FROM: Why Did Disney DO That?!? Published As Necessary

It Came from the Disney Vault!

The mist parts, the coffin creaks, a white hand claws the air... That's Dracula, isn't it? But for all we know, he may also be in the Disney Vault, bunking with Jimmy Hoffa and rare, never-before-seen footage from Disney films. Enter, if you dare...

- Lee Beatens, April 3, 2011

Disney has a way of making something insidious seem wonderful. For example, while they are digging deep into your pockets, they can make it seem like they're doing you a favor.

Case in point:

The Seven Year (Profit) Itch

The Disney Vault is a virtual repository where all Disney movies go after their initial release and where they stay for exactly seven years, after which they 'reappear' for a whole new generation of viewers. And a whole new wave of consumer spending, of course.

Disney does this so that you, the new parent of a young up-and-coming Disney fan, can share the magic of your favorite Disney films with your offspring. Why you can't use your old copy for that is beyond me.

As technology has progressed, the re-releasing of old favorites has enabled us to update our old VHS tapes for DVD and then BluRay formats. Overall, that's a good thing.

For example, by repurchasing my collection on DVD, I now have a host of extras that were unavailable in the VHS format. And I love those extras! Kudos to Disney for stepping up the available content on almost all of the classic animated films.

But then the insidious part creeps in.

The Never-Before-Seen Hustle

With the advent of BluRay technology, there's a new wave of re-releases. Now, if they just released the same content on the BluRay that was on the DVD, old buyers could sit pat while new buyers could step in.

Remember the insidious part?

Here it is: All of a sudden, Disney has unearthed 'forgotten' or 'lost' footage since the last release!

Even more unused stills and songs mysteriously appear from the Disney Archives! New facts are found that you must know!

Why does Disney DO that?

I remember buying Snow White on DVD. It was the Platinum Edition, the All-New Immersive 2-Disc DVD Experience! This was sometime around the millennium. After watching these DVDs, I thought I knew everything there was to know about Disney's first Princess.

Then came the BluRay re-release mega-combo super-duper new-new-new-edition of last year. And of course it contained new features NEVER SEEN BEFORE! Surprise.

Does anyone believe that Disney just happens to trip over a new batch of unreleased stuff a few months before the conclusion of the Disney Vault cycle for a given film?

Do Disney Archivists walk around with their eyes closed the rest of the time? Or while they're compiling what should be a comprehensive list of everything in the Archive, do they really miss so much stuff?

Apparently.

Wonders Yet to Come!

So what will the next re-re-re-re-re-release of Snow White contain? Will we learn that Walt actually had a brother who was a dwarf? That the heart in the box was actually from a disgruntled employee and not a stag as originally reported? That Snow White didn't actually talk with the animals, but was just faking?

What more has yet to be revealed?

We'll have to wait another six years until the Disney Vault swings open on Snow White once again for the answer. Hopefully, by then, the Disney Archives will have hired people who know how to do their job the first time, and we'll be spared any more 'finds'!

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