES" ON BLU RAY !!!!! Its the best Pixar movie..... The only 2 **** ones were "Cars" and "A bugs Life". I also want Minority Report on Blu Ray.... c'mon Spielberg!!!!!!
Posted by:
Bowers
January 15, 2009
Whoa we're gonna get Sin City and Pulp fiction on blu in 09 hell yeah

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