The Walt Disney Signature Collection

[MickeyMouseboy]

Does anyone know if they have proper reviews for both of these releases yet? I can’t find any.

[Escapay]

All are on disc plus the classic bonus features including the formerly digital-exclusive Cruella's Lost Role.

Ugh, why couldn't they do this for Sleeping Beauty as well? The running times for both films' bonus features (on-disc or digital) each run about 3 hours, and both films are comparatively the same length (74 minutes). I don't understand why Sleeping Beauty relegated 2/3 of them to a digital archive (as has usually been the case with Signature discs) while One Hundred and One Dalmatians keeps them all on disc.

Albert

[Farerb]

All are on disc plus the classic bonus features including the formerly digital-exclusive Cruella's Lost Role.

Ugh, why couldn't they do this for Sleeping Beauty as well? The running times for both films' bonus features (on-disc or digital) each run about 3 hours, and both films are comparatively the same length (74 minutes). I don't understand why Sleeping Beauty relegated 2/3 of them to a digital archive (as has usually been the case with Signature discs) while One Hundred and One Dalmatians keeps them all on disc.

Albert

Maybe Sleeping Beauty has a higher bitrate. It should since Sleeping Beauty has more image than 101 Dalmatians.

[Farerb]

Unboxing videos:

101 Dalmatians steelbook:
https://youtu.be/uP2EJIdDcKY

101 Dalmatians digipack:
https://youtu.be/bcQcyMjyP6E

Sleeping Beauty digipack:
https://youtu.be/zze8u5s2fZ0

[Farerb]

Just saw Aladdin in 4K and I really enjoyed the more natural less saturated colors. It looked amazing.

[Farerb]

I might be the only one who doesn't really like the digipack of Sleeping Beauty, I was hoping for more Eyvind Earle. So I'm gonna get only the standard release.

[Farerb]

I saw "Aladdin on Aladdin" and it was great. I agree that it was the best bonus feature made for the Signature Collection. It was interesting to learn why the speaking and singing roles were split.

[JeanGreyForever]

Ugh, why couldn't they do this for Sleeping Beauty as well? The running times for both films' bonus features (on-disc or digital) each run about 3 hours, and both films are comparatively the same length (74 minutes). I don't understand why Sleeping Beauty relegated 2/3 of them to a digital archive (as has usually been the case with Signature discs) while One Hundred and One Dalmatians keeps them all on disc.

Albert

Maybe Sleeping Beauty has a higher bitrate. It should since Sleeping Beauty has more image than 101 Dalmatians.

Honestly, I doubt Disney would be stopped by that if that was the real issue. They seem to be intimidated almost by their 2-Disc Blu-Ray editions since Snow White, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast were all pared down drastically. The 1-Disc films tend to get better treatment when it comes to porting over old features. At least when it comes to the Platinum/Diamond/Signature line.

[Disney Duster]

"In Walt's Words" is taken from 1956 and 1961 interviews, so the Pete Martin sessions account for the first half of the featurette, and whatever the 1961 source accounts for the second.

Would you say it's a good bonus feature, or that it has information we don't already know from past bonus features?

[Escapay]

Maybe Sleeping Beauty has a higher bitrate. It should since Sleeping Beauty has more image than 101 Dalmatians.

Honestly, I doubt Disney would be stopped by that if that was the real issue.

Agreed. Especially since One Hundred and One Dalmatians also as the DisneyView option which would eat up bitrate on the disc as well.

It still bothers me that the entirety of the Sleeping Beauty Castle supplements (the history featurette, the actual walk-through, and the different options for the walk-through) has only ever been on the 2008 Platinum Edition. Even if they were to not include some of the viewing options, having the 10-minute history featurette and just the basic 8-minute walkthrough would have helped improve the Signature Collection release, even if it still just a single-disc affair. Of course, my dream version of Sleeping Beauty would probably use more than two discs anyway so whatever Disney would have released regardless would still be a disappointment for me. They still won't give me a Mary Costa documentary, the 1970/1979/1986 theatrical trailers, or an isolated score track, among other things.

"In Walt's Words" is taken from 1956 and 1961 interviews, so the Pete Martin sessions account for the first half of the featurette, and whatever the 1961 source accounts for the second.

Would you say it's a good bonus feature, or that it has information we don't already know from past bonus features?

It's good-ish, in the sense that it's always fun hearing from the man himself. But the 1956 Pete Martin interviews are not meant to be in-depth, every little bit of minutiae, detailed explanations of the production of these films. They were recorded across Saturday afternoons as part of a career and life retrospective, so he's thinking usually in broader terms than what we'd come to expect for a modern-day making-of interview.

With that in mind, along with the fact that the film was still three years from release, what we get here is not so much an actual "here's what Walt thought about the film," but again, a broad "this is what Walt was saying about the film in 1956." Basically that, because of all his various television projects, he had a LOT of animators to handle all the work. Some were better suited for television while others were better suited for feature film, like Sleeping Beauty. And that's really it.

When it gets to the retrospective interview of 1961, that's when you get to see what Walt really thought of the film. He asks himself what went wrong, where did he go wrong with it. He knows that it looked great, but the box-office numbers were still disappointing. Of course, as a Disney picture, he still had that one ace up his sleeve: the picture would get re-issued again (ironically, not in his lifetime), and it would generate a timelessness in that respect. It ends with some words on (debateably) Walt's favorite aspect of Sleeping Beauty: that its castle is the centerpiece of Disneyland. It's the one thing that he can still touch, plus, grow, etc.

So, really, nothing new in terms of information passed down from previous documentaries and biographies. But hearing it from Walt himself always lends a continued appreciation for the history of it all.

I was also watching the new One Hundred and One Dalmatians supplements tonight, and they're miles ahead of the Sleeping Beauty "Fun Facts" nonsense. We see more excerpts of Marc Davis's 1985 interview (used on the "Disney Family Album" documentary series, as well as occasional DVD documentaries), specific to Cruella De Vil. And the Color & Line featurette is an interview with Pocahontas co-director Mike Gabriel, where he touches on why both are important and how they shape the look of the film. The "In Walt's Words" does feature from overlap from the Lady and the Tramp chapter, mainly because it continues to talk about Walt and his dogs. But the 1961 portion of the interview does go into some specifics about the film. He's mostly recapping the film, but throws in a few nuggets of what he liked about the book and adapting it for animation.

Albert

[DisneyJedi]

Okay, I’m tempted to get the 4K releases of The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, despite not technically owning a 4K Blu-ray player while having a 4K TV. Plus, I have them on Blu-ray already.

Is it worth getting them or should I save my money?

[JeanGreyForever]

I don't own a 4K TV or a 4K player but I went ahead and purchased Aladdin on 4K. Mainly because I wanted the Target exclusive which is only available in the 4K/Blu-Ray combo pack, but I don't necessarily mind in case one day in the future, I might end up owning 4K technology.

In the case of Aladdin, both the 4K and the Blu-Ray Signature Editions feature a new aspect ratio and a better restoration, plus Aladdin (on Blu-Ray) has some amazing new bonus features, easily the best out of all the new Signature Editions. So either the restoration or the bonus features alone would be worth the price of purchase and certainly the two combined. While the classic DVD bonus features have all been dropped and are now digital only, all the bonus features new to the Diamond Edition were ported over (except the tacky Disney Channel star featurette which has gladly been dropped).

TLM's Signature Edition, in both 4K and Blu-Ray, also features a new restoration different from the Diamond Edition's. However, I prefer the Diamond Edition's restoration myself as it seems more accurate to the original film, such as Ariel's tail being blue-green rather than purely green. Some people like the new colors better though. You can see for yourself with this link comparing the different TLM restorations. I personally passed on TLM's new Signature Edition especially since the new bonus features weren't terribly exciting.
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/walt-disney ... on-blu-ray

TLK's Signature restoration, for both 4K and Blu-Ray, are the exact same as the Diamond Edition's restoration I believe. The only difference is that the missing clouds error has been fixed on the Signature Edition for both 4K and Blu-Ray. That's the only reason I bothered with buying the Signature Edition although I only got the Blu-Ray. The 4K was released a few months afterwards and I didn't see the point in upgrading yet again. The bonus features for TLK's Signature Edition aren't really worth it imo, especially since one feature is literally just an extended version of something featured in the Diamond Edition. Disney clearly had it ready as far back as then but saved it for a re-release so that didn't exactly inspire much joy in me. Pretty much all the old bonus features (most of which were already dropped from the Diamond Edition) have been relegated to digital-only in the Signature Edition.

[MickeyMouseboy]

Okay, I’m tempted to get the 4K releases of The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, despite not technically owning a 4K Blu-ray player while having a 4K TV. Plus, I have them on Blu-ray already.

Is it worth getting them or should I save my money?

They are worth it if you plan to upgrade to 4K! They look so beautiful in 4K!

[Disney Duster]

Wow Escapay, you really are knowledgeable and kind to go so in-depth about that Sleeping Beauty Signature bonus feature for me! You're the best! With your information, I know I can skip the release.

[MickeyMouseboy]

Wow Escapay, you really are knowledgeable and kind to go so in-depth about that Sleeping Beauty Signature bonus feature for me! You're the best! With your information, I know I can skip the release.

If you have extra $$ to spend I like the Sleeping Beauty target exclusive! It’s beautiful and worth it for collectors.

[Disney Duster]

The thing is, I don't really have the money for everything I want just a little, and I have seen the unboxing of the Target exclusive and I don't really care for it. I especially hate the re-using of the dragon and that horrible choice of Aurora's pose from previous covers on the Target cover.

[DisneyBluLife]

This must be the end of the Signature line.

Maybe they can put one last new release in Nov-Jan (maybe the Jungle book), but after Disney+, there is no reason to have new releases of these movies from a business point of view.

[Farerb]

This must be the end of the Signature line.

Maybe they can put one last new release in Nov-Jan (maybe the Jungle book), but after Disney+, there is no reason to have new releases of these movies from a business point of view.

They'll release The Jungle Book and Fantasia to put them back into circulation. The Jungle Book will probably be released in January according to German sites.

I don't see them stopping physical media entirely, but I don't think they'll have new editions anymore, only reissues and perhaps along with a 4K disc as well.

[blackcauldron85]

So you think we'll never get Blus for TBC, MMM/MT?!

[DisneyBluLife]

So you think we'll never get Blus for TBC, MMM/MT?!

I meant the movies in Platinum/Diamond/Signature line. I don't think Disney need to put out new releases/new editions.