MK Sharp wrote:
2099net wrote:
You know, maybe, just maybe they're having to restore the shorts first? Restoration on films takes months
Yes, I can see how this would have snuck up on them and taken them by surprise - they've only been doing this for seven years...
Well, maybe, maybe not. Its a question of priorities perhaps? When the line first came out, were they doing two Platinums a year? Did they still have their in-house restoration department or not? Was the Oswald set always planned, or could that have changed priority on something else?
I can't actually be bothered to look it up.

But the point is, restored theatrical shorts don't just grow on trees, work does need to be done. And if work isn't done, Disney fans complain.
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Given that (a) a large part of the point of the range is to release the animated shorts; (b) live action sets sell worse than animated ones; (c) there's been concerns with the range not selling well anyway; and (d) it has been long suggested that the eighth wave would be the last, I think it's valid to be concerned that the range could come to a halt prematurely.
I would like to think the line could survive a year or more with NO releases (almost like it did with the late Wave 3) than put stuff out simply because it was December. So you may have a point. But then again, you may not.
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I'll wager they don't get a tenth of the crap from their audience that 2|Entertain gets over their Dr Who releases, yet you don't see them giving up while there's a buck to be made.
Oh I'm sure of that.

But Disney is a much bigger, multinational company than 2|entertain or the BBC. What's worth doing to 2|e is not necessarily worth doing for Disney. They could defer the restoration work on the shorts for a while so that they can concentrate on a more profitable Sleeping Beauty restoration/release for example. Being as Sleeping Beauty is coming to Blu-ray, I suspect (but don't know for sure) it will have a whole new restoration - especially as the colours on the previous restoration tended to flicker.
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Anyway, most of the quality control concerns have been echoed by Leonard Maltin and co, so it's hardly just a bunch of whining fanboys.
And I'm sure Maltin et al were correct. But it was probably a situation of restoration and a later release or no restoration and a timely release. Personally I think (like I said earlier in the post) the contents and audience are both mature enough to warrant a delay for higher quality product.
But companies like regular releases... it helps with their accounting etc.
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Most of my Blu-ray collection some of my UK discs aren't on their database