Disney's Little Mermaid bluray editing blunder- Page 2

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/14/13 at 9:39pm

I really wish they wouldn't mess with the colors. The original hues were given so much thought by Disney and his animators. They were much subtler and just plain better. The one of Cinderella getting back into her coach after the ball completely changes the tone of the shot. It's not anywhere near as moody.

So, to that company spokesperson who says, "It doesn't change the overall experience" of watching the film, I say you're wrong. Its absolutely does.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/15/13 at 12:09am

If they feel like "improving" it, fine. But give us the "unimproved" version on the disc or a separate disc, as well. Disney already charges a fortune since everything they put out includes a blu-ray, a DVD, a digital copy, an ultra violet copy, a 3D copy and a floppy disc copy. They could include one more.

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 9/15/13 at 4:04pm

"So I didn't buy Cinderella, Alice In Wonderland (one of my favorites), Dumbo, The Aristocats, The Rescuers, etc. I'll stick with my low-def copies. They may not be crystal clear, but they look more like the films I remember seeing, growing up."

'Alice in Wonderland' can be seen on Netflix its original colors and quality despite the cover of the Blu-ray appearing on there. I believe that 'The Rescuers' can be seen in its original colors and quality as well.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/15/13 at 5:47pm

The response from Disney is a little disheartening. I admit that in my secret heart I was hoping that once they acquired the Star Wars franchise they would listen to the legions of fans who want the unaltered original trilogy to be given a proper Blu Ray release. But that response just sounds like a slightly less pompous of the same song and dance George Lucas has given us for years, so I guess I'll just have to keep dreaming.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/15/13 at 9:16pm

I am all for preserving the classics... Yes, give it a digital transfer, stop the film grain from deteriorating, but the entire point of animated features, as devised by Walt, but has drawn and painted animation.. Hand crafted. The change of line, the paint variations all made the films come to life and gave them a homespun quality... And every detail was exact, every frame planned, all the colors precise. Repainting and removing even basic details of the animation - lines in fabric, changing colors and tone quality alters the storytelling, changes the film.
One of the brilliant things about the Disney features in the days of Walt is that each film was distinct in structure and visual style. Starting in the 80s, that was GONE. EVERY film was roughly the same length with the same style and structure (Under the Sea IS Be Our Guest IS Friend Like Me IS I Just Can't Wait To Be King) and the animation is the same style - it just looks they dropped a different wig on the same head to create all the girls after a certain point, and the coloring is always the same.
It's why the Princess franchise drives me batty. Every old princess was tweaked to have the same face as the new ones!

[BroadwayBenny]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 12:33pm

Well, some good news, Disney is now offering a replacement program for those bothered by the errors.

http://www.disneystudioshelp.com/ContactUs
800-723-4763 (U.S.)
888-877-2843 (Canada)

Right now they are just offering the regular blu-ray and DVD replacement discs (no 3D replacements yet, though you can still send in the 2D Blu and DVD from that combo pack). All you have to do is call them and give them some numbers off the discs and your address and they will send you a prepaid postage stamp to send them the discs you want replaced with the corrected version of the film.

I'm really glad they stepped up to the plate on this issue. This is one of the best restorations they've done video and audio quality wise. They actually left some film grain on the picture so it doesn't have that "all digital" look and feel. It still looks like a FILM...what a concept.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 12:42pm

Glad to hear they didn't overdo the restoration, and I'm guessing sales aren't great on this disc, or they wouldn't have done an about-face on their original statement regarding the changes (or mistakes). The consumers have spoken! Don't mess with the films when you release them.

And before someone says it, this has nothing to do with an alternate 3D version of a film. This is supposed to be the "original" film on home video, not an additional modified version. Not thing same thing.

[BroadwayBenny]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 1:11pm

Aside from the new editing flubs, this is the first time in a while that I've popped in a Disney blu-ray and felt like I was watching the same movie I had grown up with, just in a higher resolution.

As for the 3D conversion, The Little Mermaid has always had a more flat look to then the other Disney fairy tales (I feel it falls in between the style of 101 Dalmatians and Beauty and the Beast) so as I expected, this one didn't make the transition that effectively. There are a few "oooh pretty" moments, but otherwise it comes across as more of a pop up book than a 3D movie. It's the 2D version that really shines this edition.

Also, a couple of the new special features are delightful. One shows you a lecture recorded on someone's home video camcorder of the late Howard Ashman giving a lecture to the animators on the importance of how an animated musical should be structured (parts of this were also in the documentary, Waking Sleeping Beauty).

Another one was about the live action reference actors. This was amusing and really makes you appreciate The Little Mermaid almost as an independent film. Most people don't realize this film was drawn and painted in trailers off the Disney lot, as the animation building had been closed down. Here you see the directors and Kathryn Beaumont (Alice, Wendy) talking about how she was brought in during production of Mermaid to recollect for them what Walt did to make little live action films to help the animators give a sense of realism to the character's movements without rotoscoping.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 7:37pm

For exactly the history you've mentioned, I was surprised they even wanted to convert this movie to 3D or even HD.

The Little Mermaid came out in 1989 and ended the epic dry spell of Disney animation. I was there at the Cineramadome in Hollywood (no El Capitan owned by Disney yet) the day it opened. Do you know how many people were in the audience with me? About 20. I couldn't believe what I was watching. I was hoping to be mildly entertained, and I was blown away by the writing and songs and characters. BUT ... the animation was clearly done on the cheap. It did not have the elaborate backgrounds or colors or details or shading. It looked like one small notch above a made-for-TV animated special. But the incredible quality came through in the telling of the story, and that turned Disney animation completely around.

I went back to see it the next day at the Cineramadome, and there were about 250 in the audience, and it just kept growing by word of mouth.

Then came Beauty and the Beast with the budget added in, and the rest is history.

But Little Mermaid was very much produced like a low-budget indy film. So when people talk about the incredible details and animation now, I just laugh. Really? They can't see it for what it is? Or is it that they just don't know how this whole movie came to be?

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 10/3/13 at 9:02pm

"Right now they are just offering the regular blu-ray and DVD replacement discs (no 3D replacements yet, though you can still send in the 2D Blu and DVD from that combo pack). All you have to do is call them and give them some numbers off the discs and your address and they will send you a prepaid postage stamp to send them the discs you want replaced with the corrected version of the film.

I'm really glad they stepped up to the plate on this issue. This is one of the best restorations they've done video and audio quality wise. They actually left some film grain on the picture so it doesn't have that "all digital" look and feel. It still looks like a FILM...what a concept."

Is this for 'The Little Mermaid' only or can this also be done with films such as 'Cinderella' and 'The Sword in the Stone'?

[BroadwayBenny]

Posted: 10/4/13 at 12:34am

Just The Little Mermaid right now.

The issues with Cinderella and The Sword in the Stone were deliberate and not mistakes as far as Disney is concerned. However it can't hurt to call and complain about the lack of care put into those "restorations".

Updated On: 10/4/13 at 12:34 AM

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 3/8/14 at 11:16pm

While I am waiting for my 'Little Mermaid' Blu-ray and DVD to be repaired I came across this link. They make good points about how well 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Sleeping Beauty' were done.

http://www.thedailycrate.com/2014/02/28/opinion-in-defense-of-disney-restorations-dvdblu-ray-releases/











Updated On: 3/8/14 at 11:16 PM

[Jonwo]

Posted: 3/9/14 at 10:03am

I wouldn't say Mermaid looks cheap but it was the last film to use cels before they switched to CAPS. I would say that Oliver and Company before it has a rougher look but that actually suits the film.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/9/14 at 6:44pm

Beauty, I appreciate that link and reading a contrasting opinion to the standard rhetoric amongst BluRay fans about the Disney restorations. But surely this is wrong. "Sometimes the prints are lifted off of VHS as there are no reasonable celluloid prints left due to damage over time, improper care and temperatures and many other reasons. "

Lifted off of VHS?? Wha? Since when did Disney use VHS to store or archive their films? Where does this even make sense in the authors mind?

[Stheteller]

Posted: 7/18/16 at 5:59pm

I'm confused when you say that disney is now offering replacement discs. Are you they made discs that fix the blu ray editing blunders?