BAMBI - 3 video releases so far - different looks

[drsd2kill]

Hey guys and gals!

Out of curiosity, I tracked down the 1990 CAV Laserdisc release of BAMBI and make screen captures from it, the 1997 CAV THX Laserdisc and the 2005 DVD. The frames are not always exact (some are a frame or two off), but you get the picture. Funny how different the 1997 "restoration" was from the pre-restoration 1990 Laserdisc (same transfer released on VHS in 1989) and 2005 Lowry "digital restoration" DVD.

Oh, and only the 1997 Laserdisc had the RKO logo. The 2005 DVD replaced it with a modern Disney logo and expanded the music by a second or two before the vocal comes in! Also note how an animation flaw is in the first two releases but was fixed for the DVD in the image with the animals after the fire.

A = 1990 Laserdisc
B = 1997 Laserdisc
C = 2005 DVD

1997 Laserdisc opening
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2005 DVD opening
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Nxt on the agenda is a comparison between the three video releases of SLEEPING BEAUTY, one of which was P/S only.

Sorry some frames are a bit off, but VLC is difficult to use to get exact frames without a ton of trial and error.

Chuck

[Disneykid]

Excellent work, drsd2kill! The DVD's color scheme is much closer to the 1990 VHS than the 1998 one was. The 98 restoration was too dark and had muted colors, much like the the 1998 and 2002 restorations of Peter Pan. If Bambi is any indication, Peter Pan's Platinum restoration will be closer to the original intent as seen in its 1990 restoration. I can't wait to see your Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella comparisons.

[~Daniel~]

Excellent work indeed, drsd2kill! Thank you so much for the comparison! I never knew they were so different, But wow!

Off topic, OMG, my Bambi avatar picture!

[musicradio77]

Thanks for those pics. The DVD version from 2005 was much better compared to the original VHS version which was first released in 1989. I have the original VHS tape of "Bambi", but the main title was squared in the first released video tape. I don't have the 1997 Masterpiece version on VHS at all, but I do have it on DVD which is a much more better version of "Bambi". The Laserdisc version that I don't have had an original RKO titles intact. The DVD version had the original Walt Disney Pictures logo except the special end credits appeared after the end title. There was no restoration end credits music at all while it was shown on the 2005 DVD except for "Cinderella", "Lady and the Tramp" and the next one will be shown on the "Peter Pan" DVD which will contains the restoration end credits for the next DVD release with the music was instrumental version of "The Second Star to the Right". That was also borrowed from the original Disneyland LP of the "Peter Pan" soundtrack.

[drsd2kill]

The 1989 VHS version was from the same master as the 1990 Laserdisc, as shown in the first pics. Though not a perfect transfer (excellent for its time, though), and although it shows a fair amount of dirt on the individual color records [which accounts for the colored dirt], it is the most accurate so far as how the film originally looked colorwise, I believe. It's weird how wrong the 1997 release was as far as color goes, but the 2005 DVD is sometimes just right and at others certain colors are right and others seem dimmer (whites, pale shades).

[bambifan56]

Great shots, I do actually like the color on the 1997 version of "I Bring You a Song" I acutally think it was a much more realistic looking version. I do have to say that I do like the 1997 color scheme the best of all 3. Great work though!

[blackcauldron85]

drsd2kill, thanks so much for posting all these (for all the movies you have so far and will do in the future)! It's really neat to see the differences. I think that the latest "Bambi" release looks the best. When I looked at the pictures a couple of days ago, I didn't notice the daddy licking the ground and the child on the other side...but I noticed it today- I finally noticed what everyone has mentioned for so long! I always like the movies not to be touched (except for dirt removal, etc.), but I have mixed feelings on this, just as I do with Lady Tremaine's sleeve...Especially in the case of "Bambi", the animation was done, but it wasn't displayed as the artists intended it to, so I kind of feel that it was okay to change this to the way it was supposed to be.
How did they make that change, anyway? Was that one baby on its own cel, and they just put that one on top of the daddy (could be the mommy...)?

[Okie Tigger]

Very cool thread. I didn't do LD so it's really interesting to see the differences. Looks like that '97 LD was a real misfire. I haven't watched this on the hdtv yet. Need to take care of that soon. Bambi is an amazing film.

[drsd2kill]

Remember that the 1997 Laserdisc transfer was the same as the VHS reissue that year. The quality was much lower because of the inherent differences in resolution between the two formats, but the basic color balance is the same.

[Beastboyravenz]

Kudos to you drsd2kill! I love your hard work. Your threads are among my favorites. Some parts of Bambi look vintage, others just look different. In the opening credits when I compared the vhs to the dvd the fonts were different. Is that the case with the laserdiscs?

[drsd2kill]

The masters used for the Laserdiscs were also used for the VHS release of the same year (the initial VHS 1989 release was not put on Laserdisc until 1990 - back then, the Laserdisc releases were often delayed 3-9 months after the VHS debut). Which VHS release are you comparing to the DVD? Maybe I need to do a few more comparisons from the 3 video releases...

CINDERELLA will be ready once the 1989 Laserdisc shows up... I already have a ton of images newly captured from the 1995 Laserdisc and 2005 DVD - all freshly done and more accurate than my post from 6 months or so ago.

I'm hoping to do LADY AND THE TRAMP by the end of the week using:
A = 1988 CAV pan/scan Laserdisc [same master as 1987 VHS debut]
B = 1998 CAV widescreen Laserdisc [same master used for 1999 DVD]
C = 1998 fullframe Laserdisc - the specially-framed fullframe version shot at the same time as the widescreen version but specially framed for 1.37:1 - the only release of this version on video (save for the VHS from that year's reissue)
D = 2006 anamorphic widescreen DVD

I may also compare the 2006 pan/scan DVD transfer, I dunno. I'd neeed to track it down since I didn't save a copy of it. Maybe I should also add the 2003 pan/scan DVD to my SLEEPING BEAUTY comparison? What do you guys think? It'd be interesting to see the framing differences from the initial pan/scan to the current pan/scan job.

Chuck

[mariadny]

wow¡¡¡
very good job, a lot of thanks

[Beastboyravenz]

I'm comparing it to the Masterpiece edition. I think 65th anniversary. It was one of the vhs released as a Mastepiece edition like Snow White.

[drsd2kill]

You're talking about the "55th Anniversary" edition released in 1997. It is the master used for the VHS release to which you are referring, and it is represented here by the middle capture (B).

[Beastboyravenz]

Oh ok, but what I meant was that when the names of the artist come out the font doesn't match the dvd's.

[drsd2kill]

I'll check on that and post some more screencaps later then.

[Beastboyravenz]

You are too nice! Thank you. I wonder why they didn't keep the RKO logo on the dvd? I hope when it's released in the future that they'll think twice. It's a good thing Peter Pan is keeping it.

[drsd2kill]

Is the 2007 DVD of PETER PAN gonna have the RKO logo?

[Beastboyravenz]

Well someone in the forum somewhere in Europe already owns the new dvd release. And it had the RKO sign, so I'm hoping ours will too.

[drsd2kill]

Can we sometimes have TOO much clarity? Who looks good with a magnifying glass up to their face in florescent light? I think with animation - and the size of the actual canvas - there is a place where you're going to reach the point of diminishing returns. Color is SO important to these films, and it looks so much like they are changing things.

BTW - I posted at the Home Theater Forum, and there are some interesting comments from that site as well as a sneak peak at some CINDERELLA pics.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/sho ... p?t=252551