While I agree that the previous vault concept no longer works, there may still be ways for Disney to call attention to their classic movies on some sort of cycling schedule. Perhaps adding a classic film to Netflix for just one month or showing it several times in a single month on their tv network would do the job of promoting their entire filmography nowadays.
I think this is an interesting idea. There definitely is value in making a special occasion out of the films, but I don't know if limiting access to them is the way to do it in this modern age. Perhaps they can pick years to highlight the films and sell/offer supplemental content during that window. A documentary or behind-the-scenes specials. Stuff like that. Or maybe the path to take would be to let these films live on the home video market untouched, and then go back to limited theatrical runs every 7-10 years so people can experience it on the big screen if they want.
I always love all the extra bonus content that gets added to DVDs. I'd buy DVDs of my favorite classics just for that. Also, I think there's definitely a market for people wanting to see classic Disney films rereleased in theaters. I mean, I saw Lion King twice and Beauty and the Beast 3 times when both of those were rereleased in 3D (the 3D was not in any way a draw either) and I know lots of people went and saw them several times as well. I think even having the sing along showings in theaters is awesome and would draw a lot of people. Seeing films in theaters is an experience, and it's one I'm sure people would pay for.
They do a form of it in Australian Netflix. but rather than 7 years old, its 7 months old. So if you missed it in theatre, you can watch it. They only do one film at a time under this section. And they alternate between Disney films previously released, to older ones and classics. Also in another form, they have re-releasd some Pixar films in theatre -but with 3D (like Nemo 3D). So the vault idea is still there, its just in a more modern context and has been reformed and edited for that context - I guess...
Seems like perfect timing to post that reply, as not only was this video explaining this particular release strategy was released a mere couple of years before this particular streaming service launched, but it also made sense when physical copies of their animated classics were the norm.
Something Disney seems to be keeping in the vault for now are their classic short cartoons. In the early 2000s they put out some excellent DVD sets aimed at collectors with a great selection of these cartoons in restored quality. The sets are long out of print and I don't see anything comparable available today. The shorts are so important to Disney's history, the evolution of their animation style and the popularity of Mickey, Donald, and the other classic characters. They should make them more available to audiences today.
If your Talking 1920- 1930 Disney. I don't Disney would want to show people it considering how Sensitive people are. Some of the Shorts are pretty Racist and uh Controversial i remember there was one that had a Chicken Chasing down a Hen trying to beat her up because it Couldn't Lay an egg.
I think keeping the Vault system rather encourages piracy. Can't get it in stores? Too expensive online because the last release was so long ago? Can't get it at your library because the waitlist stretches for months? It becomes increasingly easy for someone to justify pirating it. Also have to think, way back then, people didn't have anywhere near the media exposure - how many families even had a TV? When VCRs were new, I'm sure they were just as expensive as when DVD players were new. It wasn't something everyone had. These days, you either have Netflix (or something like it), or know someone who does. Just about everyone has some form of a DVD player. People watch things at other people's houses far more often, because it's more accessible. My point in this is that: if someone has a "locked-away" Disney movie, and their kids and their kids' friends can see it at any time, there's no 7-10 year gap of uninitiated Disney fans. Also take into account the internet with its memes, jokes, and ever-growing library of inside jokes and base knowledge. How many of those do you see on FB or wherever are from a Disney movie you saw as a kid? Or even saw a few years ago? Even if the kids aren't seeing the movies at someone's house, if they're online at ALL, then they're aware of movies, so again, it's not like we have entire decades where kids have never seen a single frame from Aladdin or Lion King.
A reasonable conclusion. You generally can find rare titles there actually. Unsold copies of movies recently returned to the vault, and more niche stuff with small production runs.
The vault really should stay open, especially for the stuff that hasn't seen the light of day for so long *cough* Song of the South needs a Blu-ray release *cough*
Maybe Song of the South could have some sort of limited release (like limited advertising and online-order only.) Then its made audience would be those who saw it back in the day or those who are otherwise interested in it. That would hopefully prevent it from generating too much controversy (though having seen it, I think Disney is just paranoid about it being a disaster if it were ever released.)
Rob, how do you think that Moana coming to Netflix just 6 months after its theater release fits in to all of this? Do you think Disney is testing the waters with more Netflix availability? Perhaps they are looking to capitalize on the popularity to get a higher price licensing the movie to streaming sites. What do you think?
Netflix and Disney have a contract that entitles Netflix any new Disney film at the same time as they are made available to subscription tv networks such as HBO, which is about 6 months
Great question! I'm hoping that the ride of VOD/streaming along with the pressure Disney is feeling right now with cord-cutting and ESPN pushes them to eventually drop the vault concept altogether. We're not seeing new films being added to the vault which is great, and you can even get a lot of the vault films on digital. Now it's just a matter of pulling out the concept for hard copies for the future.
Oh, I had no idea! That's probably a win-win for both companies, then, with Disney benefiting from the continued revenue as the movies leave theaters and Netflix being able to show them while they are still fresh in the public eye.
Since we're on the subject: If they phase out the vault concept with hard copies of their movies, what do you think they will or should do to keep selling the movies over time? I imagine they will then be more reliant on anniversary editions of the movies to sell to collectors and people who want bonus material and such.
Another good question, and one with a really foggy answer. I think a lot of that depends on what the state of hard copy entertainment looks like down the road. At the rate we're moving it feels like we won't even need to depend on anniversary editions because every 10 years we'll just have a new medium to put the film out on (4K Blu Ray? 8k Blu Ray?) Then of course there's the big question of if we'll ever reach a point where hard media isn't really a thing anymore. I feel like there much be a day in the future where digital copies become the majority and hard copies fall back to being a novelty.
there is something to be said about the boxed-set experience, and the 'extras' included in bluray/dvd sets, even back to the VHS days, pieces of film, still prints, posters, and video featurettes and deleted scenes - these still add value and an experience, not to mention - a new 'version' of a film such as a remastering in HD for bluray, that kind of quality is a reason for some to buy all over again even after owning a VHS and DVD version of a Disney Film. Great video, thanks for the reminder - of the days when we didn't have all of our modern conveniences - the notion of "if you missed a film in the theaters, you just missed it" was not that long ago - amazing.
I think the declining reliability of the Disney Vault strategy is precisely why Disney is remaking all of their classic animated films into live action films. The new live action remakes serve as both a tool for introducing these properties to new generations, while also drawing in older people nostalgic for the originals.
Matthew Wells I'm black and I loved the movie. I saw it once on TV but I wish I had it because of Splash Mountain. I don't believe in the black lives matter movement nor anything like that. Honestly no life really matters as we all live and die but I'm getting off topic. It was a different time when it released as other Disney films and we should preserve it not ignore it. That's like ignoring wars but honoring everything else.
Even as a kid, I called BS on the whole Disney Vault thing. "You're gonna lock this film up forever? Sure. Even if you do, the rental places still have them." And now at second-hand stores and such all those "gone forever" VHS releases are piled up high on shelves. Sold to them of course by people who upgraded to the newer releases. Most people only buy them for nostalgic purposes, or if there's something rare on the tape, like the pulled 1999 release of The Rescuers with the hidden nude woman in it (which I actually found at a store; paid only $2 for it). (Frankly, what I really want is the original VHS release of A Goofy Movie with that Dr. Loony's Remedy thing at the beginning. As far as I'm concerned it's part and parcel of my experience of that film. Must be the same for other people too, because I CAN'T FIND IT. )
Now Disney just keeps releasing "new" limited editions of the same movie: the Gold Edition, the Diamond Edition, the Platinum Edition, the Super Double Gold Platinum Edition.
The vault now contains all the stuff in it that they don't want the public to see. Song of the South Original scenes from Fantasia Short cartoons that are either horribly dated or outright racist
i suddenly remember that according to warner bros, in a note presented before looney tunes shorts on dvd that says may not suitable for kids in the cover, hiding racist movies as part of history is equal to denying that such racism exist. i wish disney shares a similar idea
Nabil Bakri Warner Bros has their own 'vault' of cartoons they don't want to officially release. Look up "Censored 11" to find out more about them. Of course, all of those are available on the internet. IMO the best of them is "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs". You'll need to go to Daily Motion to see a good quality version of the whole 7:30+ toon. The versions on YT are chopped and of shit quality. I heartily recomend reading banned books and watching banned videos.
I don't understand why piracy wasn't a thing when the concept of Disney vault was introduced. Pirates could simply buy a dvd make tons of copies of it and keep flooding the market with pirated copies. This seems like logic transition that should had happened but didn't. But why?
I just subscribed to your channel yesterday and I'm loving your stuff. As for the Disney Vault, I'm torn on it. The vault makes a lot of sense from a business standpoint, but as a Disney fan I hate not being able to own my favorite Disney films on Blu-Ray until they decide to release the Platnium Edition for 50 dollars. I feel like I'd be more fine with it if the release was a shorter span, like every five years, and each film is out for one year. So, that way, there's a different line up of movies every year. But, that's likely not going to happen, because Disney really likes money, and this gives them lots of money. Although, I am glad that this is only for the Disney classics and not Pixar or Marvel.
Disney also used it's "Vault" to keep it's more controversial films locked away such as Song of the South. For decades people knew of these films but couldn't see them. SotS has been released outside the US so those who really want to get hold if it can find a copy somewhere. There's also a funny SNL skit about the Disney Vault.
There are plenty of movies that are "in the Disney Vault" that should be released & made available to the public, like Song of the South & remastered versions of some of their live-action features that were only available either on broadcast television or VHS formats.
The fact that Disney is going to start its own streaming service in 2019 does make the Disney vault even more of an issue. Not to mention how they still market the movie even though they put it back in the vault for several years. It makes sense to make Disney Vault Films to be on their soon to come service because it can help bring attention to a film even when you stop selling it on discs or digital stores. Subscription services can do that.
Rob, you are a fantastic presenter. Excellent content. It's tough to find channels as good as this one. Hope this comment finds you. Just discovered your channel but will be watching many more of your videos!
You forgot to mention the numerous DVD and Blu-ray re-releases of the films. There was diamond, platinum, now a signature collection of Disney classic films, including those from the Renaissance.
it does still provide a market today. typically when a film is considered vaulted by Disney, the secondary market price skyrockets. Now with Disney taking classics and converting them to CG and live action, it does give them a way to still use the vault. Take Beauty and the Beast. yes the new one is out, but the original is a timeless classic so when the new one released in theatres, Disney rereleased a diamond edition of the original on blu ray. its pretty effective for the most part with many of the films. trust me, I run a movie store.
In Australia they released a DVD collection with pretty much all of the Disney/Pixar animated movies a year ago. I haven't seen Disney Vault advertising anywhere for a while.
Nowadays while there is still a Disney Vault they often keep their films on the market for several years before going into it. BTW "Robin Hood" was actually the first of the "untouchable" films to be released on VHS "Dumbo" and "Alice and Wonderland" where released before that but they weren't on the "untouchable" list.
I think the live action movies are the new way for Disney is some sort of Disney vault in the present day. Think of it the movie reaches new audiences and it sparks comparisons to the original one making people go back and watch or buy the old animation film again
This made sense in the past, but not in this era. It's like taking away gone with the wind, The Godfather, or even citizen Kane from stores for several years. Pixar films are still loved by Children without this practice. Only time will tell if this will change #NoMoreDisneyVault on twitter
2:59 The Walt Disney Classics collection would actually launch with Robin Hood on December 6, 1984 so they could test the waters using one of their least well regarded films at that time. Then Pinocchio would join the collection on July 16, 1985, officially kicking it into high gear.
Hi Rob Plays! I'm pretty new to your channel and was wondering if you've covered anything on the actual Disney Vault you mentioned at the end of your video?
I have not but that'd be an interesting topic for a future video! I admittedly am only just starting to dip my toes into the larger Disney world. Most of my videos up until now are focused on the theme parks.
I think the Disney Vault is still needed. If not for the movies that Disney has created, than at least for the animated shows of our youth from the late 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. I know I'm not the only one who has scoured the internet looking for old Disney shows that I remember watching as a kid and only find a few episodes instead of the whole series. Shows like The Famous Jett Jackson, The Jersey, So Weird, Pepper Ann, Disney's Doug, PB&J Otter, Teamo Supremo, and Teacher's Pet still elude me, so if I didn't believe that there were copies of the shows in the Disney Vault than I would just give up hope of ever seeing them again.
For Disney it has been a blessing that we got DVDs and BluRays. New reasons to re-release their movies again. But what happens when they put them to streaming service like Netflix or such? How can they still rerelease them or should they just give up that practice entirely
I agree. As everyone knows,"Song Of The South" is one of the few Disney movies that was never made available on home video. Well,I've seen it...the last time they re-released it to theaters in the mid-80's. It's not a very good movie,and I probably would never want to see it again...but at least I saw it once. An argument I've been making for years is that no matter how much TV improves,it will never replace seeing a movie theatrically. The fact that movie theaters still exist some 60-odd years after TV first came into our homes would seem to support this.
The biggest issue, for me, with the Disney Vault is that it ignores 99.99% of it's archive. There are literally hundreds of thousands of hours of film and television material sitting in archives across the world that is now owned by Disney. They have enough material that they could easily launch a streaming service that would be highly successful.
I remember back when I use to have a lot of Disney movies on VHS. Even though I have a couple of them left, I also would see other Disney movies on DVD or on Netflix.
Disney has used the word Classics to describe three types of feature-length films that include animation: Animated features that contain one continuous story; these are most-closely identified with the "Classics" label. Films made up of several shorter, self-contained animated stories. This includes the six package films produced from 1942 to 1949, most of which include live-action characters. Another example is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, released theatrically in 1977, which was a compilation of several shorter Winnie the Pooh films that had been released previously. Live action features which contain fully animated sequences or characters. Mary Poppins,So Dear to My Heart, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Pete's Dragon are examples. Some of the animated package films and live-action films featuring animation were released on home video in the early 1980s, such as The Three Caballeros and Fun and Fancy Free, but most of them were not big sellers. Disney's Classics category was originally defined during discussions for the April 18, 1983, launch of Disney Channel. While the people at Disney were looking through their inventory of films to see what was available for the new cable channel, they decided that they could air some fan-favorite films such as Alice in Wonderland and Mary Poppins, but that 15 other animated movies would never be aired. These 15 animated feature films - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Rescuers, and The Fox and the Hound - had only been shown at theaters, not television or any other format. These 15 movies laid the foundation upon which the Disney company was built. During each re-release to theaters (on a roughly seven-year cycle), they earned money comparable to new releases; it was thought the company would lose this revenue if they released the feature films on video or television. By the time the Masterpiece Collection replaced the Classics collection in the domestic market, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Aristocats were the only two of the original 15 classics that had not yet been re-released. All of the single-story animated features made by Disney were included in the list of 15 classics except for 2. The exceptions were Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland, both of which had been shown on television at the earliest opportunity. The Disneyland TV series began with The Disneyland Story, but the very next thing to be aired was Alice in Wonderland (broadcast November 3, 1954), which was edited to fit into the one-hour TV time slot. The following season began September 14, 1955, with a one-hour version of Dumbo. Both of these movies were released on video within the first two years of the creation of Walt Disney Home Video; the videos were only briefly available for rental before they became available for sale. Despite always being available, Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland have made millions of dollars in subsequent home video releases.
The vault concept still works but in a slightly different manner, it seems they push out this rerelease strategy everytime a new video technology comes out. Say Bambi, first it's released in VHS, then DVD, then BluRay, ten years from now, depending on how media evolves, they may be able to do this again. Just a thought.
what's the clip at 2:29 from. I know it's from Fantasia originally, but that's not the version from the film, there's no mist or certain reflections on the water. But the animation is so smooth and clear. Looks kinda like a samurai jack version of that scene.
This may be mildly off-topic, but the only thing I don't understand is in the case of "The Song of the South". Disney is so afraid to acknowledge its existence as an actual movie (a good movie, as it were) but they use the characters and situations from the movie in Splash Mountain and no one is upset about that. I realize there is some difference between the way the story is told, but either the movie presents a problem in being acknowledged, or it doesn't. Stick to a decision, Disney!
Disney will launch a streaming service in 2019. I hope they will include all the classics. In the UK Disney ended the vault. They have this streaming service called DisneyLife where you can literally stream all the Disney movies. It makes me wish I lived in the UK. Also all of the Disney movies are available to buy at full time in the UK (I looked on the Disney UK website). Ugh you have no idea how jealous I am of the UK. 😑
there's also competition today as opposed to really even 30 years ago. not that there was a ton of traditionally animated movies coming out then that would go head-to-head in terms of content and quality, but it was there. now, with computer animated movies coming out left and right you can't afford to put it in the vault, eh?
Thanks to the Disney vault it took me 10 years to buy Hercules. It’s a genius strategy to manufacture scarcity. It’s not possible now because no one is waiting for vhs tapes. Now Disney does live action reboots. Also my mom still has a whole collection of the 1990s white cased Disney vhs tapes.
I remember going in to a DVD store relatively recently and this was recent enough that Disney movies weren't really on streaming. I remember Pete's Dragon and The Great Mouse Detective were like £30 now you can get them for almost nothing which is sad. I enjoyed the idea of the Disney Vault. A marketing ploy or not it made things less over saturated.
They can rerelease to home video every 7-10 years because by that time the media will have changed. Who here doesn't have their favorite Disney film on VHS, DVD, and bluray? And Disney is now finally good at airing movies that haven't been released in a while on its cable channels. What 4yo is going to want Cinderella merchandise if they have to wait for its rerelease to home video? They could be in middle school by then! Merchandising is a much bigger deal now than last century, and I think that's why they're better at providing the movie.
Walt Disney Classics (1984-1994) Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection (1994-1999) Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection (2000-2001) Walt Disney Platinum Edition series (2001-2009) Walt Disney Diamond Edition series (2009-2015) Walt Disney Signature Collection (2016-Present Day)
The Disney Vault is still in existence and Song of the South is locked away in there. I mean, when you think about it, am I wrong? They took it off the market and kept it.
Its not like regular movies are available all the time anyway Try finding older films anywhere usually piracy is the few easy ways to get older films that are not in stores
As much as I love Disney products, their corporate policies are very greedy and outdated. In addition to the Disney Vault debacle, they're also EXTREMELY strict about copyright, to to the point of suing school districts who show Bill Nye. They're getting better though, and I think their policy of adding their new movies to Netflix is a great step in the right direction.
Vault didn't work in the 80s unless you really wanted to own a video, you could rent them anywhere and everywhere. It has worked with the lesser known live action ones still not released though, but they were only released once to start with. So many of those people never heard of, might still never be released like the Tigers Town disney movie. (I have it).
I've been looking recently for Lion King on Blu ray but its impossible to find a copy at a reasonable price thanks to Disney putting it back into the "Disney vault". Hoepfully we will get a re-release soon to coincide with the remake
What is your opinion on Disney not rereleasing all of their classic animated movies in these cycles? For example, I don't think I've seen special editions of The Black Cauldron, Make Mine Music, and Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad on shelves in new editions for quite a long time.
Holy shit. I never really internalized that VHS only really became a big thing in the 80s, and that before that, TV or going the theatres was basically it. Wow.
This strategy works great! It is also an exact strategy Nintendo does with their games! Keeping quantities limited they are able to keep interest high and keep the market wanting their originals!
Disney is so greedy I worked at a movie theater in college and Disney tried to make the theater stop giving its employees movie passes and also required a percentage of the concession stand profits.
The Problem is that Disney as a retailer to both the young and old still hold onto titles that haven't been released on any medium VHS, DVD or Bluray. I have loved and bought the titles classified as Classics but it seems Disney Still hold onto those few that yet are classed as Classics that have either been shortened for one reason or another I.e Racial issues Disney have why is this when they know there is a place in everyone's Collection for them, it is sad that Disney do this and I personally find some of that attitude to be outdated or no longer a problem. Why not just release them and have done I am sure I am not the only one who has this issue with Disney either
As long as there are better, higher resolution video formats coming out, they'll make money remastering and re-releasing movies! In the next few years, they'll start doing 4K Blu-ray remasters and people will keep buying them from the "vault"
I can see why Disney does it so they can keep charging full price for movies but even as a kid I found this kinda pointless at the sametime. I mean it made since before VHS but after VHS it just ended encouraged Piracey of the films. Really, VHS's weren't that hard to copy and now you can download movies online with a few clicks.
Honestly watching films in theatres is NOTHING like watching it at home. I go to see classic filns rereleased in the theatre because the collective viewing experience is fun. I never picked up on the funny moments of Universal's 1931 version of Dracula until I saw it with 100 people as opposed to just myself at home. People enjoy both! Disney should realize that.
While I agree that the previous vault concept no longer works, there may still be ways for Disney to call attention to their classic movies on some sort of cycling schedule. Perhaps adding a classic film to Netflix for just one month or showing it several times in a single month on their tv network would do the job of promoting their entire filmography nowadays.
I think this is an interesting idea. There definitely is value in making a special occasion out of the films, but I don't know if limiting access to them is the way to do it in this modern age. Perhaps they can pick years to highlight the films and sell/offer supplemental content during that window. A documentary or behind-the-scenes specials. Stuff like that.
Or maybe the path to take would be to let these films live on the home video market untouched, and then go back to limited theatrical runs every 7-10 years so people can experience it on the big screen if they want.
I always love all the extra bonus content that gets added to DVDs. I'd buy DVDs of my favorite classics just for that.
Also, I think there's definitely a market for people wanting to see classic Disney films rereleased in theaters. I mean, I saw Lion King twice and Beauty and the Beast 3 times when both of those were rereleased in 3D (the 3D was not in any way a draw either) and I know lots of people went and saw them several times as well. I think even having the sing along showings in theaters is awesome and would draw a lot of people. Seeing films in theaters is an experience, and it's one I'm sure people would pay for.
Interesting. I'm not on those services. What have they highlighted?
They do a form of it in Australian Netflix. but rather than 7 years old, its 7 months old. So if you missed it in theatre, you can watch it.
They only do one film at a time under this section. And they alternate between Disney films previously released, to older ones and classics.
Also in another form, they have re-releasd some Pixar films in theatre -but with 3D (like Nemo 3D).
So the vault idea is still there, its just in a more modern context and has been reformed and edited for that context - I guess...
There has to be a rich tycoon who creates an animation studio with new characters..
Thew Disney Vault has been replaced. First by direct to video and then by Live-Action Remakes.
They should have called it vault Disney , get it ... Walt disney
Dylan Armitage There was already a Disney Channel series called Vault Disney.
+Happiest Place And said series showcases practically everything that Walt ever worked on.
Lol
Oh brother, this guy stinks!
Rob: Keep The Disney Vault open
Disney+: Hold my Mickey Hat
Seems like perfect timing to post that reply, as not only was this video explaining this particular release strategy was released a mere couple of years before this particular streaming service launched, but it also made sense when physical copies of their animated classics were the norm.
Something Disney seems to be keeping in the vault for now are their classic short cartoons. In the early 2000s they put out some excellent DVD sets aimed at collectors with a great selection of these cartoons in restored quality. The sets are long out of print and I don't see anything comparable available today.
The shorts are so important to Disney's history, the evolution of their animation style and the popularity of Mickey, Donald, and the other classic characters. They should make them more available to audiences today.
I'm more a fan of Disney's Cinema shorts than of their theatrical movies.
If your Talking 1920- 1930 Disney. I don't Disney would want to show people it considering how Sensitive people are. Some of the Shorts are pretty Racist and uh Controversial i remember there was one that had a Chicken Chasing down a Hen trying to beat her up because it Couldn't Lay an egg.
I think keeping the Vault system rather encourages piracy. Can't get it in stores? Too expensive online because the last release was so long ago? Can't get it at your library because the waitlist stretches for months? It becomes increasingly easy for someone to justify pirating it.
Also have to think, way back then, people didn't have anywhere near the media exposure - how many families even had a TV? When VCRs were new, I'm sure they were just as expensive as when DVD players were new. It wasn't something everyone had.
These days, you either have Netflix (or something like it), or know someone who does. Just about everyone has some form of a DVD player. People watch things at other people's houses far more often, because it's more accessible. My point in this is that: if someone has a "locked-away" Disney movie, and their kids and their kids' friends can see it at any time, there's no 7-10 year gap of uninitiated Disney fans.
Also take into account the internet with its memes, jokes, and ever-growing library of inside jokes and base knowledge. How many of those do you see on FB or wherever are from a Disney movie you saw as a kid? Or even saw a few years ago? Even if the kids aren't seeing the movies at someone's house, if they're online at ALL, then they're aware of movies, so again, it's not like we have entire decades where kids have never seen a single frame from Aladdin or Lion King.
Epically now days when everybody knows how to pirate, there was probably people connecting VCRs to each other in the past to.
When I was a kid, I used to think that Vault store in Downtown Disney was "The Disney Vault" and that's where all the movies were :o
A reasonable conclusion. You generally can find rare titles there actually. Unsold copies of movies recently returned to the vault, and more niche stuff with small production runs.
The vault really should stay open, especially for the stuff that hasn't seen the light of day for so long *cough* Song of the South needs a Blu-ray release *cough*
Haha that one isn't a Disney Vault issue as much as Disney not wanting to touch the film with a 10 foot pole.
Rob Plays My point still stands, though
Maybe Song of the South could have some sort of limited release (like limited advertising and online-order only.) Then its made audience would be those who saw it back in the day or those who are otherwise interested in it. That would hopefully prevent it from generating too much controversy (though having seen it, I think Disney is just paranoid about it being a disaster if it were ever released.)
Disney doesn't want to be reminded of its racist past, despite Splash Mountain's theming being a thing.
What the Disney vault should take out is the Wonderful World of Disney and play the reruns on TV every Sunday
Rob, how do you think that Moana coming to Netflix just 6 months after its theater release fits in to all of this? Do you think Disney is testing the waters with more Netflix availability? Perhaps they are looking to capitalize on the popularity to get a higher price licensing the movie to streaming sites. What do you think?
Netflix and Disney have a contract that entitles Netflix any new Disney film at the same time as they are made available to subscription tv networks such as HBO, which is about 6 months
Great question! I'm hoping that the ride of VOD/streaming along with the pressure Disney is feeling right now with cord-cutting and ESPN pushes them to eventually drop the vault concept altogether.
We're not seeing new films being added to the vault which is great, and you can even get a lot of the vault films on digital. Now it's just a matter of pulling out the concept for hard copies for the future.
Oh, I had no idea! That's probably a win-win for both companies, then, with Disney benefiting from the continued revenue as the movies leave theaters and Netflix being able to show them while they are still fresh in the public eye.
Since we're on the subject: If they phase out the vault concept with hard copies of their movies, what do you think they will or should do to keep selling the movies over time? I imagine they will then be more reliant on anniversary editions of the movies to sell to collectors and people who want bonus material and such.
Another good question, and one with a really foggy answer. I think a lot of that depends on what the state of hard copy entertainment looks like down the road.
At the rate we're moving it feels like we won't even need to depend on anniversary editions because every 10 years we'll just have a new medium to put the film out on (4K Blu Ray? 8k Blu Ray?)
Then of course there's the big question of if we'll ever reach a point where hard media isn't really a thing anymore. I feel like there much be a day in the future where digital copies become the majority and hard copies fall back to being a novelty.
there is something to be said about the boxed-set experience, and the 'extras' included in bluray/dvd sets, even back to the VHS days, pieces of film, still prints, posters, and video featurettes and deleted scenes - these still add value and an experience, not to mention - a new 'version' of a film such as a remastering in HD for bluray, that kind of quality is a reason for some to buy all over again even after owning a VHS and DVD version of a Disney Film. Great video, thanks for the reminder - of the days when we didn't have all of our modern conveniences - the notion of "if you missed a film in the theaters, you just missed it" was not that long ago - amazing.
I think the declining reliability of the Disney Vault strategy is precisely why Disney is remaking all of their classic animated films into live action films. The new live action remakes serve as both a tool for introducing these properties to new generations, while also drawing in older people nostalgic for the originals.
They should release Song of the South on DVD. They do not even have to advertise or promote it. Just do it.
Maybe they have already released it on DVD, but you didn't know because Disney never said it was available.
Maybe they have already released it on DVD, but you didn't know because Disney never said it was available.
Song Of The South was only released on VHS in the UK.
Several Times
@@saturninhabitant i’m from the us and my mom has a vhs copy
Been a fan since 2013; sooo happy your recent videos are getting attention!!
Thanks! It's really happening very quickly! A bit overwhelming at times but it's a great motivator!
I just want to see "Song of the South" again.
spikerlj why don't they remake it, with the questionable content removed, but with the same great songs?
I have the movie on DVD. A friend got it for me at a "Song of the South" museum in Georgia.
I think it's important to have the racist content still in. One must learn from one's past sins, not sweep them under the rug.
Matthew Wells I'm black and I loved the movie. I saw it once on TV but I wish I had it because of Splash Mountain. I don't believe in the black lives matter movement nor anything like that. Honestly no life really matters as we all live and die but I'm getting off topic. It was a different time when it released as other Disney films and we should preserve it not ignore it. That's like ignoring wars but honoring everything else.
its not an sjw thing its a "not being a human piece of shit" thing
5:11
Rob: It's time to open the Disney Vault, and keep it open...
Disney: Okay, let's rename the vault to Disney+!
Even as a kid, I called BS on the whole Disney Vault thing. "You're gonna lock this film up forever? Sure. Even if you do, the rental places still have them."
And now at second-hand stores and such all those "gone forever" VHS releases are piled up high on shelves. Sold to them of course by people who upgraded to the newer releases. Most people only buy them for nostalgic purposes, or if there's something rare on the tape, like the pulled 1999 release of The Rescuers with the hidden nude woman in it (which I actually found at a store; paid only $2 for it).
(Frankly, what I really want is the original VHS release of A Goofy Movie with that Dr. Loony's Remedy thing at the beginning. As far as I'm concerned it's part and parcel of my experience of that film. Must be the same for other people too, because I CAN'T FIND IT. )
I think they heard you Rob, as they prepare to throw open the vault to Disney+
Now Disney just keeps releasing "new" limited editions of the same movie: the Gold Edition, the Diamond Edition, the Platinum Edition, the Super Double Gold Platinum Edition.
The vault now contains all the stuff in it that they don't want the public to see.
Song of the South
Original scenes from Fantasia
Short cartoons that are either horribly dated or outright racist
i suddenly remember that according to warner bros, in a note presented before looney tunes shorts on dvd that says may not suitable for kids in the cover, hiding racist movies as part of history is equal to denying that such racism exist. i wish disney shares a similar idea
Nabil Bakri Warner Bros has their own 'vault' of cartoons they don't want to officially release. Look up "Censored 11" to find out more about them.
Of course, all of those are available on the internet. IMO the best of them is "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs". You'll need to go to Daily Motion to see a good quality version of the whole 7:30+ toon. The versions on YT are chopped and of shit quality.
I heartily recomend reading banned books and watching banned videos.
I don't understand why piracy wasn't a thing when the concept of Disney vault was introduced. Pirates could simply buy a dvd make tons of copies of it and keep flooding the market with pirated copies. This seems like logic transition that should had happened but didn't. But why?
I just subscribed to your channel yesterday and I'm loving your stuff. As for the Disney Vault, I'm torn on it. The vault makes a lot of sense from a business standpoint, but as a Disney fan I hate not being able to own my favorite Disney films on Blu-Ray until they decide to release the Platnium Edition for 50 dollars. I feel like I'd be more fine with it if the release was a shorter span, like every five years, and each film is out for one year. So, that way, there's a different line up of movies every year. But, that's likely not going to happen, because Disney really likes money, and this gives them lots of money. Although, I am glad that this is only for the Disney classics and not Pixar or Marvel.
Disney's new strategy now seems to be: Re-release reboots of classic Disney movies every 7-10 years.
Disney also used it's "Vault" to keep it's more controversial films locked away such as Song of the South. For decades people knew of these films but couldn't see them.
SotS has been released outside the US so those who really want to get hold if it can find a copy somewhere.
There's also a funny SNL skit about the Disney Vault.
There are plenty of movies that are "in the Disney Vault" that should be released & made available to the public, like Song of the South & remastered versions of some of their live-action features that were only available either on broadcast television or VHS formats.
The fact that Disney is going to start its own streaming service in 2019 does make the Disney vault even more of an issue. Not to mention how they still market the movie even though they put it back in the vault for several years. It makes sense to make Disney Vault Films to be on their soon to come service because it can help bring attention to a film even when you stop selling it on discs or digital stores. Subscription services can do that.
Rob, you are the best. I thought I knew Disney, but every time I watch one of your videos I learn something new. Thanks for the great videos!
Rob, you are a fantastic presenter. Excellent content. It's tough to find channels as good as this one. Hope this comment finds you. Just discovered your channel but will be watching many more of your videos!
Thanks for the kind words Timothy! I hope to keep it up!
You forgot to mention the numerous DVD and Blu-ray re-releases of the films. There was diamond, platinum, now a signature collection of Disney classic films, including those from the Renaissance.
it does still provide a market today. typically when a film is considered vaulted by Disney, the secondary market price skyrockets. Now with Disney taking classics and converting them to CG and live action, it does give them a way to still use the vault. Take Beauty and the Beast. yes the new one is out, but the original is a timeless classic so when the new one released in theatres, Disney rereleased a diamond edition of the original on blu ray. its pretty effective for the most part with many of the films. trust me, I run a movie store.
In Australia they released a DVD collection with pretty much all of the Disney/Pixar animated movies a year ago. I haven't seen Disney Vault advertising anywhere for a while.
Nowadays while there is still a Disney Vault they often keep their films on the market for several years before going into it.
BTW "Robin Hood" was actually the first of the "untouchable" films to be released on VHS "Dumbo" and "Alice and Wonderland" where released before that but they weren't on the "untouchable" list.
You're such a great RUclipsr! Your videos are really good!
Actually, there WAS no TV in 1944...TVs didn't become commercially available until 1947
TV was certainly a rarity until after WWII came to a close, but there was television in 1944. Commercial broadcasting began as early as 1941.
Battle of the wiki! FIGHT!
I just found your channel last week. I really enjoy the content. Keep up the great work.
Thanks! I'll do my best!
I think the live action movies are the new way for Disney is some sort of Disney vault in the present day. Think of it the movie reaches new audiences and it sparks comparisons to the original one making people go back and watch or buy the old animation film again
This made sense in the past, but not in this era. It's like taking away gone with the wind, The Godfather, or even citizen Kane from stores for several years. Pixar films are still loved by Children without this practice. Only time will tell if this will change #NoMoreDisneyVault on twitter
You should make a video about Walt Disneys head being cryogenically frozen
2:59 The Walt Disney Classics collection would actually launch with Robin Hood on December 6, 1984 so they could test the waters using one of their least well regarded films at that time. Then Pinocchio would join the collection on July 16, 1985, officially kicking it into high gear.
Your videos are very interesting and very informative. I just randomly stumbled across them. Great work
Thanks!
Don't they re-release a film every so often as an "anniversary" edition?
im interested to know how the disney VOD service will fit into this system. seems like they have finally given in
$80 for a VHS tape. Compared to $10 for a 1 Disk DVD today...Times have certainly changed!!!
Hi Rob Plays! I'm pretty new to your channel and was wondering if you've covered anything on the actual Disney Vault you mentioned at the end of your video?
I have not but that'd be an interesting topic for a future video! I admittedly am only just starting to dip my toes into the larger Disney world. Most of my videos up until now are focused on the theme parks.
I think the Disney Vault is still needed. If not for the movies that Disney has created, than at least for the animated shows of our youth from the late 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. I know I'm not the only one who has scoured the internet looking for old Disney shows that I remember watching as a kid and only find a few episodes instead of the whole series. Shows like The Famous Jett Jackson, The Jersey, So Weird, Pepper Ann, Disney's Doug, PB&J Otter, Teamo Supremo, and Teacher's Pet still elude me, so if I didn't believe that there were copies of the shows in the Disney Vault than I would just give up hope of ever seeing them again.
For Disney it has been a blessing that we got DVDs and BluRays. New reasons to re-release their movies again. But what happens when they put them to streaming service like Netflix or such? How can they still rerelease them or should they just give up that practice entirely
I agree.
As everyone knows,"Song Of The South" is one of the few Disney movies that was never made available on home video. Well,I've seen it...the last time they re-released it to theaters in the mid-80's. It's not a very good movie,and I probably would never want to see it again...but at least I saw it once.
An argument I've been making for years is that no matter how much TV improves,it will never replace seeing a movie theatrically. The fact that movie theaters still exist some 60-odd years after TV first came into our homes would seem to support this.
The biggest issue, for me, with the Disney Vault is that it ignores 99.99% of it's archive. There are literally hundreds of thousands of hours of film and television material sitting in archives across the world that is now owned by Disney. They have enough material that they could easily launch a streaming service that would be highly successful.
Answering the real questions!!! I've always been curious about this. TY!
I remember back when I use to have a lot of Disney movies on VHS. Even though I have a couple of them left, I also would see other Disney movies on DVD or on Netflix.
Awesome video rob! :)
Your videos are really interesting & informative! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks!
Disney has used the word Classics to describe three types of feature-length films that include animation:
Animated features that contain one continuous story; these are most-closely identified with the "Classics" label.
Films made up of several shorter, self-contained animated stories. This includes the six package films produced from 1942 to 1949, most of which include live-action characters. Another example is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, released theatrically in 1977, which was a compilation of several shorter Winnie the Pooh films that had been released previously.
Live action features which contain fully animated sequences or characters. Mary Poppins,So Dear to My Heart, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Pete's Dragon are examples.
Some of the animated package films and live-action films featuring animation were released on home video in the early 1980s, such as The Three Caballeros and Fun and Fancy Free, but most of them were not big sellers.
Disney's Classics category was originally defined during discussions for the April 18, 1983, launch of Disney Channel. While the people at Disney were looking through their inventory of films to see what was available for the new cable channel, they decided that they could air some fan-favorite films such as Alice in Wonderland and Mary Poppins, but that 15 other animated movies would never be aired.
These 15 animated feature films - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Rescuers, and The Fox and the Hound - had only been shown at theaters, not television or any other format. These 15 movies laid the foundation upon which the Disney company was built. During each re-release to theaters (on a roughly seven-year cycle), they earned money comparable to new releases; it was thought the company would lose this revenue if they released the feature films on video or television. By the time the Masterpiece Collection replaced the Classics collection in the domestic market, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Aristocats were the only two of the original 15 classics that had not yet been re-released.
All of the single-story animated features made by Disney were included in the list of 15 classics except for 2. The exceptions were Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland, both of which had been shown on television at the earliest opportunity. The Disneyland TV series began with The Disneyland Story, but the very next thing to be aired was Alice in Wonderland (broadcast November 3, 1954), which was edited to fit into the one-hour TV time slot. The following season began September 14, 1955, with a one-hour version of Dumbo. Both of these movies were released on video within the first two years of the creation of Walt Disney Home Video; the videos were only briefly available for rental before they became available for sale. Despite always being available, Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland have made millions of dollars in subsequent home video releases.
The vault concept still works but in a slightly different manner, it seems they push out this rerelease strategy everytime a new video technology comes out. Say Bambi, first it's released in VHS, then DVD, then BluRay, ten years from now, depending on how media evolves, they may be able to do this again. Just a thought.
what's the clip at 2:29 from. I know it's from Fantasia originally, but that's not the version from the film, there's no mist or certain reflections on the water. But the animation is so smooth and clear.
Looks kinda like a samurai jack version of that scene.
This may be mildly off-topic, but the only thing I don't understand is in the case of "The Song of the South". Disney is so afraid to acknowledge its existence as an actual movie (a good movie, as it were) but they use the characters and situations from the movie in Splash Mountain and no one is upset about that. I realize there is some difference between the way the story is told, but either the movie presents a problem in being acknowledged, or it doesn't. Stick to a decision, Disney!
Disney will launch a streaming service in 2019. I hope they will include all the classics. In the UK Disney ended the vault. They have this streaming service called DisneyLife where you can literally stream all the Disney movies. It makes me wish I lived in the UK. Also all of the Disney movies are available to buy at full time in the UK (I looked on the Disney UK website). Ugh you have no idea how jealous I am of the UK. 😑
Even the most obscure and profane Disney films?
IdeaBox9000 That I’m not sure about
IdeaBox9000 What Disney movie is profane..?
Mychael Darklighter The one about Menstrual Cycles. 😀
there's also competition today as opposed to really even 30 years ago. not that there was a ton of traditionally animated movies coming out then that would go head-to-head in terms of content and quality, but it was there. now, with computer animated movies coming out left and right you can't afford to put it in the vault, eh?
Thanks to the Disney vault it took me 10 years to buy Hercules. It’s a genius strategy to manufacture scarcity. It’s not possible now because no one is waiting for vhs tapes. Now Disney does live action reboots.
Also my mom still has a whole collection of the 1990s white cased Disney vhs tapes.
A ploy to artificially maintain high prices on its films. Period. And what they did with the Little Mermaid on blu ray... Don't get me started.
Omg yes the colours are bheee😝and they ave reverse a scene in part of your world ...I mean why!!!!
$80 for one VHS?? Damn, that's wild.
I remember going in to a DVD store relatively recently and this was recent enough that Disney movies weren't really on streaming. I remember Pete's Dragon and The Great Mouse Detective were like £30 now you can get them for almost nothing which is sad. I enjoyed the idea of the Disney Vault. A marketing ploy or not it made things less over saturated.
That "priced-to-rent" video strategy was common in the industry.
They can rerelease to home video every 7-10 years because by that time the media will have changed. Who here doesn't have their favorite Disney film on VHS, DVD, and bluray? And Disney is now finally good at airing movies that haven't been released in a while on its cable channels. What 4yo is going to want Cinderella merchandise if they have to wait for its rerelease to home video? They could be in middle school by then! Merchandising is a much bigger deal now than last century, and I think that's why they're better at providing the movie.
I"m so old I saw both Snow White and Peter Pan on release in theater's. Then we got a VCR and our first movie was Sleeping Beauty
Walt Disney Classics (1984-1994)
Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection (1994-1999)
Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection (2000-2001)
Walt Disney Platinum Edition series (2001-2009)
Walt Disney Diamond Edition series (2009-2015)
Walt Disney Signature Collection (2016-Present Day)
Need to release the complete Disneyland/World of Disney TV series. Also the Scarecrow on Blu-ray. I missed the Treasure release.
The Disney Vault is still in existence and Song of the South is locked away in there.
I mean, when you think about it, am I wrong? They took it off the market and kept it.
Its not like regular movies are available all the time anyway
Try finding older films anywhere
usually piracy is the few easy ways to get older films that are not in stores
As much as I love Disney products, their corporate policies are very greedy and outdated. In addition to the Disney Vault debacle, they're also EXTREMELY strict about copyright, to to the point of suing school districts who show Bill Nye. They're getting better though, and I think their policy of adding their new movies to Netflix is a great step in the right direction.
Vault didn't work in the 80s unless you really wanted to own a video, you could rent them anywhere and everywhere. It has worked with the lesser known live action ones still not released though, but they were only released once to start with. So many of those people never heard of, might still never be released like the Tigers Town disney movie. (I have it).
I always thought that it was because of copyright laws. After a certain amount of years after the authors death the work becomes public domain.
You forgot to mention the clever title they gave the strategy on the VHS tapes: "Vault Disney."
The black & white footage of the old characters is horrifying
I've been looking recently for Lion King on Blu ray but its impossible to find a copy at a reasonable price thanks to Disney putting it back into the "Disney vault". Hoepfully we will get a re-release soon to coincide with the remake
What is your opinion on Disney not rereleasing all of their classic animated movies in these cycles? For example, I don't think I've seen special editions of The Black Cauldron, Make Mine Music, and Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad on shelves in new editions for quite a long time.
Isn't this the reason that Disney is now making the live action remakes of their animated classics?
I suspect that has more to do with finding new ways to cash in on nostalgia similar to the remake/reboot craze we're seeing all across Hollywood.
Thanks great video rob you are very informative appreciate the hard work
I remember the Disney vault commercials these commercials always made me feel sad
Holy shit. I never really internalized that VHS only really became a big thing in the 80s, and that before that, TV or going the theatres was basically it.
Wow.
This strategy works great! It is also an exact strategy Nintendo does with their games! Keeping quantities limited they are able to keep interest high and keep the market wanting their originals!
This is a wonderful video but would have appreciated having accompanying text included for the entire narration.
Disney is so greedy I worked at a movie theater in college and Disney tried to make the theater stop giving its employees movie passes and also required a percentage of the concession stand profits.
good stuff as always
Those costumes are what nightmares are made of.
I wish Lion King, Bambi& Dumbo weren't on this list of movies affected by this policy.
I was genuinely hoping the Disney Vault was real. Imagine a vault in the shape of Mickey's head! XD
I agree, I even heard the argument used of " I have no excuse but to download this illegally, because I have no other option to watch this film"
"Song of the South" is the epitome of this if you live in the states.
Joshua Newman I do and I agree.
They should rerelease a classic movie in theaters. That would be really cool to see Snow White in theaters instead of in my bedroom on my laptop
Fantastic video!
Disney is removing the Disney vault for Disney +
The Problem is that Disney as a retailer to both the young and old still hold onto titles that haven't been released on any medium VHS, DVD or Bluray. I have loved and bought the titles classified as Classics but it seems Disney Still hold onto those few that yet are classed as Classics that have either been shortened for one reason or another I.e Racial issues Disney have why is this when they know there is a place in everyone's Collection for them, it is sad that Disney do this and I personally find some of that attitude to be outdated or no longer a problem. Why not just release them and have done I am sure I am not the only one who has this issue with Disney either
As long as there are better, higher resolution video formats coming out, they'll make money remastering and re-releasing movies! In the next few years, they'll start doing 4K Blu-ray remasters and people will keep buying them from the "vault"
ayyy now I understand why my first movie in theaters was the original 101 Dalmatians. in like 92.
Which is why I believe the newest era of the “Disney Vault” will be the culmination of their new streaming service, Disney+.
Allllll of Disney's "concerns" came to fruition
I can see why Disney does it so they can keep charging full price for movies but even as a kid I found this kinda pointless at the sametime. I mean it made since before VHS but after VHS it just ended encouraged Piracey of the films. Really, VHS's weren't that hard to copy and now you can download movies online with a few clicks.
You should do a video of you reviewing the new Pandora at Animal Kingdom. I've been there and think it's pretty great
I actually wish that Disney would take the Wonderful World of Disney out the vault and put it back on TV, Netflix, even in the App Store
Honestly watching films in theatres is NOTHING like watching it at home. I go to see classic filns rereleased in the theatre because the collective viewing experience is fun. I never picked up on the funny moments of Universal's 1931 version of Dracula until I saw it with 100 people as opposed to just myself at home. People enjoy both! Disney should realize that.
Amazing stuff!