Walt Disney Treasures Wave 4 - Press Release

[Class316]

Well, it had one extra short. But yes. And like I say, that LD set would have had the shorts carefully selected.

yea, but that was years ago. Stuff in On the Front lines would never have seen the light of day years ago.

Bottom line is, wave 4 looks like the beginning of the end in regards to the name “treasures”.

MM B&W might not have all shorts

Pluto will be double dipping galore. And assuming the dates are correct, how many actual Pluto shorts will we have in “vol 1”.

This in addition to the fact that MMC isn’t a season set.

I guess we can say that the treasures have been truly “Disney’d”

[Class316]

By the way what is the link to the press release?

[Luke]

We are leaping to conclusions that Mickey Mouse won't have the remainder of the shorts. I'm fairly confident that it will, in spite of the indefinite language.

With regards to the Mickey Mouse Club, there were 65 episodes by the end of 1955. If that was the end of the season, and I'm not sure that it was, with 3 episodes per disc, we would need a 22-disc set to fit them all. Even with 6 episodes per disc (and these are all hour-long episodes, as far as I know), we'd need an 11-disc set. That'd certainly be unlike any previous Treasures we've seen.

[Ciaobelli]

I guess MMBW2 will be the one that will tell us what Disney is really made of. Lets hope they don't chicken out.

[2099net]

MMC S1 was 66 episodes. The early ones being 1 hour (before switching to 30 mins at some point).

How can they release 66 episodes in a season set?

Add on to this that the shows were jam packed with guests, not all from a performing background and the whole thing becomes a clearence nightmare. It's easier to release stuff now, due to agreements with the Screen Actors Guild etc. But how many of the MMC performers and guests will belong to the SAG? Or any form or guild or union. We know their contracts won't have specified anything about home video releases, as the concept didn't exist in those days.

Even now, shows can have problems being released on DVD due to rights issues (eg. Call of Duty having music replaced on DVD, Malcom in the Middle S2 being held up due to music clearence issues).

I would say, a full season set of the 1950's MMC would be virtually impossible (or more accurately, virtually impossible to release at a competative price).

[Class316]

MMC aside, the other 2 sets are a big let down if Mickey doesn't have all shorts and/or Pluto is double dipped into 2 volumes!

[Christian]

Maybe all the remaining, potentially controversial shorts will be Easter eggs.

[Joe Carioca]

Let's hope they include the cut Mouseketeers segment from the Disneyland USA DVD as an extra on the Mickey Mouse Cllub set!

[AwallaceUNC]

I must be the only one not at all disappointed by this wave.

I really think all the Mickey b&w shorts will be released. Either they will be on this set (and we certainly don't know that they won't), or Disney is going to do the same thing they appear to be doing with Pluto- stretching the remaining Mickey B&W shorts over 2 more Treasures sets.

Having every MMC episode would be cool. It would also be very pricey. However, the proper format would not be the Treasures line. They would need to be in a series of box sets. Like I said, they would cost a lot of money, and so would therefore be very unlikely to generate enough interest to merit the cost. I'm a collector and I wouldn't even be likely to shell out that much cash. So while it would be cool to have them all, I can accept that it's not really a reasonable request (for the same reason that other daily shows can't be released on DVD). Therefore, I'm happy that we'll still get a sampling of MMC in a historical package like the Treasures sets. And who knows, if it sells well, maybe we'll even get another MMC Treasure set or two!

Pluto will be a good set, but I'm a little ticked off at what appears to be double-dipping. As has been stated, the Treasures market is comprised largely of collectors who know what to look for and what should be there. They are going to know they are being taken to the cleaners. I'm still hoping with a decent level of optimism/confidence that this is a mistake or misunderstanding.

-Aaron

[Christian]

I'm not disappointed by what's there but by what's not there. It's too bad that there is no True Life Adventures set and hopefully it will be in next year's wave. However, I'm not using the fact that it's not in this wave as a reason to talk about how bad Disney is.

[Class316]

I wasn’t disappointed by this wave at first.

But now that The Mickey and Pluto sets might not be complete, I’m furious at this wave!

[Jack]

Looks like three more solid sets - and purty artwork too.

I'm not very excited for MMIB&W2 or Pluto, to be honest. But I can't wait for MMC! I haven't seen the show in years, and I'm really looking forward to revisiting it.

[AwallaceUNC]

It doesn't look like the actual first episode, the Intro show, is listed as being included. I really hope that makes it on there, either as an official episode, or as a bonus feature.

-Aaron

[Porce]

Thanks for posting this Luke; the info on these has been coming in really quickly.

But anyway, Yikes! It looks like this wave will suck! "Mickey Mouse Club" just sounds tacky, and the Pluto set will be a major let-down now they they're doing pre-1940s cartoons. Whose bright idea was it to continue the double-dipping that they started on the "Front Lines" set? Ugh. What a waste of a DVD set. The only way this could be possibly reconsiled is if they get any remaining black-and-white Mickey's with Pluto and put those on the Pluto set, leaving more room for the important stuff on the Mickey set. And we'll have to see what's going to be on the Mickey set before I get excited about that one.

It looks like this wave will be a huge let-down... Not even a second Donald set or the "Assortment Set"... All thanks to the "True Life Adventures" that they aren't even releasing now! Great going, champs.

[matthewgb]

A lot of posters are basing their opinions on assumptions and this is getting rather frustating. Why does there have to be conspiracy seen in everything Disney has done. In the three previous waves we have seen the generosity of the studio in giving us their material, warts and all, in a format that is catered too it. With just a few minor blips such as the exclusion of the Mouseketeers on Disneyland USA, a point that is rumored to be rectified in the upcoming MMC set. Leonard Maltin and his associates at the studio have done an excellent job of preparing material avid fans have waited decades to see, patience is a virtue that we have hopefuly learned and we can still apply when waiting for our favorite releases.
There is currently no reason to believe that MMILC2 will not be complete. I find it humurous that we are disecting the words of marketing when they say more Black and White shorts and assuming this means it will not be complete. Even if it is, we can wait for volume three can't we. Even if Pluto is not complete, we can wait for volume 2 can't we. Consider the format of the Silly Symphonies Treasure, in it we were given a number of introductions by Walt before some shorts. Supplemental material could include more intros by walt before the Pluto cartoons. Anyone heard of a Disneyland episode entitled "Pluto's Day" from December 1956. There are things I wish they would release immediately but I know that is neither feassible nor economical.
It is not reasonable to think the studio will change course on a succesful format, such as the Treasures have proved. If in future releases our trust is violated and they begin to unnecesarily edit or crop, or destroy then is the time to become millitant and demanding. Until such time, chill out!

[Joe Carioca]

Well, I think people are judging these DVDs way too early. Let's wait until the complete aspects are released, then we can start rambling!

[Porce]

Why does there have to be conspiracy seen in everything Disney has done. In the three previous waves we have seen the generosity of the studio in giving us their material, warts and all, in a format that is catered too it.

There have been some very minor problems in the last three waves, but I rarely thought about them and always enjoyed what I got. Not so with this wave. Let's be serious here. There are 48 theatrical Pluto cartoons, and we have to have them spread over four discs? Come on, Disney. That's a blatant showing of money-grubbing execution right there. And as for a third volume of Mickey Mouse in B&W... Considering there are less than 40 cartoons left, that's completely ridiculous to have a third volume of it.

[AwallaceUNC]

Well Matthew makes a good point. Have the folks behind the Treasures given us any reason to doubt them based on their past performance? No. Has there been ambiguity about releases prior to them hitting the shelves before? Yes. Therefore, maybe all the hysteria is unwarranted. I don't think there would be anything wrong with writing a letter of concern to Maltin, though, just stating that you realize it may be a misunderstanding, but you hope that the Pluto material isn't being purposely stretched.

-Aaron

[Class316]

With just a few minor blips such as the exclusion of the Mouseketeers on Disneyland USA,

There has been many more “minor blips” than that.

Disneyland USA has much more than that chopped off.

MMILC has the censored clock cleaners episode (I had to get an LD transfer of the original on DVD)

And Silly Symphonies doesn’t include the original three little pigs (again, (I had to get an LD transfer of the original on DVD)

Wave 2 and 3, I must admit were pristine.

Now for wave 4, with the possibility of incomplete B&W vol 2 and Pluto, we shall see.

In Wave 1, the only 100% proper release was Davy Crockett. Let’s all hope MMC isn’t the only proper release in wave 4.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

A first press release may not mean a lot - hope not. We'll wait and see.

About the Pluto set (complete or volume one or whatever...):

I think it would be in keeping with the "spirit" of the Treasures line so far to make it a complete set in one single volume. As others have written, two Pluto sets would require rehashing quite a few (or all) of the Mickey shorts in which Pluto appears.

If they actually do this, we'll know that they did it just because they could. Just because it's going to make a little more money. Releasing two Pluto sets instead of just one is unnecessary - the only good reason would be the existence of lots more extras than I could imagine.

Apart from the "principle of things", there's probably going to be no serious damage done, though. I'll buy them anyway - in a single set or in two volumes.