Disney Afternoon DVDs -- Where's the Rest of the Story?

Last week, I promised you three Disney TV shows that got cheated on DVD. Although they had DVD releases, the full series was not included. Each of these gems has episodes missing, a disgraceful treatment of both the series and the fans.

Darkwing Duck

The Terror that Flaps in the Night, DW is a feathered super-hero bedeviled by cool villains and his own ego.

Kim Possible

Teenage cheerleader turned crime-fighter Kim Possible travels the world to foil the baddies and still manages to keep her grades up.

Adventures of the Gummi Bears

This show gets the worst treatment of all, with only one volume of cartoons available instead of two. There are a lot more adventures in Gummi Glen for fans to enjoy, if only Disey would cooperate.

We should also mention Chip 'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers, which, although recently granted a complete series release, is limited to Blu-Ray only, a cheesy way of dissing fans with only a standard DVD player. But, it's better than nothing.

By Whatsits Galore.

DVDs That Ought To Be

In the not-too-distant past, it seemed likely that every movie and TV series known to man would eventually make its way to DVD. But now the explosion of streaming services seems to have killed that dream. Here are 10 TV shows that deserve to be on DVD but somehow missed the wave:

Strange Luck

It's hard to classify this show. Chance Harper suffers from extremely good and bad luck, all at the same time. Convoluted coincidences dog his steps in every twisted plot, leading up to a bizarre conclusion.

Disney's House of Mouse

Not the best of Disney's TV forays, but seeing the interaction between characters from different movies, each more obscure than the last, is something I never get tired of. Watching Jiminy's attempt at being Mickey's conscience, Cruella siziing up Beast's hide, and Capt. Hook making eyes at Maleficent make this series well worth owning.

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

Ellery Queen was a better show with better mysteries and better characters, but this is still a fun series. The cast has enough personality to keep you interested, and the stories are fair mysteries with real clues, providing real entertainment for armchair sleuths.

Wildside

At least this show got a VHS video release, but I'd sure like a DVD of these five quirky cowboys and they're slightly offbeat western adventures.

The Harlem Globetrotters

No, not Super Trotters. Not the Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine. The original Harlem Globetrotters cartoon featured the famous team traveling from stadium to stadium helping strangers, catching crooks, and generally having adventures. Oh, and playing basketball, too, possibly against a team of hillbillies, or kangaroos, or even blindfolded. It's a classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon at least as good as the more popular Josie and the Pussycats.

Salvage 1

Once upon a time, a junk man had a dream...a dream that began with a trip to the moon in a homemade rocket, just to salvage the equipment left by the astronauts. After that, the Salvage team went after a robot, a haunted house, an antique car with a secret, and just about anything else you can think of. The only DVDs so far available are of the few two-part episodes, which are, frankly, not the best of the series. The fact that there are five or so eps which were never shown on TV makes this show an even better candidate for DVD release.

Disney's Legend of Tarzan

The Disney animated Tarzan is a fantastic movie; the ape-man's further adventures as revealed in this series are also worth watching, especially for fans of the orignal Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, because many elements from those tales are used on the show.

Sword of Justice

Maybe this series about a playboy wrongfully accused of fraud who becomes a vigilante to avenge his wrongs is typical light '70s fare, but I sure liked it back then, and recently enjoyed an episode I found online. Besides, I think Bert Rosario is cute.

The Charmings

Snow White, Prince Charming, and family are transported to modern times in this fish-out-of-water comedy. The costumes, the Disney references, the miscommunications are all fun and, well, charming.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Another good Disney series that gives us the fictional tv show the Toy Story action figure comes from. Buzz has an interesting team of fellow Space Rangers and a rogues gallery almost as good as Darkwing Duck's. And speaking of DW...

...next week check out three Disney TV series that got short shrift on DVD.

By Whatsits Galore.

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Another Blu-Ray Don't

Another Disney animated classic has received the Blu-Ray treatment. The Sword in the Stone release is labelled "restored," although "ruined" would be nearer to the mark. The linework of the original art is gone, replaced with heavy black outlines more akin to a coloring book than an animated feature, while the bright, solid blocks of color complete the effect. Do yourself a favor and skip this title.

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Disney Blu-Ray Does It Again

Disney's latest "restored" Blu-Ray release once again ruins the unparallelled art of a classic, this time Mickey's Christmas Carol. The new version has lost every scrap of subtlety and looks like it was traced with Magic Marker and poster paint. Beware! Better to find yourself an old copy and pass on this one.

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Disney's Blue-Ray Blues Update

Disney has finally responded positively to the problem of the switched scenes during the Part of Your World sequence of it's new "restored" Blu-Ray version of The Little Mermaid. Unwary fans who purchased either the Blu-Ray or the DVD (excluding the 3-D version) can send for a new, corrected movie, free of charge. Here is the contact information:

800-723-4763 (U.S.)
888-877-2843 (Canada)

http://www.disneystudioshelp.com/ContactUs More...

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Blu-Ray, or Not Blu-Ray part 6

Parts 1-5 are just the "improvements" listed by Disney, to which I will add a few of my own.

Increased Price

Blu-Rays aren't too much more money, but they are more, so it must be considered by all of us working stiffs.

Lack of Availability

Not only are there hundreds of movies and TV series not available on Blu-Ray, but many are released every day, even by Disney, on DVD only. So the new format and new player would still only be used and/or needed for a tiny fraction of my library.

And finally, I mustn't forget that I only switched to DVD in 2001. That may seem like a long time to some of you younger readers, but consider that I still own and watch VHS videos. I enjoy them on my combo player, gradually replacing them with DVDs as the opportunity presents itself relatively cheaply. Disney sometimes forgets that not all their fans are wealthy.

For the time being, I'll stay with DVD. And, if I'm lucky, I'll be able to skip Blu-Ray entirely for the next new format. Whatever that will be.

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Blu-Ray, or Not Blu-Ray part 5

Complete Compatibility

The Blu-Ray players play all standard DVDs. When a Blu-Ray disc plays on my standard desktop computer, then call me. We'll talk.

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Blu-Ray, or Not Blu-Ray part 4

Enhanced Picture and Sound

Always a plus. You can't argue against a better picture. Of course, if your TV is only so-so, you can't enjoy these options to the fullest. And then there are the folks who prefer to watch on a portable device. How many of those minute details can you see on a 1" screen?

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Blu-Ray, or Not Blu-Ray part 3

Next Generation Interactivity

This feature gives viewers the ability to access the menus and bonus features while the movie is playing, via the old picture-in-a-picture schtick. No. No. Just...no. I don't need an excuse for somebody to shrink Sleeping Beauty down to postcard-size while they look at a different screen. No.

To be fair, under this same category would fall the new menu that makes it way easier to find a particular scene with a slide bar, as opposed to choosing one of twenty or so scenes and hoping to hit the right one.

That's one for their side.

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Blu-Ray, or Not Blu-Ray part 2

Advanced Durability

Blu-Ray discs have a new scratch-resistant coating. This is a true benefit, and highly desirable. But I have to ask myself: can't the same coating be applied to DVDs? Isn't this another case of making DVDs inferior on purpose to try to force consumers to switch? Maybe not, but it certainly seems that way.

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Blu-Ray, or Not Blu-Ray part 1

That is the question, isn't it? Disney has put all their resources behind Blu-Ray, either assuming that consumers wanted a new format or, as it seems, attempting to make them think they do.

So, why have I resisted all sales tactics? Let's look at the benefits of Blu-Ray, as listed in Disney's own brochure.

Unsurpassed Capacity

Each disc holds five times more information than a standard DVD. This sounds wonderful at first glance. As someone who actually watches and enjoys bonus features, I ought to call this a plus. But consider the facts. What DVD has ever been sold filled to capacity? I've got discs in my library, Disney-made, of course, with nothing on them but the movie. No, not even a menu screen. Zip.

Increased capacity is a bogus perk; factual, but misleading. Yes, the discs have more space. No, we will not guarantee that we will fill that space, any more than we filled it on our DVDs.

But, you say, Disney is loading Blu-Rays with bonus features. And all their recent DVD releases are as bare of extras as a naked mole rat. This is an artificial improvement. When early Blu-Ray sales tanked, the bonus features began to mysteriously drop off newly-released DVDs. If we can't make Blu-Ray desirable enough, let's make the alternative worse, and Blu-Ray can't help but shine by comparison.

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