Disney films that should join the signature collection.

[bkelly25]

Thus far, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Beauty and the Beast have joined the collection. It is a pretty safe bet that Pinocchio, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and The Lion King will join this collection. However, there some Disney films that to me are missing from this collection. Three of them that I am going to mention were part of the classic Walt Disney era. They are considered important Disney classics just like Snow White and Peter Pan are. Three other films are, to me, possible films that could join the collection due to rising popularity. I will not include any films from the Revival era (I.E. The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Wreck It Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia) since those films are too recent and we have to see how they last in the 2020s and beyond.

1. Fantasia

This film is widely considered Walt Disney's greatest achievement. It is in the National Film Registry, was on the American Film Institute 100 Years list, and has been on great animation movie lists. But yet, it was never released on Platinum nor Diamond edition. This was part of the great 5 films of the Golden Age from 1937 to 1942. Disney, please include this film.

2. Dumbo

Another one from the golden age of animation. The film saved Disney when Pinocchio and Fantasia failed to make money during tough World War II times. Sure, it is 60 minutes long, but it still stands on its own. Heck, he is kind of a mascot for Disney. Just look at the Dumbo ride at Disney parks?

3. Alice in Wonderland

This film like Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi and Sleeping Beauty failed at first at the box office. But have since gained the "Classic" status. Alice in Wonderland is widely considered the best adaptation of the Lewis Carrol story. The film is all of over the place in promotion such as rides at Disney parks and merchandise. So why hasn't Disney given credit where credit is due for this film?

4. Mulan

In the 90s, Disney was in a renaissance due to the successes of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. However, 3 films after The Lion King failed to achieve the golden status. Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules failed to become the classics like the films that came before it. Even to this day, these films are not heavily promoted despite that one of them is a Disney Princess film. Mulan on the other hand, was able to rise above that. Sure, when it was released, it did not achieve the same level of fanfare as The Lion King. People were still getting over the disappointments of Pocahontas and Hercules and the rise of computer animation with Toy Story. But overtime, this film has often ranked up there with The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. She is widely considered the strongest Disney heroine. Mulan in many ways opened the door for heroines like Merida and Elsa to exist. Disney needs to give this film a second look.

5. Tarzan

With the exceptions of the classic films from the 1930s, many Tarzan adaptions failed to become classics. Heck, just in 2016, a Tarzan film failed. However, in 1999, this film did not fail. It was the closer of a great era of animation. It even won an Oscar for Disney Animation after a little hiatus. It would be the last Oscar winner for that studio until Frozen came along. Sure, the film has been considered "Underrated" in recent years. But, if Disney gives a second look, this film is just as strong as the classics. And, it is the only modern adaption of the Tarzan legend to be a success.

6. Lilo & Stitch

In the 2000s and before the Revival era in 2009 with The Princess and the Frog, Disney was in a slump again just like the 1970s and 1980s. However, one film stood above the rest and even became a Disney icon/franchise. That film was Lilo & Stitch. If it wasn't for this film, probably Moana, Disney's next pacific themed film, would not have been made. Also, Disney showed they can make a contemporary story a classic just like Walt did with 101 Dalmatians.

So, any thoughts? What do you all feel about this list?

[Escapay]

Fantasia has always been in a class on its own, so I doubt it'll ever get inducted into the Signature Collection line, especially after it was never added to the Platinum and Diamond lines, despite Disney announcing it would be for both cases (May 2003 announcement via press release & October 2009 announcement via Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition insert). Rather, I expect the next release will be November 2020, as that would match the film's DVD and Blu-Ray releases (November 2000, November 2010).

It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that if the Signature Collection lasts 7 years (like the Diamond Edition line), then we'd see biannual releases between 2016 and 2022. If the scheduling of the rest of the Signature Collection line follows what we've seen for this year, we could likely get the "Walt" film as the Q1 release, and the "Modern" film (for lack of a better word) as the Q3 release, as that would also be the one that gets the holiday push. I honestly think we might see some of the Resurgence films included late into the Collection's run, as they'd be the same age as the Renaissance films when those were in the Platinum line. Unfortunately, given the treatment that the post-Lion King, pre-Princess and the Frog films have received on Blu-Ray already, I doubt any of that will be rectified with a Signature Collection release. I mean, I'd definitely LOVE a Tarzan: Signature Collection, but a Frozen: Signature Collection would be a more realistic expectation.

What follows is my prediction of the schedule:

Winter 2016 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (7 years since Diamond Edition)
Fall 2016 - Beauty and the Beast (6 years since Diamond Edition)

Winter 2017 - Pinocchio (8 years since Platinum Edition)
Fall 2017 - Tangled (6 years since original Blu-ray release)

Winter 2018 - Bambi (7 years since Diamond Edition)
Fall 2018 - The Lion King (7 years since Diamond Edition)

Winter 2019 - Lady and the Tramp (7 years since Diamond Edition)
Fall 2019 - The Princess and the Frog (10th Anniversary, 9 years since original Blu-ray release)

Winter 2020 - Cinderella (70th Anniversary, 8 years since Diamond Edition)
Fall 2020 - Frozen (6 years since original Blu-ray release)

Winter 2021 - Peter Pan (7 years since Diamond Edition)
Fall 2021 - The Little Mermaid (7 years since Diamond Edition)

Winter 2022 - The Jungle Book (8 years since Diamond Edition)
Fall 2022 - Sleeping Beauty (8 years since Diamond Edition)

I feel like they'll add the three Princess films because by 2017-2020, they'll have been "old enough" in a sense. Tangled, being a more successful Princess film, would see a re-issue before Princess and the Frog gets one, so a revisit after 6 years would make sense. And since Disney loves anniversaries anyway, they'd conceivably save a re-issue of The Princess and the Frog for 2019. Finally, given that Disney has scheduled an animated film for release on Thanksgiving 2020, and all signs for that release lead to Frozen 2, then a Frozen re-issue that fall would make sense.

Of course, this 7-year schedule omits both One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Aladdin (the 2015 Diamond releases), though if the schedule gets expanded to 8 years (2016-2023), then those two films would be the Winter & Fall slots. Then again, the Dalmatians release might get bumped up earlier to tie in to the Cruella film starring Emma Stone. Likewise, if we get that Genie prequel, Aladdin could probably see a release with that.

Actually, we'd probably now have to consider all the live-action remakes Disney is making, and whether that would lead to a re-issue of the original film. That is, an actual re-issue with new material, and not a Disney Movie Club exclusive with new cover art, like this year's Alice in Wonderland. So that could include non-Platinum, non-Diamond titles like Dumbo and Mulan. And if we wanted to get extreme, the Signature Collection line could now conceivably end up including previously-inconceivable titles like The Sword in the Stone and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in order to cash in on buzz for the remakes. Heck, maybe even The Black Cauldron will end up in the line if Disney goes through with their Chronicles of Prydain live-action film franchise. Granted, I'd settle for actually having that film on Blu-Ray regardless what banner title they use.

Albert

[Disney's Divinity]

I would love if they'd add TP&TF to the Signature Collection, but somehow I think it's unlikely. L&S is more likely--just because of how well-known Stitch is, even if the film only did somewhat better than TP&TF--but I doubt it would be added either. I think in future the 2000s and 2010s will be as ignored as the '70s and '80s are (disregarding TLM). All the others definitely deserve to be in the top-tier line, and I'd throw TMAoWtP with those.

Although I guess it doesn't really matter considering how bad Disney's releases are these days. :/ The last thing I bought was either the B&tB Diamond or the TLM Diamond, whichever came last. And before those two...? ....

[bkelly25]

But the revival films are not old enough to join the collection. When Beauty and the Beast joined the Platinum edition, it was already 10 years old. So lets wait until the 2020s to see which will stand the test of time the best.

Fantasia is still part of the Disney canon either way. It's not like Toy Story or The Nightmare Before Christmas that are not canon. So Fantasia should be part of the Signature collection. As for the films after The Lion King and before The Princess and the Frog, I agree, it is a rather divided issue of which film could be considered a "Disney Classic." That's why I chose Mulan, Tarzan and Lilo & Stitch because those films come closest to having similar acclaim like the popular Disney movies (Just check their rotten tomatoes scores.

[Escapay]

But the revival films are not old enough to join the collection. When Beauty and the Beast joined the Platinum edition, it was already 10 years old. So lets wait until the 2020s to see which will stand the test of time the best.

Um... in my speculative schedule, The Princess and the Frog is 10 years old, and Frozen is slotted in 2020... therefore both meet one of your "requirements" even if they don't meet both of them.

Frankly, my speculative schedule is based less on "is a film old enough to join a collection" and more on "is a film old enough to re-issue once more, based on Disney's practices of the past 80 years?". This is why I've made note of how many years since the last home media release, as Disney gauges re-issues based on that and not always the actual age of a film. If one compares the release schedule of any Disney film, they'll find that commonality, it's not exactly a secret formula. It's how they've done business for much of their studio's lifetime, gradually transitioning from theatrical re-issues to home media re-issues. Thus, a film like Tangled, whose sole home media release was in 2011, would be more likely to get a re-issue in 2017 or 2018, and my money is on 2017. Whether or not it's part of some stupid collection is the least of my worries.

Fantasia is still part of the Disney canon either way.

I never disputed that. But in the entire home media history for Fantasia, it's always treated as its own film, and never branded in any of the major home video collection: Black Diamond, Masterpiece Collection, Platinum Edition, Diamond Edition, Signature Collection. The only time it ever actually got to being "part" of a line were the Deluxe Edition VHS & LD releases of 1991, as the "Deluxe Edition" moniker was a catch-all for what essentially were their Special Editions of the time. It didn't necessarily mean the film was part of a collection (beyond the all-encompassing umbrella of "Stuff by Disney"). Every home video release since 2000 has always been its own brand, and not part of the Platinum or Diamond lines. I don't see that changing with the Signature Collection.

Just check their rotten tomatoes scores.

Disney bean counters would rather check their BoxOfficeMojo scores, and that's ultimately what would determine which films get into the superficially-important Signature Collection. If anything, the Signature Collection would be Disney's excuse to include the Resurgence films in the same line as the Golden Age and Renaissance films. Heck, they were already including the Renaissance films in the Black Diamond line even though they were all new releases at the time. So why are we suddenly getting ageist about when any film joins a collection? And if history is anything, the eras between (whether we call it the post-Walt, the Dark Ages, the post-Renaissance, etc.) get shafted either way and so as much as people can revere great films like The Rescuers or Lilo & Stitch, they have the unfortunate disadvantage of being associated with a less-revered era of Disney, and automatically not allowed to sit at the cool kids' table. That's just business for Disney, it's nothing personal against the films.

Albert