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I remember that in one of the previous forum incarnations there was a thread about these releases.

Wave 7 is coming next December:

[quote]Animated News

The Newest Additions to the Popular

Walt Disney Treasures
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Chronological Donald, Volume 3

Disneyland: Stories, Secrets, and Magic

Each 2-Disc DVD Set Includes Authenticity Certificate

And Collectible Lithograph Available in Limited Supply December 11


BURBANK, Calif., March 30, 2007 – Walt Disney Home Entertainment continues the popular Walt Disney Treasures series with three new 2-Disc DVD sets featuring rarely seen footage presented with amazing color and sound. The seventh installment of Walt Disney Treasures will be available December 11, 2007 in a limited supply just in time for the holidays.

Predating even Mickey Mouse, the legendary and rarely-seen Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was Walt Disney's first big animated star, and having recently returned to the Disney fold, comes out of the vault for the first time ever on DVD. The silent shorts made from 1926 to 1927 with Walt's personal touch, are revitalized with a brand-new score specifically made for Walt Disney Treasures, Wave VII.

Chronological Donald, Volume 3 features the most prolific of “Walt's Fab Five,â€

dx23 wrote:

Each volume features noted film historian, author, and critic Leonard Maltin.

I believe Leonard Maltin is not involved in these projects anymore, so I wonder who Disney has named as replacement.

According to that announcement, Maltin is involved.

I know the announcement says he is involved, but I remember there was an interview at the begining of the year stating otherwise. Well, maybe he came to an agreement.

Pretty much everything in this series has been really nice, although I hated the packaging on the True Life Adventures sets (and wondered why they couldn't do, say, 2 volumes instead of stretching it out over 4 sets). Does Disney always announce these things like 9 months in advance?

The True-Life Adventures were part of the "Walt Disney Legacy" series which was apparently to replace WDT as new Legacy titles were announced at the same time the Treasures series was supposedly cancelled. But I guess poor sales and feedback on the Legacy packaging as well as a rather botched release (the Legacy discs were announced about a month before street date) means that Disney has probably recognized the brand name value of the Treasures discs. Two of these three were announced as Legacy titles.

A lot of this also has to do with Disney studio politics. Roy Disney (whose "baby" was the Treasures project) abruptly left the Disney board of directors to send a message to then CEO Michael Eisner. Once Eisner left and Bob Iger took over, relations with Roy Disney were smoothed out and the Treasures reinstated. That's the short version, anyway.

Davisdvd has the cover art. The Oswald set has a Gold Tin.

dx23 wrote:Davisdvd has the cover art. The Oswald set has a Gold Tin.

I'm going to wear that damn button everyday.

I still wish Disney would release their cartoons the way Warner Bros. do, but hey, this is still amazing!

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:I still wish Disney would release their cartoons the way Warner Bros. do, but hey, this is still amazing!

What, indifferently restored and overly-"noise"-reduced and in packages with no historical context or sequential ordering?

Matt wrote:...or sequential ordering?

This *really* bothers me, for the record.

Matt wrote:

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:I still wish Disney would release their cartoons the way Warner Bros. do, but hey, this is still amazing!

What, indifferently restored and overly-"noise"-reduced and in packages with no historical context or sequential ordering?

What, are you serious? The Warner sets are great. Have you seen the new Popeye? The transfers are amazing too, especially the Looney Tunes. Some are dirty, but I think that's part of the fact Termite Terrace wasn't the cleanest place, and because of budget, animation cells were reused, and not kept like Disney.

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:

Matt wrote:

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:I still wish Disney would release their cartoons the way Warner Bros. do, but hey, this is still amazing!

What, indifferently restored and overly-"noise"-reduced and in packages with no historical context or sequential ordering?

What, are you serious?

As far as transfers go: Let's not forget, now, the Droopy Dog DVD where the "noise" reduction took borders off the characters and erased entire parts of scenes (like the trapeze wires...). Warner definitely has had issues with their cartoon releases.

Wave VIII coming on November 11th 2008. The 3 sets are Destino, Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow and Chronological Donald Volume 4.

dx23 wrote:Destino

A two-disc set for a 7-minute film?

Matt wrote:

dx23 wrote:Destino

A two-disc set for a 7-minute film?

The 2nd disc is Pet Shop Boys disco remixes.

I saw Destino at the Disney exhibition in Paris last year and was underwhelmed - no way it makes sense as a stand-alone release, unless the extra features are out of this world (which they won't be). They should have just tacked it on to the Alice + Rarities disc.

I guess an underwhelming bunch of releases - that will no doubt sell badly - will gives Disney an easy way out of this particular series without much public outcry (second time around). It's a shame as there is bound to be more interesting stuff locked up in the Disney vaults.

PS. What happened to the Legacy Collection?

Destino certainly has garnered my interest. I'm usually not really into the Disney stuff but I did purchase and enjoy the Disney Treasures collection of wartime cartoons that was released a few years back.

I love the Disney Treasures series, but I am frustrated to no end by the limited availability of the titles, especially the early 2000 - 2001 ones. I would love to be able to get the "Complete Goofy" to match my Donald and Mickey collections, but there's no way I am willing to pay someone $100 for a used version. I grew up watching these cartoons on the Disney channel in the '80s, and along with Sesame Street, they remain my among most cherished memories from childhood. My girlfriend's son loves watching my Donald collections, and I would love to be able to show him more.

The feature film situation is even worse.

Can someone explain to me why Disney keeps using the "limited time only" marketing structure for their DVD releases? I understand the historical context of re-releasing their classics every seven years, and the attempt to recreate that experience through home video. But I know that pure nostalgia is not the real reason that the "Disney vault" exists, and frankly, it doesn't seem to make economic sense to me at all. Its insane that they purposely keep stuff like Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, and the early shorts purposely OOP so that they can sell a four million copies of those titles in the three months before Christmas every ten years. Does the once-a-decade selling bonanza really make up for not keeping the titles continuously in print? Is Disney secretly getting some kind of kickback from the obscene profits made by the online second hand sellers that they have created?

The last time Pinocchio was released on DVD was in 1999 for chrissakes. This really is the equivalent of Warner keeping Citizen Kane purposely OOP on DVD. It is such an unnecessary "fuck you" to consumers, and to a whole generation of children who should be able to see this stuff.

I went the lazy, lot-of-money-spent eBay way of purchasing Mickey in living color vol.1 and Silly Symphonies last week. I hate that, back when these things got released I was 12 years old, had no interest in film and wouldn't get a DVD player until years later. Now I have to pay the big price.

This collection is awesome, though. I'm only interested in the animated ones, the shorts are wonderful, especially with Donald!
But, about the black & white Mickey, does anyone prefer the late 20s shorts over the very early 30s ones? Theses (with some great exceptions) are almost musical numbers without any plot (and Minnie is always on her piano singing some "lalala"), while the late 20s shorts got absurd situations and a bit of action. It's crude, but wilder. Something tell me I'd like the Oswald shorts. But by the mid 30s and after all Mickeys are great.

seems like a 'fuck you' to consumers, but it is better from a marketing standpoint. By taking them out of print and rereleasing them every decade, it creates more awareness for people that might have not seen them before, and for fans, a rejoyce.

Keeping "Sudden Impact", "Deadly Target", or "Fire Force" for years in the walmart $5 clearance section is probably not the best way to market Disney classics and Disney knows that.

(I made up those titles, but I bet there are Segal movies with those titles)

I agree with your point manicsounds, but at the same time that limited availability has caused the incredible abundance of bootlegs of these classic Disney films.

As for the people looking for the early treasures, I recommend checking on Amazon.com often and at the Disney Movie club.

Ultimatedisney.com is reporting that Destino has been taken out of the lineup for the next wave of Disney Treasures:

July 2, 2008 - Disney has recently revised its vague press release for Walt Disney Treasures: Wave 8. The only difference? Destino, the 2003 realization of a long-unfinished Walt Disney/Salvador Dali animated short, has been dropped. The Chronological Donald, Volume 4 and Dr. Syn, Alias The Scarecrow are still scheduled for release on November 11th.
We're awaiting comment from Disney, but for now it appears that Destino, long anticipated on DVD and earlier planned for release in Walt Disney's Legacy Collection, is no longer bound for DVD in 2008.

Destino is showing on a continuous loop at MOMA in Manhattan as part of its Dali: Painting and Film exhibition (along with some other well-known and obscure films/videos/clips).

From Ultimatedisney.com:

May 8, 2009 - Disney has announced its next wave of Walt Disney Treasures and it's nothing like the first eight. Arriving on November 3, 2009 are two volumes: "Zorro": The Complete First Season and "Zorro": The Complete Second Season. Each six-disc set will carry a $59.99 list price and present its 39 episodes in their original black & white format.
In addition, the four famous "third season" one-hour "Zorro" specials will be divided among the two sets (two on each). Extras will include Leonard Maltin introductions, certificates of authenticity, Zorro pins and lithographs. We've got your first look at the stylish dark grey & gold tins, pins, and lithographs on our Upcoming Cover Art page.

What? No! Where's the cartoons!

Saturnome wrote:What? No! Where's the cartoons!

Indeed...they just need one more collection of miscellaneous cartoons and they'll have put all the animated stuff out. Even a revised, less messy reissue of the first Silly Symphonies set would've been better than just "Zorro." ](*,)