Walt Disney Platinum Editions

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The Platinum Editions are a line of DVDs released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment. The series features restored DVD versions of several of the most popular Disney animated features.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Overview

Originally, the line consisted of the company's ten best-selling VHS titles and would be released in October of each year. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first film released in the DVD series, in 2001. The two following titles, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King were released into IMAX theaters during the holiday season before its October DVD release.

Due to underwhelming box office results, a planned IMAX release for Aladdin was scrapped and the practice was discontinued. In May 2003, Disney announced that it would be adding the next four best-selling titles to the collection. Starting in 2005, a Platinum Edition was released twice a year, one in October and one in February/March. Beginning with The Lion King, select Platinum Edition DVDs were also made available in gift set editions, which included the standard retail DVD as well as supplements such as original animation sketches, a film frame, and a companion book.

The original plan for the Platinum Edition was that the films would be re-issued for a limited time, once every ten years. Since then, the interim between each re-issue of a particular film has been shortened to seven years. The first seven films in the Platinum Editions line, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Bambi, Cinderella and Lady and the Tramp are no longer available in retail stores, and can only be found through specialized sales markets, or websites such as amazon.com or eBay. Such out-of-print titles usually demand a significant premium given their considerable value to collectors. In January Disney has announced, that Aladdin won't be longer part of the Platinum Editions line but will be replaced in future by Alice in Wonderland. The reasons for this decision are unknown.

[edit] Films in Platinum Edition line

# Film Release Date Discontinue Date Notes
1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) October 9, 2001 January 2002 Collector's gift set (UK only)
2 Beauty and the Beast (1991) October 8, 2002 January 2003
3 The Lion King (1994) October 7, 2003 January 2005 Collector's gift set
4 Aladdin (1992) October 5, 2004 January 2008 Collector's gift set
5 Bambi (1942) March 1, 2005 January 2007
6 Cinderella (1950) October 4, 2005 January 2008 Collector's gift set
7 Lady and the Tramp (1955) February 28, 2006 January 2007
8 The Little Mermaid (1989) October 3, 2006 January 2010
9 Peter Pan (1953) March 6, 2007 January 2010 Collector's gift set (UK only)
10 The Jungle Book (1967) October 2, 2007 January 2009 Collector's gift set (UK and Germany only)
11 One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) March 4, 2008 TBD Collector's gift set (UK and Germany only)

[edit] Future Releases

# Film Release Date Discontinue Date Notes
12 Sleeping Beauty (1959) October 7, 2008 January 2010 First animated Platinum coming to Blu-ray.
13 Pinocchio (1940) March 3, 2009 January 2011 Second animated Platinum coming to Blu-ray.
14 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (reissue) (1937) October, 2009 January 2011 Third animated Platinum coming to Blu-ray and first being reissued.
15 Fantasia (1940) March, 2010 TBD Fourth animated Platinum coming to Blu-ray.
16 Beauty and the Beast (1991) October, 2010 TBD Second reissued Platinum
17 Alice in Wonderland (1951) March, 2011 TBD will replace Aladdin for future releases in the PE-Line[1]
18 The Lion King (1994) October, 2011 TBD Third reissued Platinum

[edit] Packaging

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was packaged in a double-sized keepcase, and to date has been the only Platinum Edition DVD without a slipcase. From Beauty and the Beast to Cinderella, Platinum Editions were packaged in a dual-disc DVD case with a slipcase, with a book-like velcro flap which, when opened, gave an overview of the DVD's special features. Lady and the Tramp was the first DVD in the series to use a more standard slipcase without a flap. The slipcase for The Little Mermaid featured embossed character art, while the slipcases for Peter Pan, The Jungle Book and 101 Dalmatians featured holographic artwork along with the embossment. Only sets sold during the first few months of a Platinum Edition's window of availability are sold with a slipcover. In the United Kingdom only, The Jungle Book was packaged in a deluxe edition with a book and different packaging. They are also scheduled for a release of Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, Fantasia, and a re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Also, 101 Dalmatians is the first release since Lady and the Tramp to not have holographic discs.

[edit] Restoration

Each film in the Platinum Edition series is given a thorough restoration, and generally in their original aspect ratios. The Lion King and Aladdin is presented in the full 1.66:1 aspect ratio of the film negative instead of their intended 1.85:1 aspect ratios, and The Little Mermaid - created in 1.66:1 and intended for exhibition in 1.85:1 - is presented in 1.78:1, midway between the two ratios. One Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Jungle Book were both produced in 1.37:1 for intended exhibition in 1.75:1; the former film is presented in 1.33:1, while the latter is presented 1.78:1. Lady and the Tramp, produced in CinemaScope, was also presented in an alternate pan-and-scan version included in the same collection. Most of the films in the collection were produced on celluloid are digitally restored from their original negatives, undergoing digital clean-up processes to remove dust, dirt, and scratches. The majority of these films have featurettes detailing the restoration process included on the set as bonus features.

Three of the Platinum Edition releases - Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King - were produced using Disney's Computer Animation Production System, and were instead sourced straight from the digital masters used to create the film. Each of these three films also featured retouched and re-cleaned-up animation, alterations done to prepare the films for IMAX release.

Each film's soundtrack is also remixed into Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Earlier films in the series such as Snow White were originally released with monoaural soundtracks, and the new mixes created for Platinum Edition releases featured a combination of uses of original sound elements used in the original mix and rechanneling techniques. Later films in the series (including two, Aladdin and The Lion King, which were originally produced in 5.1) featured surround sound mixes specifically tailored to home theater audiences, branded by the company as "Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mixes".

[edit] Special features

DVDs in this series typically contain a significant amount of bonus material, primarily housed on the second disc of the set so as to allow for a high-bitrate transfer of the feature. Many of the titles feature "making-of" documentaries that run a half-hour or an hour in length. The three exceptions are The Lion King, Aladdin, and Peter Pan. The Lion King and Aladdin both utilize a navigation system of multiple featurettes that can be played individually or together, while Peter Pan simply re-uses a brief 15-minute documentary from 1998.

Other typical features include audio commentaries (not available on Bambi, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, or One Hundred and One Dalmatians), art and image galleries, deleted scenes, early storyboard reels, and bonus Disney short subjects. Contemporary publicity material available on each set may include trailers, music videos, radio programs, newsreel footage, and episodes of the Disney anthology television series, although the exact features included vary from set to set. Features aimed at more general family audiences and children are also included, such as set-top games and music video renditions of Disney songs by contemporary pop artists and/or Disney Channel stars.

[edit] See also

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