Snow White Blu-ray bows seven weeks before DVD
Disney family title streets Oct. 6 on BD and Nov. 24 on standard
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 4/3/2009
APRIL 3 | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is putting its faith in a 70-year-old princess to broaden the audience for Blu-ray Disc.
The studio’s next re-release of animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which has been off the market since 2001, will bow on Blu-ray Disc on Oct. 6, seven weeks before it appears on standard DVD on Nov. 24. The lengthy advance window for Blu-ray is unprecedented for a major release on the format.
Snow White (prebook Aug. 25) carries a $39.99 SRP for Blu-ray/$29.99 SRP for standard DVD. Bonus features, as yet unspecified, will be packed into both configurations.
Disney recently has tried to stagger the Blu-ray and DVD releases of Bolt and Bedtime Stories, with the Blu-ray getting the early release by just two days, but those plans were stymied by retailers putting both versions out for sale early.
The Blu-ray Snow White will follow Disney’s trend of including a standard DVD with the Blu-ray in one package. Sleeping Beauty and Pinocchio Blu-ray sets were similarly bundled with standard-DVD copies.
The seven-week gap for Snow White might help retailers follow the guidelines by alleviating any extra merchandising involved with the two-day intervals of Bolt and Bedtime Stories—one common store complaint with Disney’s staggered Blu-ray/DVD plans.
Disney believes it has a hit release on its hands with Snow White. The 1939 film has been released theatrically nine times and is considered the industry’s first full-length animated feature.
“We are thrilled that the consumer has clearly recognized the value in our Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack releases and will have another opportunity to maximize their viewing options in October with Snow White,” Disney president Bob Chapek said. “With today’s technological breakthroughs found in Blu-ray, we are confident that this version of Snow White will easily become the reference point for high-definition home entertainment libraries and family collections all over the world.”
