When we left the theater, my Dad decided that we were going to stop at a garage sale. When we got there, my sister and I hurried towards the videotape bin to see if there was a movie we didn't own (back then, we only owned Dumbo, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Robin Hood, Pocahontas, and Toy Story). Sure enough, we found the ultimate collection of VHS tapes, $2 each! (The Jungle Book, Cinderella, Return of Jafar, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Bambi, Sleeping Beauty, Fox and the Hound, 101 Dalmatians, The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)
When we got home and began shoving each tape into the VCR, and I found out that The Little Mermaid was actually originally released back in 1989 (I thought all Disney videos came out when I was born XD) But why weren't all Disney films available ALL THE TIME? Why did Disney re-release Mermaid? Why does Disney wait 7-10 years to re-release their movies? And why did they stop re-releasing them in theaters? In this post, I'll be discussing why Disney does what they do, when to expect your favorite film to be back on video, and why releasing Pixar movies was a shameful thing to attempt by Disney.
The Nightmare Begins...lol
The world was engulfed in turmoil. Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito were carving up both the Allies and the rest of the world. Britain was on the brink of collapse, while France, Denmark, and the USSR were being overrun by the Nazis. This worldwide affair would spell doom for the once economically sound Walt Disney Productions, whose first film had grossed more than any film outside of Gone With The Wind. As the war began to heat up, Walt had to watch Pinocchio and Fantasia lose a substantial amount of money. By the end of 1940, they were worse off than they were when they tried to make Snow White back in 1937, despite both film doing very well in the US.
Although Dumbo was able to generate much needed income, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into the war. The very next morning, the US Army moved onto the Disney lot and several artists left to fight in the war. With virtually no market for the film, it as no surprise that Bambi bombed just like the other films did. Disney was now in the business of creating training films and morale boosting propaganda. Since they weren't being paid for it, the Disney bank accounts were virtually empty. The Studio needed a big hit, but did not have the money to create one. They needed another Snow White.
Snow White? Snow White! That's It!
The film didn't cost a cent to re-release, the film was a virtually guaranteed hit, and there was a whole generation that never had a chance to see the film. The film was re-released in 1944, and was a smash success. The studio was saved, and the war was coming to an end. As the war died down, Disney re-released the other films, which all finally began to generate huge amounts of profit. As the studio recovered, they were also able to release new classics like Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Lady and the Tramp. The success of Snow White launched Disney's tradition of re-releasing their movies every 7 to 10 years.
1950's: WTF????
As television became a huge industry in America, few moviemakers in Hollywood were willing to take advantage of the new medium. Being the evil genius that he was, Disney took advantage of TV not only to generate more income, but to gain finances needed to create his dream: Disneyland. So naturally, if Walt was going to keep the audiences coming back, he needed a good idea for an episode. His result? Dumbo! Yeah, that's right. Dumbo, though severely edited, was the second episode of the Disneyland TV series. It was soon followed by a severely edited version of Alice in Wonderland. This showed that Walt was willing to make sacrifices to make his TV show interesting. The board, however, was less inclined to change their re-release program. While the two I mentioned above would be shown again and again on TV, 15 animated films as of 1983 would never be released on video or on television: Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Rescuers, and The Fox and the Hound.
When Home Video came into being, these films were barred from ever hitting store shelves, although Mary Poppins, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Fun and Fancy Free, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh were all released at the earliest of times.
1984: The Beginning of the End...
After a re-release in 1982, Robin Hood did poorly, grossing only $9 million. So, naturally, when the Old Guard of the board clashed with Michael Eisner and his new regime, the first film the two groups could agree on was Robin Hood. In Fall of 1984, Robin Hood became the first of the "Untouchables" to be released on video. The film began the "Walt Disney Classics" collection of videos.
1985: The End of The Beginning of the End...
Proving that he was going to answer to no one, Michael Eisner proclaimed that after a very successful re-release in 1984, Pinocchio would be the next film to be released on Home Video. This would prove to be the Darth Maul stab in the chest of re-releases (see more in 1992). Although the film was very successful on video, it also has the distinction of being the first (and last until 1988), of having a teaser trailer for an upcoming movie, in this case, The Black Cauldron. But since The Black Cauldron tanked miserably, Disney began to question full-length animation's ability to survive the invasion of Hollywood.
1986: Sleeping Beauty and The Sword in the Stone are released on video for the first time. Neither has received a substantial re-release to theaters since (see 1992)
1987: Lady and the Tramp is released on video. It has not received a substantial re-release to theaters since.
1988: Cinderella is released on video. It has not had a significant re-release since. This VHS marks not only a return to advertising the next Disney Classic (Oliver and Company), but also introduced a new logo1989: Bambi is released on video for the first time. It has not received a re-release to theaters since.
The Black Cauldron was initially supposed to be the next film in the "Classics" line. It even received a tape master for it. But a certain red headed mermaid stopped the film from being released on home video until 1998, ironically the same year The Little Mermaid was released on video the second time.
1990: The Movie that Started the Fall...oh and Peter Pan
Just a few months after the film stopped showing in theaters, Disney announced that in May 1990, they would be releasing The Little Mermaid to home video, making it the first post-Untouchable film ever to be released on video. This was a highly controversial announcement, specifically due to the fact that the film had just been out in theaters and had yet to be re-released. Could Disney still do that? Well, they did. Mermaid went on to become the top selling video of the year, while Disney still claimed a re-release would still be in the future for the young Ariel.
Peter Pan was also released to video for the first time. It has yet to receive a theatrical re-release since 1989. This VHS had the distinction of being the first to promote another video, obviously being The Little Mermaid.
1991: The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, The Rescuers Down Under, and Fantasia are released to video for the first time. None of these films has been re-released since, or in Down Under's case, ever.
1992: The Dead End Signs begin...
101 Dalmatians, The Great Mouse Detective, The Rescuers, and Beauty and the Beast are all released on video for the first time. All but Beauty and the Beast are never released to theaters again.
The first post-home video title was being re-released to theaters: Pinocchio. But a disappointing turn at the box office sealed this film's fate. Sleeping Beauty was scheduled to be re-released in Spring 1993, but Pinocchio's poor results quickly canceled that.
1993: The Last LEGITIMATE Horse nears the finish line
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is re-released to theaters for the very last time.
Aladdin is released to home video for the first time. It has yet to receive a re-release to theaters of any kind (why?)
1994: The Last LEGITIMATE Horse crosses the finish line
The Fox and the Hound is released on video for the first time. It has yet to receive a theatrical re-release since. This film also marks the final film in the Walt Disney Classics collection.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is released on video for the first time. It has yet to receive another re-release.
Due to the delayed production on A Goofy Movie, Disney re-releases The Lion King to theaters after being off the big screen for a few weeks.
1996: The First Experiment...
Having been the only successful film to not have been released to video yet, Disney announced a re-release of Oliver and Company, which came out in the spring of 1996. The film was then released to video that fall. It has yet to receive a legitimate re-release to theaters since.
The Aristocats is the last Untouchable to be released on video. Like the others, it has yet to receive a re-release to theaters since.
1997: Mermaid rides again...
The Little Mermaid is re-released to theaters after its first run in 1989. The film did quite well for a re-release, grossing over $27 million dollars in just 17 days. On that pace, it would have out-grossed both Don Bluth's Anastasia and Disney's own film, Hercules, by a country mile.
Disney planned to re-release Beauty and the Beast next, but the film would be delayed for quite some time due to animation constraints.
2001: Belle Sings, but the movie sinks...
Beauty and the Beast is final re-released in late 2001. The film included a new musical number, but failed to bring in the money expected, chiefly due to Eisner's short sighted decision to release it only into IMAX theaters and Large Format Cinemas.
2002: It's a Merry Christmas to All...except for the Pridelands
The Lion King is re-released Christmas Day 2002. I saw it, but no one else really did. The film did even worse than Beast did, ultimately cancelling a scheduled re-release of Aladdin, ironically the only film that IMAX would work really well for.
2009: The Toys are Back...in 3D?
In order to properly promote Toy Story 3, both Toy Story and it's sequel are re-released for a very limited time to theaters, with the added gimmick of 3D vision. The film did modestly well, and Disney was willing to take another huge gamble on their next 3D re-release.
Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo go into the Disney Vault (KEEP THIS IN MIND)
2010: Beauty and the Beast is re-released on DVD and Blu-Ray (KEEP THIS IN MIND)
2011: Hakuna Matata means BIG MONEY!!!
In a huge gamble, Disney decides to re-release The Lion King to theaters in 3D. The film exceeded everyones expectations, dominating the box office for over four weeks while also prime pumping the film higher on the All Time Grossers list. 2012: If it aint broke, They'll break it... ):(
After the immense success of The Lion King, Disney announced that the film would be followed by several other films. And all but one of them were terrible and stupid ideas.
Beauty and the Beast is re-released in 3D a few weeks after Christmas. The film did poorly (I'll explain more below)
Finding Nemo is re-released in 3D. It did poorly.
2013: My Last Straw...
After Monsters Inc. failed at the box office, Disney withdrew their plans to re-release The Little Mermaid in 3D (The only one of these four we wanted to see)
Why Did these recent re-releases fail?
1. Not only was Beauty and the Beast showing on ABC Family that Christmas season, but the film was also STILL AVAILABLE TO BUY AT THE STORES!!!!
2. Everyone and their mother has seen either Finding Nemo or Monsters Inc. The reason The Lion King worked so well, was because it was out of the public's grasp for almost 6 years. Since both of the aforementioned films are ALWAYS showing on either ABC Family and Disney Channel, it defeats the purpose of shelling out $30 dollars just for the tickets.
Here is a list that I have comprised of the 10 films (both Disney and Pixar) that should have received a 3D re-release, or a re-release in general (no specific order):
1. Aladdin
2. The Lion King
3. The Incredibles
4. The Little Mermaid
5. Sleeping Beauty
6. Fantasia
7. Tarzan
8. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
9. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
10. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Has the tradition continued?
Yes, it has, but at the cost of seeing these movies the way they were meant to be seen. I remember my Grandma telling me how she used to go to the theaters to go see these movies. I can relate to her too, having seen Mermaid and King in theaters. The tradition has continued, but down a slope I hope Disney can climb back from.
Re-releases on Video coming up
Fall 2013: The Little Mermaid
Spring 2014: The Jungle Book
Fall 2014: Sleeping Beauty
Spring 2015: Aladdin? (PLEASE!!!!)
My Plan...
My plan is simple: if Disney waits every 7 years (as opposed to Peter Pan's 3 and Aladdin's 13,000) then re-releases these movies in theaters, they will still generate interest and profit. For example, let's say in 2017, Disney wants to re-release both Tangled and Beauty and the Beast. They release them to theaters first, then to video a few months later. The films will still gross money and don't have much of a cost to re-release. If Disney markets it correctly, they would hit Lion King numbers ALL THE TIME!
Bottom Line: Disney, focus more on YOUR animated films. You still have millions of fans who love them more than Pixar or any of that crap on the Disney Channel or Disney XD. But more on that in a later post.
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