Disney Price Hike

DVD Review just announced that Buena Vista Home Video is raising the price of the animated DVD collection from $34.99 to $39.99. MAYBE this is a sign that these titles will be special editions (as the article at DVD Review hopes). If not, I guess we need to get ready for round two of Disney-bashing.

Well, looks like the number of discs I'm buying just went down from six to three. Thanks for helping me save money, Di$ney!

[Rock]

Looks like the number of discs The Rock was gonna buy just went from zero to zero.

However, his opinion of Disney (if these discs are not special editions) just got lower. (Man, didn't think that could happen. But Disney manages to top themselves again. Right when The Great One thinks he cannot think any less of them, they find new and exciting ways of sucking! Utterly contemptable.)


DVDFile.Com Moderator
MostElectrifying@netscape.net

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The Rock says: If you can't pay someone to do it, it ain't a job worth doing.

Well these better be Special Editions at this price. I wonder what happens to the people who pre-ordered at reel.com for $20.99 Will they hike the price on them?


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JRamos

It doesn't matter to me whether these are special editions or not. I have absolutely not intention of giving Disney a dime of my money. They continue to show just how greedy they are and I will not in good conscious support them.

I will wait to see the revised press release from Disney before jumping to conclusions. Until then, it is just a rumour. I called Disney three times yesterday and they still confirmed that they were going to be $34.

Yawn!

[Will Munney]

I wasn't going to spend $35 on these coasters and I'm sure not going to pay $40. Studio's that actually CARE about their titles will be getting my money.
I have 14 disc's on order and not a single one of them is movie-only. I'm willing to pay for quality releases, not crap.

Disney are really screwing the US public with these realises. Simbas Pride has been available since February here in South Africa for the equivelant of $19. A Bug's Life is coming out next month at the same price tag.

We've also got other Disney animateds such as Sword in the Stone, Alice in Wonderland and others are also available. Visit http://www.dvdsa.co.za to see.

Screw it. I've changed my mind. I've really wanted a copy of Mulan since I saw it in the theater a few years ago, and I was thinking about getting The Little Mermaid and Pinnochio as well, but it just ain't worth $35 (retail) or $25 (preorder). Sorry Di$ney, I'll be spending my money on The Matrix and The Iron Giant (way better than any Di$ney animation, anyway... and it's WB, so the DVD'll be good).

[This message has been edited by Rorschach (edited 08-31-1999).]

[Dominik Pfleghaar]

Hahahahah.... I'd have bought 3 of those Di$ney titles @ $35 each, but I won't buy none @ $40.
So sorry, Di$ney, you just lost 105 bucks.

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Unca Dom, DDS-088
dvdfile.com moderator
dominikpfleghaar@netscape.net

I think sale of the Disney DVDs is aimed at grandparents and the well off. I don't think it will hurt the rest of the industry's pricing since the rest of the industry will be too busy selling lower priced discs.

By promoting exclusiveness through exorbitant pricing, Disney thinks it will help promote and maintain the cultural icon position of the classc animation. Alas, what Disney is actually doing is helping to ensure that newer generations don't get introducd to high quality digital versions of its classic products.

How Disney thinks this works to their advantage in the long run is just beyond me. Don't they think that the parents of small children are price sensitive about ebtertainment exenditures? What are these people thinking?

I was going to buy a couple, but I've re-thought this and will be staying away.

[manigrasso]

I'm a BIG fan of older Disney animation. I would've bought Pinocchio & The Jungle Book at least. But the company just shot itself in the foot. Not only will I not buy DIsney DVDs, but I am so incensed that if somebody bought me one as a gift, I would return it, and use the cash to buy 2 DVDs from a studio that truly appreciates the consumer's dollar (or just take that friend out to dinner).

Disney apparently assumes your dollar is their due, & I am officially sick of it. NOW, their price point better drop to $25 if they want me as a customer. They can do it, and they'll still make a ton of dough. But I can neither abide by, nor support, this blatant greed.

What would really kick the Mouse's Ass is if Warner & Ted Turner put out some official Cartoon Network DVDs featuring classic Bugs Bunny shorts, or Tex Avery's greatest hits. Let 'em show Disney how DVDs can be made, manufactured, sold at a decent price & still kick ass in profits.

Manigrasso

I was planning on purchaseing Jungle Book, Mulan, and maybe 101 Dalmations. But with this new announcement

HEY DISNEY! YOU AIN'T GETTEN NOTHEN! YOU HEAR ME? NOTHING, NOT A GOD DAMNED DIME OF MY MONEY

You have lost $105 dollars simply because you thought I would give you $120. Think about it $120 for 3 no frills non-anamorphic movies? Forget it and you know what most intelligent people will walk past your movies as well.

Good luck Di$ney you are gonna need it.

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Istagi *Feather Head*
Moderator of the Now Playing Forum
DDS-351

[Taxi]

Yes! Yes! I'm glad that some others are as mad as I am.

What could the mouse possibly be thinking? I mean, they just announced that some of the titles people are asking for will arrive on DVD, but at prices that are questionable. The uproar ensues over the price per feature.
So what is Di$ney's reaction? Why, to raise the price, of course!

This boggles the mind. Add my total to the amount of $$ that Di$ney won't see from me, at least $100, now nothing. Mr. Eisner, you'd better get it together, and quick. Your only way to save what shreds of positive feelings I have about your company is to announce these discs at $25 MSRP.

(Can you tell I'm a little upset about this?)

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Taxi
DDS#42
DVDFile.Com Moderator

Just wait until Lucas decides to grace us with the SW series. (If ever...) We'll get to go through all this again...

-M

I think that Di$ney is trying to apply their laserdisc pricing to the DVD market, and seem to be failing miserably at it. I just hope that the failure is translated to the market because if these DVDs sell well, then expect more of the same. I paid $39.95 for my LD of Peter Pan and got a heck of alot more features than these DVDs offer. Boogles the mind.

Using Disney's logic, we could probably convince them to raise the price to $100 per DVD. That would reduce demand even more, which is apparently what they are trying to do at $40.

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DDMcD
Alexandria, Virginia

[TampaFlyer]

My question is why didn't they announce the higher price from the beginning. I think that would've alienated fewer people. It seems fairly unusual to announce a list price, then hike it a couple weeks later. Maybe Disney is slowly getting itself in the auction business; soon they will decide to make it 44.95, then 49.95.

After reading about the price-hike I had
one thought...I'm glad I already pre-ordered.
I think the suggested retail is ridiculous
and will hurt the dvd format. In reality,
I've never paid sugg. retail for a disc.
Never had to because you can find great
deals all over. I paid $21 a piece for
the six I ordered (no desire for Mulan, Hercules, or Lion King II). Sure I wish
they were cheaper, but according to suggested
retail I just saved 50%. I just hope Joe
Consumer who purchases a new player this
Fall shops around when he's buying like
most of us do. Because for the suggested
retail of $40 he can really get 2 discs
and help support the DVD platform more.

As I read all the posts I can understand the grumbling over having to pay $40 US (that's about $500 CDN) to add a Disney DVD to your collections. However as a father of two young kids who love the Disney Movies I am afraid I will have to buy a couple. Right now there are not a lot of movies for the under 10 year old crowd on DVD and to be able to add a couple of Disney titles for my kids to watch, I am truely looking forward to. I remember trying to rent a copy of The Little Mermaid on LD and couldn't find one, I am looking forward to seeing on DVD, sorry. The price is outrageous I must agree, and I will only buy a couple, but at least now my kids will have something to watch on that thing Daddy is always telling them not to touch.

Hey, for those of you (like our Canadian friend above) looking for family titles, I expect you'll be able to get The Iron Giant by Christmas time, and it's a FANTASTIC family movie. I know the previews suck, but it's a great animated film, and it's Warner Bros. so the disc won't be more than $25 MSRP. That, along with Prince of Egypt, gives you two great animated films for your kids without having to give Di$ney any money. Be a smart consumer and spend your money on studios that earn it.

[Daniel Shock]

I would pay 3 times as much for each movie in the Star Wars series, because I know that they will be the special eds. to end all special eds.

But, I won't spend a nickle on these Disney DVD's. And, yes, I was going to get a few as GIFTS ONLY - To people who woudn't care as much. But, now, I think it may be imoral.

[Daniel Shock]

Sorry, I mean, "immoral".

Spell checker addiction.

[roger thornhill]

I have been pretty much a Disney supporter in these threads, arguing that we should be grateful for the movies finally on dvd. I was going to buy all 9 of these including Simba's Pride (sight unseen and I don't even have kids). But now,

BITE ME!!!

P.S. Since Mulan never came out on laser disc, and I refuse to buy vhs, I will hang my head in shame and still buy Mulan. However, there are some other Disney purchases I was going to make, that will now be sacrificed.

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dds #070

[Rock]

It's good to see we all pretty much agree. Some of us were gonna buy one disc, some of us were gonna buy all nine. But, now, it looks as if almost everyone is buying NONE!!!


Aaaahahahahaha...take that Disney! Hopefully someone from the mouse is reading this and will see that this simple, money-grubbing move will cost them much more in the end.

The Rock was gonna buy The Jungle Book originally, but now...nada.

Oh yeah, Disney: You are welcome to snap The Rock's lobster.


DVDFile.Com Moderator
MostElectrifying@netscape.net

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The Rock says: If you can't pay someone to do it, it ain't a job worth doing.

[This message has been edited by Rock (edited 08-31-1999).]

OK, I'm going to rock the boat.

I wanted these movies for a long time on DVD, I have two on LD already, and chose not to support Disney by buying their VHS tapes while they supported DIVX (or ever really).

I'm not pleased that Disney hiked up their already bloated prices, while not offering much in terms of extras or 16:9 enhancement, but it works out to $4 more per disc, and by using some coupons, I bought 8 of them for $20 each (no LK II)which is a fair price to me. The bare-bones Disney laserdiscs that I bought before were $32 with tax, and the DVDs WILL look visibly better.

Still, if I learn that the $49 SE version of A Bug's Life is NOT 16:9 enhanced, I will find it hard not laughing outloud at Disney's foolishness.

If they are looking to charge $40-$50 for their DVDs, they will be essentially deciding to keep their share of the home video market the same as it was with laserdisc, and then we will hear the combined laughter of Dreamworks, Fox, and Warner grow as Disney's HV market share shrinks.

-Dean.

I am definitely looking forward to the Iron Giant. My six year old, who wears everything Star Wars, said after he saw it that he liked it better. It was a great movie. Something to keep in mind through all this price hike stuff is that the release of these movies means they will ALL be in you local video store. Therefore, even though you may not buy them, they will be available to rent for the same price as the $24.95 movies. So finally, on Friday night Pizza and Movie night, we won't have to watch VHS.

[TampaFlyer]

A couple other suggestions for kid-friendly reasonably-priced titles: "Antz" and "Mouse Hunt", both from Dreamworks.

Does anyone else find it odd that "Lion King II", a made-for-video release, is a member of the Forty Dollar Club, yet the first DVD release of "A Bug's Life", is priced more like other movies? Are we to believe LK2 is an animated classic and ABL is just a movie? Strange... If I were in charge, we'd be getting "The Lion King" and its sequel on one disc for a lot less than $40.

At $15 I'd of bought all 9
At $25 I'd of bought all which were 16x9 enhanced
At $35 They'd have to contain extra's and be enhanced
> $35 They can kiss my @$$

[Daniel Shock]

I don't know what y'all will think of this suggestion, but almost all of the Disney classics are available on Video CD at much lower prices. I've seen some bootleg Video CD's but never a professionally produced one. So, I don't know what the quality is like. But, 13 $ for a crappy VCD sounds better than 40$ for a crappy DVD.
Check out www.video-cds.com for examples.

Daniel,

First off VCDs are bootleg unauthorized copys and completely illegal to sell or buy.

Secondly, these DVDs should look great (for $20) and VCDs generally look like crap (VHS quality or less). So even though most of these Disney DVDs should have been 16:9 enhanced, I'll gladly pay the extra $7 per disc for the considerably better audio and video quality and piece of mind.

Bootlegs only contribute to these higher DVD prices, fewer available titles, and lack of 16:9 support.

-Dean.

OK, maybe they aren't bootlegs, but they are still relatively poor quality compared to the DVDs, versions, without much of a price break over the DVD's street prices.

-Dean.

Funny how Disney seems to kick themselves in their own ass. For a company that is soooo worried about piracy, they are almost openly encouraging it with their own outlandish pricing. Does anyone there at Disney have a brain?

Forgot to ask. Is the price hike just at SRP or have they increased the wholesale price as well? Seems to me that if they didn't increase the wholesale price then they aren't making any more money from the higher SRP. Does anyone know for sure? Seems inline for Disney. Their VHS prices were always higher than everyone else. Maybe they are sticking to that. And is it me, or is there anyone else who seriously doubts that it will be 10 years before we see these titles again on DVD. By then I would expect a HD version of DVD. I would think they would want to sell all the titles on DVD before HD-DVD comes out so they could sell them again. Seems fishy to me.

[Daniel Shock]

Regarding the VCD's, 1st, yes you are correct, VCD is a legitimate format that is very popular in ASIA. But, since they are on regular CD's they can be created relatively cheaply. Therefore allowing bootlegs to be made. 2nd, I was just saying that if you can't live without them for the sake of your kids...then why spend MORE money for something that you really aren't happy with anyway? It seems to me that, if you are just buying them for your kids. Buy those. And then when Disney finally releases something on DVD worth paying for, THEN shell out for it. I'm not buying either since I am doomed to have no offspring...or is that spared? Anyway, its just a suggestion.

[Daniel Shock]

AND...by buying VCD's you aren't supporting the self destructing VHS product. Ok..now I'm done.

Robert,

The wholesale price is still the same.
Disney says that they raised the SRP because many mom and pop retailers are getting squeezed out of business by e-commerce and super stores that can buy and sell in bulk.

So with the wholesale price still at $29.95 the smaller businesses can potenitally offer a competitive price and still make a little profit.

Daniel,

Yes, and thanks for the suggestion. If you were going to play these movies on a small screen over and over, there could be an advantage to VCD over VHS, especially because you can play them in regular PCs too.

-Dean.