Muppet Christmas Carol on DVD?

[dlphntat]

From the DVDfile.com website

Back to the vaults - 1:34pm

Disney is once again raiding their vaults for what looks like every single catalog title from back in the 80's. Due on 9/3 is another wave of low-budget DVD quickies, all presented in widescreen with minimal extras (trailers only.) The lineup includes Indian Summer, Gross Anatomy, The War At Home, First Do No Harm, Prefontaine, Baby Secret of the Lost Legend, Aspen Extreme, Disorganized Crime, My Boyfriend's Back, Cabin Boy, Betsy's Wedding, Captain Ron, Puppet Masters, Swing Kids, the 1961 version of Babes in Toyland, Spaced Invaders, Heartbreak Hotel, Muppets Christmas Carol (full frame only), Washington Square, Celtic Pride, The Program, Mr. Destiny, and two real trilogies of terror, Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Scared Stupid, and Mighty Ducks 1, 2 and 3. Then on 10/8 comes even more fun, including Kazaam, the cannibal laugh-fest Alive, Billy Bathgate, Jungle 2 Jungle, Two Bits, Of Love and Shadows, and another terrifying trilogy, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Honey We Shruk Ourselves, and Honey I Blew Up the Kid. Retail is $19.95 each, and a Mighty Ducks 3-pack will also be available for only $29.95.

Not sure if this is the right spot to post this, but what the hey.

[FER SURE]

I cant believe it. YES YES YES! Indian Summer is one of my favorite movies. A few years ago someone stole my only copy. :mad: As it was out of print I have had to go without for something like 2 years now. I cant wait!!!!!!:D *dies of excitement* Oh yeah MCC is coming thats neat too.:

[Gonzo]

"FULL FRAME ONLY?????"

UGH.

Of course, I'll get it anyway, since my current version is also full frame, but it would be nice to have a DVD with the deluxe treatment. Hopefully this is good news for Muppet Treasure Island as well....

Quinnnnnnnnnnn

[scarecroe]

In this thread (http://www.muppetcentral.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70), they're talking about doing a petition against releasing just the pan&$caM only version on the DVD. I mean jeeze, if you gotta appease the soccer moms, at least present both versions like Columbia did with the classic three.

[Gonzo]

I'm not going to support that petition--I'd rather have SOMETHING on DVD than NOTHING, which is what happens sometimes on those petitions. And on the Palisades Muppet Show exclusives....

Quinnnnnnnnnn

[frogboy4]

I am sure the film will be released either way. Such a petition just supports what version you would like. Personally, I won't buy some hideous cropped version of the film. I already have that version on tape. DVDs are for high quality collector’s editions and they are releasing a crummy kids version. Just tragic. Disney is counting on people who will buy their cheap version regardless of their poor treatment of it. I just can’t be a part of that this time.

[frogboy4]

Here is the Customer Comment section I think we have been looking for on this topic. If you belive that the films should be seen the way they were intended - please tell them that you want a choice between versions!

http://psc.disney.go.com/disneyvideos/moviefinder/products/2578103.html

[Chilly Down]

I'm speechless. Absolutely speechless.

All of the other films are being released in widescreen. ALL of them. That includes Cabin Boy and other clunkers. Why on Earth would you go out of your way just to NOT do it on that one film?

I was going to buy MCC, but I have absolutely no intention of doing so if they don't make it widescreen.

Why is it that the Muppets can't catch a break on DVD?

[frogboy4]

We need to write them letters and especially bring our outrage to the attention of Chris Carey - the Mouse's exec who made the decision!

[CraigD]

For all you Americans angry over this, just hold out till the film is released in other regions. The majority of the time, Region 4 (Australia's region) has most film's released in widescreen. Although, this is starting to change with news that Harry Potter will only be released in Pan & Scan, which blows. Overseas, I believe this will be available in both versions. But this is mainly a problem with Warners Australia. They're getting extremely lazy, due to reasons such as this and also releasing some titles in the NTSC format, to save money and time transferring them to PAL.



Craig

[frogboy4]

But is the Australia version in PAL format? Is that true about Harry Potter?? How insane. I feel we were given a great gift that most titles were released in widescreen when DVDs came out just to have it yanked away because of some brainless consumers and bean-counting execs. Argh!

[CraigD]

Yeah, MCC would be in PAL over here.


Craig

[frogboy4]

Well, (insert expletive here)! I will just have to hope that Disney changes their mind and releases a widescreen version. It's funny that they claim poor quality for not putting two versions on one DVD when cropping the film automatically degrades it!

On another note, a friend of mine who is a die hard Madonna fan is refusing to buy the cheap cropped version of Dick Tracy they have released. I think they may go back to their original practice once pressure is placed on them from those of us on the other side of the argument! We need to bug the (insert expletive here) out of the Disney people.

[CraigD]

Agreed.

Warner's and Disney are the big problems over here. Warners with releasing titles in NTSC, and Disney have the problem of mysteriously forgetting to give us extras on certain discs. They have gotten better, but we still sometimes get entirely ripped off by them by not including the extras Region 1 gets.

That makes me very mad.


Craig

[frogboy4]

I guess they think if we're starved for the DVD we'll take anything. They are wrong.

On another note, I was watching primetime television tonight and noticed that more and more shows are "enhanced for widescreen TV". Wow! Ultimately these TVs will be a reality and the new format will me anamorphic widescreen.

The crooks (oops, I mean execs) at Disney know this, but want us to buy another copy ten years from now. You know, I doubt this release will even have any extras. They are so cheap. I wonder if they would treat the Muppets better if they did own them?

[Luke]

Hi Guys

Just in case people will find it easier to have them all in one place or haven't written them down yet i thought i'd do a post where people can find all the info on who they need to complain to.

PHONE :-

1-800-723-4763 - This will connect you to the people in charge of DVD support OR 1-800-477-2811 - This is a more general number for customer relations.

Willis Nalle - (818) 560-4062 at Buena Vista Domestic Public Relations

EMAIL Via Web Form :-

http://studio.go.com/cgi-bin/gmail/generic_mail.cgi?template=video/dvd_feedback/feedback.tpl

SNAIL MAIL :-

Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Attn. Consumer Relations
3rd Floor
800 Winneconne Ave
Neenah, WI 54956

OR

David Jessen
c/o Buena Vista Home Entertainment
350 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank CA 91521-4691
USA

OR

Robert Chapek
President - Buena Vista Home Entertainment
350 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank CA 91521-4691
USA

I would suggest you write to Robert Chapek and CC a copy of the letter to David Jessen and Consumer Relations.

[smcguire]

When I called, I was told to also send e-mail to:

disneyinfo@disneyhelp.com

if you want a direct e-mail address instead of a web form to fill out.

When you contact Disney, remember:

* Be polite. You're less likely to be taken seriously if you rant, insult, swear, etc. Just be firm about your disappointement, explain what you want, and why you want it.

* Mention specific titles (in this case, Muppet Treasure Island and Muppet Christmas Carol) that you will not buy because they are not widescreen. After that, you can mention that you won't buy other Disney titles that aren't in their original theatrical presentation either.

* If you've got a kid, be sure to mention that; Disney's supposed angle on this is that these are "family" films and "families" don't like black bars caused by widescreen.

Hope this helps!

[FER SURE]

That address for Neenah Wi will do you no good at all. I live 5 min. from there and I can promiss you it is not a Disney office of any importance. They are an outside firm that basically handles technical problems with discs and they also support the disc replacement program. From my experience as a Disney cast member sending your letter here would be like sending it to guest relations, all you would get is a sugar coated response. Your opinion would then be catogorized and placed within a monthly report. Don't waste your time with that address.

[frogboy4]

Thank you very much! I will definitely be contacting them (and being polite about my disappointment). LOL!

[Luke]

Yeah i understood that the more general 800 numbers and customer relations addresses would give you a generic reply and just get filed away but it's important to give people the official address - some people don't like writing direct to people they don't know. I however, don't care - they get paid thousands upon thousands anyway ! LOL !

Obviously i'd strongly suggest writing, faxing or calling people where specific names have been given. I don't have the office number for BVHE in the states but i'm sure you could find it through the operator in the states if people wanted to call them. David Jessen in particular is very helpful in these kinda cases, and trying to contact the president of BVHE will likely get you forwarded to someone important. As for the press office guy, just hassle them and they'll likely bring it up at some meeting or another - after all this is all bad press for them so tell them the site address and ask them if they realise the rap they are taking.

I just agree with everything thats being said, i don't think it would take much for them to offer it in widescreen and theres probably still time to change their mind. It seems weird that these are the only current crop being presented in full frame format - could it be Henson who are insisting on this format for some reason ?

I hope that this could be well supported on the main site as well - i think for this to really work you need a lot of attention and a thread on the forum clearly isn't going to be enough. If MC is a site where people go to buy products then Disney need to see that the fans are being told that they are being given a poor deal - if you just add a link to amazon they are getting exactly what they want and the majority of people won't know any different.

[smcguire]

Originally posted by Luke
Yeah i understood that the more general 800 numbers and customer relations addresses would give you a generic reply and just get filed away but it's important to give people the official address - some people don't like writing direct to people they don't know. I however, don't care - they get paid thousands upon thousands anyway ! LOL !

Obviously i'd strongly suggest writing, faxing or calling people where specific names have been given. I don't have the office number for BVHE in the states but i'm sure you could find it through the operator in the states if people wanted to call them. David Jessen in particular is very helpful in these kinda cases, and trying to contact the president of BVHE will likely get you forwarded to someone important. As for the press office guy, just hassle them and they'll likely bring it up at some meeting or another - after all this is all bad press for them so tell them the site address and ask them if they realise the rap they are taking.


On the other hand, there's no point writing to addresses that can't do anything to help you and may toss the letters. I can't say if that's the case for any of the addresses above; what I do know is that the 800 numbers and the disneyinfo@disneyhelp.com e-mail address are the two that were given out on DVD forums and Disney themselves as the ones to use for feedback. But if you know the snail mail addresses above will result in the message getting to people who can act on them and won't get annoyed by a (possible) deluge of letters, then by all means use them.

I really don't think "hassle" is what you want to do here; you want to send polite and firm feedback. If you "hassle" by calling or writing repeatedly and angrily, they'll just write you off as a wacko and may assume everyone else is just a wacko too.

I just agree with everything thats being said, i don't think it would take much for them to offer it in widescreen and theres probably still time to change their mind. It seems weird that these are the only current crop being presented in full frame format - could it be Henson who are insisting on this format for some reason ?


Unfortunately for Muppet Treasure Island, it may already be too late, at least for the initial release - DVDs have enough lead time that the discs have probably already authored. The best we may be able to hope for is that Disney will decide to make an supplementary widescreen release later (as Warner Bros did with "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"). It's probably not impossible for them to reverse direction at this point if they really wanted to hurry and fix it, but it seems unlikely. If they need to make a new anamorphic transfer of the film (the previous widescreen laserdisc was not anamoprhic), that takes time. But for Muppet Christmas Carol, there's definitely still time.

And I seriously doubt it's Henson's decision. These two are being done differently simply because they're being released by a different company (all the other Muppet movies were released by Columbia Tristar). It might not hurt to let Henson Co. know that you aren't happy with this either, but unfortunately I've learned that often the movie's creators have surprisingly little control over video releases.

Disney may have said to Henson, "we're doing fullscren releases or none at all, which do you chose?" And what would you do if you were Henson in that case? That's complete speculation, though.


I hope that this could be well supported on the main site as well - i think for this to really work you need a lot of attention and a thread on the forum clearly isn't going to be enough. If MC is a site where people go to buy products then Disney need to see that the fans are being told that they are being given a poor deal - if you just add a link to amazon they are getting exactly what they want and the majority of people won't know any different.

I believe something for the main site is in the works.

--Scott McGuire

[smcguire]

Just to clarify, I'm not calling anyone here a wacko. We just want to avoid appearing like wackos. :) It makes it easier for them to dismiss us. We want to appear to be concerned customers (and Muppet fans).

And probably letters to the president will get routed to some sensible location, I may have been being too cautious there.

And finally, while Disney may have already done the work on Muppet Treasure Island, that doesn't mean it's not worth trying to get them to change their minds about it!

--Scott McGuire

[Luke]

Hey Scott

When i said "Hassle" i was using Luke language that people here are usually pretty used to - i didn't really mean for them to stage all out naked protests in the Buena Vista offices .... although it would be quite an acomplishment for me if they did ! ;-)

I think writing directly to a few people might help make a difference. Usually if you are writing to the main 'official' addresses you will just get a standard pre-worked and sugar coated reply UNLESS they get thousands of emails or calls that make them sit up and take notice. If however you write to someone directly higher up the ladder it only takes a few letters or calls to get them to at least sit up and take notice, and hopefully make some enquiries. At least if someone in the know wrote and told us the definitive answer as to why this has been done, and if there is a remote chance it could be changed then it's all worth it. I'm guessing that a post here on the forum or a mention on one muppet site isn't going to result in thousands of emails so i figured the direct approach was the best one given the circumstances and also the time factor. Of course people are free to write who they like and now they have all the info whichever path they choose to take.

[smcguire]

Hi Luke,

My apologies, I admit I am new here and I'm not familiar with Luke-speak. :) I'm a regular and longtime poster on the Muppet newsgroup, and after seeing my post about the DVDs there, Phillip suggested I check out this forum thread. And yeah, chaining ourselves to the Buena Vista offices would get there attention, and be a very Muppet sort of thing to do as well. Well, at least, a very Gonzo or Animal sort of thing to do.

And you're absolutely right, you never know what will happen if the right letter gets through to the right person - which is why I followed up my post and said I was probably being too cautious in that regard.

According to Disney (according to the DVD websites), they've decided to take the full-frame approach based on complaints they've received on the customer feedback phone line, so it seems like maybe they do listen to that.

But heck... call 'em, e-mail 'em, and write the Presdient too!

[Luke]

Hey Scott

Great to have you here and no apologies needed at all - i should have been more clearer.

Heck i'm an advocate of doing what you can whether it's call the customer line, write to the president, bribe the CEO with home made cookies - i guess everything helps. I work with TV companies myself and i know just how much the public gets ignored when it comes to this kind of thing yet blagged off in a way that makes them think that the companies really care. Obviously though as you say - people need to be polite and show what widescreen deserving Muppet fans we are !

I can understand what is being reported about people calling the customer care line and asking for full frame stuff - the average mom or dad will probably still have a full frame TV and i guess a small kid may well not like a smaller letterboxed picture. Obviously though DVD's are meant to be for collectors too and the whole idea is that you can see the film in its original format so they should really include both formats - its not like it costs them that much more to do.

It does seem wierd though that the Muppet DVD's are the only ones (from memory) in the current crop of releases that are full frame. I guess its just laziness and them cutting costs down to a minimum that they just transfer their original full frame video cassette version over to DVD.

[frogboy4]

Dick Tracy will also be full frame. I like the film and have waited years for a DVD release - a widescreen one at that - the art direction is half the film! But Disney has seen fit to release a crummy version of this Warren Beatty film.

One of my friends who is a huge Madonna fan won't be buying the DVD and he buys the same CD four times if there is a slight color variation on the cover art! Actually he'd buy eight - four to open and four to keep wrapped. Surprising that even he won't touch this disrespectful release. LOL!

But on a serious note - this is a film with top stars and directed by the Academy Award winner, Reds. I just don't get it. Chris Carey (Disney exec) stated in the recent article mentioned earlier that having both versions on a disc makes the DVD difficult to navigate, it degrades the quality of the image and if there is double side printing there can be no silkscreen (which bite anyway). Argh, so frustrating and really not entirely true. It’s just his way of excusing the company from being cheap and brainless.

[kustomboy]

CAPTAIN RON GETS WIDESCREEN?!?!?!?! and the muppets get FULL FRAME??!?!?!?!??! something has gone terribly wrong.

[smcguire]

Actually, the Muppet movies aren't the only victims... Disney just released "Snow Dogs" as full frame only, and reportedly the upcoming "Max Keeble's Big Move" will be full frame only as well. Both of these are "family" titles too.

"Dick Tracy" is something of a special case; apparently Warren Beatty filmed it with the intention of it being 4:3 aspect ratio (and thus full frame on a TV), intending for the movie to look like old-fashioned movies. But it was cropped to the widescreen aspect ratio for its theatrical release. So the 4:3 version of "Dick Tracy" actually has more information than the widescreen version. The question in this case is, should a movie be released as it was in theatres (as how people remember it) or as the director intended?

At least that's better than the case with these two Muppet movies, where full frame is neither what the director intended nor what we saw in movie theaters.

Luke: I have no illusions about how much the entertainment conglomerates really care about what the customers think (that is, not much). I've worked with some folks who produce TV shows, and that's how I know how little control the producers may have over how their creations get released on video.

And yeah, I'm guessing partly they didn't want to spend time and money doing a new transfer of the two Muppet movies.

[frogboy4]

When the two films were released on Laserdisc several years ago, thwy had widescreen versions. I am sure that a new transfer would not have to be made. It must already be somewherer in digital form wating to be zapped on a DVD. Argh! Never knww that about Tracy. Are you sure? Where does the info come from?

[Luke]

Were the laserdiscs actually released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment ?

[smcguire]

Originally posted by frogboy4
When the two films were released on Laserdisc several years ago, they had widescreen versions. I am sure that a new transfer would not have to be made. It must already be somewherer in digital form wating to be zapped on a DVD. Argh! Never knew that about Tracy. Are you sure? Where does the info come from?

Ah, but the laserdiscs were not anamorphic widescreen, so if they wanted to release an anamorphic widescreen DVD (which almost all DVDs these days are), they would have to do a new transfer.

Non-anamorphic widescreen makes DVDphiles almost as annoyed as full frame transfers (because of the lost resolution) but I think I might settle for it in this case, although obviously I'd prefer anamorphic ones!

I don't know if the laserdiscs were issued by Buena Vista; a fellow fan confirmed they weren't anamorphic on the Muppets newsgroup but didn't say who released them.

My info on the Dick Tracy release was from a recent thread on alt.video.dvd, and the review on DVDFile also touches on it briefly.

[Phillip Chapman]

Buena Vista did release the Laserdiscs along with the VHS version.

[frogboy4]

Luke-
The MTI laserdisc I own was released by Jim Henson Video and Walt Disney Pictures and distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment so I guess the answer is yes. LOL! So much writing etc!

smcguire- Ah, you are right, but I am suspect the master from the laserdisc would still be higher res than the transfer they'd have to make. Laserdiscs still have superior quality, funny enough. I'll take anything - uncropped - I can get at this point.

[Gonzo]

I just e-mailed Buena Vista as well, just asking them to consider releasing the two DVDs in widescreen....

I would just add that sending them RUDE e-mails/snail mails won't get us anywhere...that being polite and professional will get you a lot further than name calling. The crazier you sound, the less credence they'll give your opinion.

Quinnnnnnnnnnnnn

[Luke]

Yeah i don't see why they don't stick the non-anamorphic version on the disk then, if Buena Vista already has it in the vaults then it's not gonna be much more work for them. Maybe when writing people could mention the non-anamorphic version that has previously been available from them.

[smcguire]

Jamie - My understanding from reading DVD web sites and newsgroups is that if you want an anamorphic transfer and the only previous widescreen tranfer was non-anamorphic, they have to do a new transfer. I'm not sure why, and I admit this is just based on what I've read, not because I know the process.

Luke - I'm not sure we should encourage Disney to do that; we don't want to give them the idea that we'll settle for less than an anamorphic transfer (because that is really what we want in an ideal world). That way, if they decide to listen and give us a widescreen transfer, maybe they'll do a whole new one, or they'll say to themselves, "Okay, they want widescreen? Use that old one we have," and it'll be better than nothing. If we give them ideas they may just immediately jump to the easy way out.

Of course, it's possible that Disney's tasked someone to at least read over this discussion (they did ask me which website I'd heard about the DVDs being fullframe), in which case, they know all our secrets already. :)

--Scott

[frogboy4]

One reason for excluding the widescreeen veriosn that they give is that to place both versions on the disc, it will mean compression and loss of quality. When asked about double-siding the disk, they reply that it removes the opportunity of a sikscreening and that there are less machines that do this. I think it's a load of ****, but that's what they're saying.

[Luke]

Guys,

I have absolutely no idea what silkscreening is but i can understand that technically there might be some minute loss of quality when putting two versions on a DVD but then so many other companies do it and i doubt people have noticed that much. Obviously i guess Disney see this as a kids release and they want to aim it straight at kids (many of which i can understand would not want to see black bars on a screen). I do agree that it's a cop out and does not do justice to the film, and there is an adult audience out there that are left out because they aren't in the target audience. The thing i REALLY hate about DVD's and why i don't actually see them as 'Theatre Quality' like most people think they are is that layer transistion pause thing when you have a pause in the middle of the film while a layer changes. That ruins some DVD's for me.

Smc :- Yeah i kinda realised that would be giving them the easy option of putting out the non-anamorphic but then you've got more chance of them doing that because it wouldn't cost them. They probably haven't even researched into the fact that they HAVE a widescreen version ready - it's all entries into databases and things these days. I actually would support the non-anamorphic version being released anyway. I guess it's not the way to specifically request that version but i'd at least hope they were aware thats an option.

I still think we need a better method of contacting them. Usually when big websites run campaigns they do some research and find out who the actual person is responsible for producing the disc or making the decisions. Usually you can get a statement from them, sometimes you can even get an interview or something. For calls to general enquiries to work you need them to be on a massive scale otherwise they just get lost in the call logs along with "What size is Dumbo's trunk ?" and "Which dwarf does the commentary on the Snow White DVD ?". Phil posted that contacting 'Customer Services' was the most "effective" method of complaining but from personal experience, thats very untrue. Media companies rarely even go through the logs until around a month or so later, and you are only ever likely to get an "official" sugar coated response. Seeing as MC is going to town with the campaigns lately and promoting this as a top story perhaps some effort could actually be made to get to the bottom of it - contact Disney or Buena PR - ask them to read the threads and then comment on whats been said. You guys love the fact you have an "insider" here with Ken from Palisades - how about hunting out Joe Schmo from Disney ? Even as a common courtesy they are getting a bad rap here and they should be at least given the chance to respond.

[frogboy4]

The silk-screening I was referring to is a technique to print a picture on one side of the DVD. A double-sided disk only has a small ribbon that deem difficult to read by kids, so all info is then compressed onto one side of a disk. It's cheaper too.

I really think that if this is the way they are going to go, they should release collector’s editions for each film. Just putting "collectors edition" on a product increases it's sale value so I don't see why that's a bad idea. They claim stores don't like two versions of the same film, but doesn't Disney drive the market. I can't see Wal-Mart refusing to stock their titles because there are two versions.

About the silk-screening - Disney's job on silk-screening these labels (for lack of a better word) totally sux! The images are poor quality and resolution and the grain is large and blobby. George Lucas' Ep 1 disc has some beautiful artwork, however it is more expensive because the company must purchase the colors in their "limited palette". I think Disney should abandon the practice altogether or use actual labels (printing would appear professional). Just my take.

[smcguire]

Originally posted by Luke
Guys,

I have absolutely no idea what silkscreening is but i can understand that technically there might be some minute loss of quality when putting two versions on a DVD but then so many other companies do it and i doubt people have noticed that much. Obviously i guess Disney see this as a kids release and they want to aim it straight at kids (many of which i can understand would not want to see black bars on a screen). I do agree that it's a cop out[...]

Of course, saying that putting both versions on a disc reduces the quality is also a cop out when joined with the "this is for kids" argument... young kids are hardly likely to notice the slight drop in quality caused by putting both versions on the disc, are they?

I have DVDs (besides the other Muppet movies) that put both widescreen and fullframe on one dual-layer DVD, and they look just fine to me, and I'm picky. Disney would just have to put some effort into the compression process to make sure the results were acceptable, which I'm guessing they're not willing to do.

It would be nice to have a person to contact directly at Disney. But I'm sure there are other folks here who have better contacts in that regard for starting a search than me!

--Scott

[Jessie]

I wrote Disney a letter saying that I wanted full screen & wide screen to help you guys out, but will someone explain to me why exactly full screen is bad? What's wrong with it?

[smcguire]

Originally posted by JessieHeart
I wrote Disney a letter saying that I wanted full screen & wide screen to help you guys out, but will someone explain to me why exactly full screen is bad? What's wrong with it?

Thanks for sending in a letter, Jessie! Why full screen is bad is covered in the article linked on the front page of MuppetCentral.

But in a nutshell, the original movie was wider than a TV screen; to make the movie full screen to "fit" on your TV screen, they have to chop away 30% of the picture. In a Muppet movie, that means you'll probably be missing some of the visual jokes that go on on the sides of the movie because the full screen will only be able to focus on the main action.

Also, it's disrespectful to the folks who created the movie - their vision covered the entire picture, not just the part that fits in a square. Would you like your artwork to be sold with 30% of it missing? I wouldn't...

Finally, someday we'll all have widescreen TVs... and when that happens, since DVDs are supposed to last forever, folks will complain about the black bars on the side of the picture and you'll wish you had the whole movie to fill it up! Best to plan for the future.

Okay, that actually wasn't a nutshell. :) Hope this makes sense to you... I do realize that some folks don't like how the widescreen makes the picture kind of small. That's why releasing the movies in both formats would be best... everyone's happy!

--Scott McGuire

[smcguire]

Originally posted by Luke
Obviously i guess Disney see this as a kids release and they want to aim it straight at kids (many of which i can understand would not want to see black bars on a screen).

Oops, I forgot to comment on this earlier. Sorry, it seems I have a comment on everything, don't I?

Anyway, I've got several friends with kids, and they say their kids aren't bothered by widescreen at all. As long as the content entertains them, they're happy!

So of course I told all my friends with kids to call Disney and tell them that.

--Scott

[frogboy4]

I'd be glad to help you out.

Full frame (the way Disney is planning to release the films) is the normal setting for the average television program. The image takes up the entire screen.

Now, films are very different. A movie screen is much wider than a TV. To fit the movie on a TV screen, they literally chop off the sides of the film. If there is a character in the far left of the frame, oh well - he gets cut out. Sometimes they even stretch the image to squish everything on the screen. This is not how these films were meant to be seen, but a common practice.

Since the era of Laserdiscs and now DVDs, widescreen versions of these films are included on the disc. In order to fit the whole image, black bars appear on the top and bottom of the TV screen. This version is encoded to be anamorphic; this means if it is viewed on a widescreen (rectangular) television, the black bars will not appear.

However, with the cropped version, gray bars will appear on the left and right. The world of television is moving toward the widescreen format and in this decade our new TVs will eventually be widescreen. Our old square-ish TVs will be seen as we look at black and white monitors. By including both versions, all sides are satisfied. Disney is simply being lazy and targeting this release for only children and I think it’s a shame.

Hope this helps

[Jessie]

Thanks for the explaination. I get what you're saying now--I was watching Atlantis on DVD fullscreen and it cuts off a part on the food wagon that says "Today's Special: Shut up and Eat"--so I understand why both are better. :0)

[Muppeholic]

I have a 4 year old and she doesn't mind the black bars on Widescreen at all. . . . and we have a SMALL t.v. compared to some of our friends (21 inches I think).

I e-mailed to the DisneyInfo@DisneyHelp.com to register my disappointment and the inaccuracy of their assumption about families and kids not wanting Widescreen. (I also included my name, e-mail, and snail mail address to prove that I wasn't the same person making a "100 different calls") Here's what my e-mail said:

"My family, which includes a 4 year old child, was elated to learn of the upcoming release of "Muppet Treasure Island" and Muppet Christmas Carol" on DVD. However I am disappointed in the decision that Disney has made to release them in a Full-Frame format only. Apparantly this decision was based on some complaints from families that don't want to watch DVD movies on widescreen because they find the black bars distracting.

That is the exact opposite of the way my family feels! In fact, my personal opinion is that if I'm not getting Widescreen I don't need to upgrade from a VHS tape. Most families (including ours) can not afford to "upgrade" unless their getting something additional or different from the VHS tape version they have. Therefore, I am purposely avoiding purchasing movies that are being sold on DVD in a Full-Frame format when they were released in the theatres in a Widescreen format. Too much of the "essence" of the film is lost in my point of view when this happens especially when I already have a VHS tape with the Full-Frame format.

Also, I feel it is also my duty to other Disney consumers that even people without families watch and purchase family movies. I have many friends in that category that will only purchase Widescreen Format DVDs to view on their large screen televisions.

I feel the best solution to the problem would be to supply both the Widescreen and Full-Screen Formats on DVD like the movies I have purchased below. (I have also included some reasons to why I prefer Widescreen.) This way all your customers will be happy because they will be able to choose the screen format they prefer.

Bug's Life - there are things you are able to see in Widescreen that are not shown at all in full-screen. This point also emphatically applies to movies with special effects and large landscape scenes.

Mulan - more impressive over-all on Widescreen than full-screen. Especially the more "cinematic" (landscape) and battle type sequences. The impact of many scenes are less effective on the full-screen format.

I have also purchased Snow White and the 7 Dwarves, James and the Giant Peach, Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, and Nightmare Before Christmas on DVD solely because they were in Widescreen (or "Original Theatrical Aspect Ratio") and the VHS copies that I had were not.

Again I'd like Disney to reconsider and offer both versions to satisfy all your customers. I'll not purchase any DVD unles they are in Widescreen or "Original Theatrical Aspect Ratio" format. "


This is the e-mail response I got from disney:

"Thank you for your email.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns with us. Your comments will be passed along to our Marketing Department for their future consideration.

Get news and offers about Walt Disney videos and DVDs! Click here and register to receive the Disney Video DVD Insider Newsletter. http://disney.go.com/DisneyVideos/registrationb""


I signed the on-line petition too because I don't know if the "Marketing Department" will actually look at it.

[scarecroe]

Way to go "Muppeholic" :)

Every Muppet fan should write a letter to Disney just like this. I hope everyone who reads this board, *has* sent such a letter.

[Muppeholic]

Thanks, Scarecrow!

I find writing difficult, especially coherently, so it took a long time to compose. (I tend to bop around from subject to subject with no notice . . . drives dh crazy!)

I also sent the message about the Full-Frame format to those non-family friends of mine that only buy Widescreen too. Hopefully, they'll act on it as well. :D