The Lion King Blu ray
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True, Bill. Hopefully that will be rectified in the future. I'd have liked one of the other Broadway songs inserted into the SE of TLK, but the situation was that it needed to be a Rice/John song for contractual reasons. Morning Report "fit" in that respect, but not in terms of narrative or adding anything (and I hate that it's not Rowan Atkinson's voice...fine for the DTVs, but not for something where he would have sung if it had been intended).
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So the Lion King re-release is apparently heading towards a weekend boxoffice of $30 million. And topping the box office. That's really caught me by surprise. I expected it to maybe trouble the bottom end of the Top 10 based solely on the ridiculous IMAX 3D prices but to go to #1 is a pleasant surprise.
Even though The Lion King is far from my favourite Disney movie and I often wonder why it is THE ONE with so many people. It's nice to see a hand drawn animated film being able to draw in a crowd still.
Even though The Lion King is far from my favourite Disney movie and I often wonder why it is THE ONE with so many people. It's nice to see a hand drawn animated film being able to draw in a crowd still.
I'm amazed Lion King 3-D is doing that well considering the home video release is just around the corner.
I guess most people are just that ignorant or desperate to see something decent in theaters even if we're talking about a film that has already had two major home video releases in the past 17 years. I wasn't aware that everybody's DVD editions were already wearing out!
Personally, I WON'T be seeing it in 3-D because A) the film wasn't made to be seen in 3-D in the first place; and B) I HATE the stereoscopic/digital/whatever-you-want-to-call-it 3-D effect! 3-D films look blurrier and darker than regular old 2-D films. The tech is still as horrible as it was when it was analog in the past!
I think only a small minority of the public actually cares for 3-D to begin with. These are NOT the people who go to stores or buy movies online every week; these are people who follow fads and flake out in an instant and get distracted by flashes of light. This is all just a desperate grab for money that I think is backfiring on Hollywood. The home market for 3D video is just not taking off and that's the major reason for doing these films in the first place; they're trying to recapture the DVD boom that occurred nearly 10 years ago with this tech and it just ain't happening. Regular Blu ray sales (although healthy) alone aren't equaling DVD sales of just a few years back; Blu ray 3D is practically DOA.
On many gaming sites the prevailing opinion is that 3-D just isn't at a state that enhances gameplay appreciably; most people would rather not have to pay for an option that's really not useful to them. Current game console hardware prices are high enough... buying the extra gear and new sets for 3-D just isn't worth it yet with the majority of these games being just lousy or feeling like glorified tech demos and alpha-state games.
I know I'm saving money on home video releases and steering clear of Blu ray 3D. Prices on regular Blu ray are high enough as it is... Paying $15-$20 more for a disc I will most likely NEVER use isn't worth it IMHO. There are extras that just aren't worth the premium...
I guess most people are just that ignorant or desperate to see something decent in theaters even if we're talking about a film that has already had two major home video releases in the past 17 years. I wasn't aware that everybody's DVD editions were already wearing out!
Personally, I WON'T be seeing it in 3-D because A) the film wasn't made to be seen in 3-D in the first place; and B) I HATE the stereoscopic/digital/whatever-you-want-to-call-it 3-D effect! 3-D films look blurrier and darker than regular old 2-D films. The tech is still as horrible as it was when it was analog in the past!
I think only a small minority of the public actually cares for 3-D to begin with. These are NOT the people who go to stores or buy movies online every week; these are people who follow fads and flake out in an instant and get distracted by flashes of light. This is all just a desperate grab for money that I think is backfiring on Hollywood. The home market for 3D video is just not taking off and that's the major reason for doing these films in the first place; they're trying to recapture the DVD boom that occurred nearly 10 years ago with this tech and it just ain't happening. Regular Blu ray sales (although healthy) alone aren't equaling DVD sales of just a few years back; Blu ray 3D is practically DOA.
On many gaming sites the prevailing opinion is that 3-D just isn't at a state that enhances gameplay appreciably; most people would rather not have to pay for an option that's really not useful to them. Current game console hardware prices are high enough... buying the extra gear and new sets for 3-D just isn't worth it yet with the majority of these games being just lousy or feeling like glorified tech demos and alpha-state games.
I know I'm saving money on home video releases and steering clear of Blu ray 3D. Prices on regular Blu ray are high enough as it is... Paying $15-$20 more for a disc I will most likely NEVER use isn't worth it IMHO. There are extras that just aren't worth the premium...
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Your money, Captain Grudge.GeorgeC wrote:I'm amazed Lion King 3-D is doing that well considering the home video release is just around the corner.
I know I'm saving money on home video releases and steering clear of Blu ray 3D. Prices on regular Blu ray are high enough as it is... Paying $15-$20 more for a disc I will most likely NEVER use isn't worth it IMHO. There are extras that just aren't worth the premium...
Oh, I did mention that I found a cheap (small = 37") 3-D Panasonic Viera on the backwaters of Amazon's Memorial Day Sales, and I've been happily watching Tangled 3D and converted YouTube ever since?
(But then, I can afford to be smug, since my PS3 already converted to a 3D player for free.
)Right now, the technology is as badly marketed as three other formats combined: The other studios are bailing on the "exclusive bundle" movies, except for Panasonic who has a little too much faith in Avatar. And like the early days of Blu-ray...which, ahem ALSO attracted anal-retentive cranks throwing shovelfuls of grave dirt on it every five minutes
...the early adopters are waiting patiently for reason to prevail among the tech companies before the studios can follow suit, or else we'd just like to knock some heads together for sense.Like every early format, there's the first two years where the parts are in such a niche market that the early models are insanely expensive, until all of a sudden production catches up and the prices come down. (Next year's glasses will reportedly be half of what they cost this year, and about danged time too.)
Fans are at least planning to buy Lion King on BD, but most of the non-PS3 owners are nowhere near the point where they can jump on the home-3D format, so they're flocking to the theaters to see what it would have looked like if they could have afforded to have bought the Neater version.
As an early adopter, I've got the luxury of waiting to buy/rent the home version--But if I'm not planning to buy it, it's not because of the new format; it's because I can't physically watch five minutes of Lion King without wanting to go out and strangle Linda Woolverton.
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A lot of people were either really young when they saw it in theaters or too young to have seen it in theaters. It's one of Disney's best animated movies IMO, I can easily see why people want to rush out to see it in theaters. Whether they be older and able to appreciate it, or have kids now and want THEM to experience it in theaters. I'm planning on seeing it this Tuesday myself, even if I don't care about the 3D.GeorgeC wrote:I'm amazed Lion King 3-D is doing that well considering the home video release is just around the corner.
Plus, this version has no crappy Morning Report so hooray!
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I'll have the 3D version at home, simply because I'm buying the big box with all 3 films on BD.
Macaluso is right. Many of the tickets being sold right now are likely to young families, whose parents want their kids to see it on the big screen. If you have a great theatre in your town, it's still the best way to see a flick. (Having a home projector may come close, but I would think that's still not too common. Even then, a 6-10 foot screen is still way smaller than a theatre screen.)
As for 3D BD in general, I balk at having to pay that extra 10-15 dollars too, but I'll grab the 3D version if it's practical to do so. I have a PS3, and know that my next TV will be 3D compatible, because they all will be in a couple of years--- after all, can you buy a non-HDTV anymore? Same with projectors. 3D capability will eventually be a standard feature, though many will never use it. (Similarly, my computer has all sorts of ports, inputs, and programs I never use.)
I got Tangled 3D, as the price was relatively decent with the coupon. And I got Thor 3D, just because Amazon.ca had it at about the same price as the regular BD one day. (Though I know the 3D conversion was not good. But for the same price, why not?)
I'm not all that enamored by the whole 3D thing, but given that my equipment will all be 3D compatible some day, it's nice to have that viewing option, just for kicks.
Macaluso is right. Many of the tickets being sold right now are likely to young families, whose parents want their kids to see it on the big screen. If you have a great theatre in your town, it's still the best way to see a flick. (Having a home projector may come close, but I would think that's still not too common. Even then, a 6-10 foot screen is still way smaller than a theatre screen.)
As for 3D BD in general, I balk at having to pay that extra 10-15 dollars too, but I'll grab the 3D version if it's practical to do so. I have a PS3, and know that my next TV will be 3D compatible, because they all will be in a couple of years--- after all, can you buy a non-HDTV anymore? Same with projectors. 3D capability will eventually be a standard feature, though many will never use it. (Similarly, my computer has all sorts of ports, inputs, and programs I never use.)
I got Tangled 3D, as the price was relatively decent with the coupon. And I got Thor 3D, just because Amazon.ca had it at about the same price as the regular BD one day. (Though I know the 3D conversion was not good. But for the same price, why not?)
I'm not all that enamored by the whole 3D thing, but given that my equipment will all be 3D compatible some day, it's nice to have that viewing option, just for kicks.
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Disney's been promoting the "Future-Proof Your Collection" line in selling the 2D Blu's inside the 3D combos of Christmas Carol, Tangled and Lion King, in the hope they can get "regular" people to stock up early.Randall wrote:As for 3D BD in general, I balk at having to pay that extra 10-15 dollars too, but I'll grab the 3D version if it's practical to do so. I have a PS3, and know that my next TV will be 3D compatible, because they all will be in a couple of years--- after all, can you buy a non-HDTV anymore? Same with projectors. 3D capability will eventually be a standard feature, though many will never use it. (Similarly, my computer has all sorts of ports, inputs, and programs I never use.)
That's the same idea they had for sticking DVD's inside the first Blu-ray combos, but that idea sadly got sidetracked off the point.
The satellite channels are trying to sell 3D as "common" for broadcast sports and travelogues, like the first HD channels did for HDTV, but it's been an uphill climb--
I've seen clips of some of the satellite 3D sports, and once it does become "common" enough as a broadcast niche market, it'll at least shout down the paranoid anti-tech fans' whines of "a big studio money swindle"....Seems to me we heard that when Blu-ray started, too.
Hey EricJ,
You can make a point without it getting personal.
I know it's in your personality NOT to do that, though...
You have to have character and class to debate without bringing insults into the equation.
You've made it very clear that the only thing you're a master of is what Barrie called, "Bad form."
You can make a point without it getting personal.
I know it's in your personality NOT to do that, though...
You have to have character and class to debate without bringing insults into the equation.
You've made it very clear that the only thing you're a master of is what Barrie called, "Bad form."
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Re: The Lion King Blu ray
A news report from Tuscaloosa about fans seeing The Lion King back in theaters.
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The big reason why TLK is doing well now is that most of the kids or teenagers that saw it first time around now have families of their own and want them to enjoy the film the way they first saw it.
Plus it just goes to prove that good movies will always work at the box-office (and, though, that is a box office that has absolutely nothing else to compare to an animated family flick right now; I wonder how it might have stacked up against the latest from DreamWorks or Blue Sky, for example).
Of course, it's just a marketing ploy for the BD release, but I was still surprised at how many screens it went out on - not quite a major new release but not far off, and it still made #1!? Because it's a good, timeless movie.
I don't know if families are going to see it in 3D because they don't have the technology at home, and we can't truly say if the 3D is a deciding factor since Disney hasn't released the 2D/3D comparison numbers, but I doubt it.
I think people just saw their chance to see the film again after a suitable amount of time away from cinemas: I would probably go but remember the Imax reissue from the early 2000s and don't need to see it again so soon, but I think that reissue then was misguided as it hadn't been out of print or away from theaters that long.
Now is the right time for those that were young to bring their kids to see something they liked the way they first saw it, home video release or not. And I don't think this will have any impact on sales: there are some out there saying that having seen it at the movies the discs might not sell as many but that's baloney as this box office tells us, if anything, that sales will be huge.
Rand...I was going to go for the 3-movie set, but I'm not sure on the packaging. I like my discs to either be in something custom or in individual cases within a box - anything as long as they're protected - but the more I look at this set, it looks as if they come stacked within a rotund stack-like arrangement, which I'm not too keen on, the lack of protection or packaging reducing the appeal for me.
I'm sure the other two will get editions of their own, but I'd be very interested in how you find the packaging when you receive your edition.
Plus it just goes to prove that good movies will always work at the box-office (and, though, that is a box office that has absolutely nothing else to compare to an animated family flick right now; I wonder how it might have stacked up against the latest from DreamWorks or Blue Sky, for example).
Of course, it's just a marketing ploy for the BD release, but I was still surprised at how many screens it went out on - not quite a major new release but not far off, and it still made #1!? Because it's a good, timeless movie.
I don't know if families are going to see it in 3D because they don't have the technology at home, and we can't truly say if the 3D is a deciding factor since Disney hasn't released the 2D/3D comparison numbers, but I doubt it.
I think people just saw their chance to see the film again after a suitable amount of time away from cinemas: I would probably go but remember the Imax reissue from the early 2000s and don't need to see it again so soon, but I think that reissue then was misguided as it hadn't been out of print or away from theaters that long.
Now is the right time for those that were young to bring their kids to see something they liked the way they first saw it, home video release or not. And I don't think this will have any impact on sales: there are some out there saying that having seen it at the movies the discs might not sell as many but that's baloney as this box office tells us, if anything, that sales will be huge.
Rand...I was going to go for the 3-movie set, but I'm not sure on the packaging. I like my discs to either be in something custom or in individual cases within a box - anything as long as they're protected - but the more I look at this set, it looks as if they come stacked within a rotund stack-like arrangement, which I'm not too keen on, the lack of protection or packaging reducing the appeal for me.
I'm sure the other two will get editions of their own, but I'd be very interested in how you find the packaging when you receive your edition.
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Amazon has the Lion King soundtrack available for download for just $5. Here's a link (with our affiliate code - we get a kickback of the $5 from Amazon):
http://www.amazon.com/The-Lion-King-Spe ... edviews-20
http://www.amazon.com/The-Lion-King-Spe ... edviews-20
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Re: The Lion King Blu ray
The first couple minutes is essentially him reposting the re-release trailer, but after that... makes me wish I was in that audience.
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Re: The Lion King Blu ray
Blu-Ray.com conducted a great interview with Rob, Roger, and Don. They discuss making the film, the impact it has had, and even the success of the re-release.
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=7433
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=7433
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Re: The Lion King Blu ray
Heads up for those on the fence about getting the Trilogy set because the discs are in a replica drum.
It is not like the Bender head set for Futurama, so the discs are not arranged in slots.
When you open the drum top, the discs are placed in a small folder that uses velcro to keep it shut. Open up the folder and each disc is placed in their own individual sleeve. The folder is also placed in a tight slot so as to prevent it from being tossed around while in the drum.
In other words, Disney made sure that the discs would be protected in the best possible manner.
It is not like the Bender head set for Futurama, so the discs are not arranged in slots.
When you open the drum top, the discs are placed in a small folder that uses velcro to keep it shut. Open up the folder and each disc is placed in their own individual sleeve. The folder is also placed in a tight slot so as to prevent it from being tossed around while in the drum.
In other words, Disney made sure that the discs would be protected in the best possible manner.