Disney Classics: Back in the Vault
On April 30th, the current Blu-ray and DVD releases of three animated classics: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition, Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Edition, and Fantasia/Fantasia 2000: 2 Movie Collection Special Edition are going back in the Disney Vault.
On April 30th, 2011, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 return to the Disney Vault
In the 1940s, the Walt Disney Company began to theatrically re-release its animated features every few years as a way to introduce these beloved classics to new generations of children. The re-issued films performed well at the box office, earning hundreds of millions of dollars while helping to recoup losses from some of the company’s less successful films. The re-issues also helped several Disney films climb the ranks of the All Time Domestic Box Office Chart (Adjusted for Inflation), including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (#10), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (#11), and Fantasia (#21).
| Film | Original Box Office | Re-Release Box Office |
| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | 1937, $66,596,803 | 1952, 1958, 1967, 1975 1983, $30,100,000 1987, $46,594,212 1993, $41,634,471 |
| Pinocchio | 1940, $38,976,570 | 1945, 1954, 1962, 1971, 1978 1984, $26,414,038 1987, $46,594,212 1992, $18,863,559 |
| Fantasia | 1940, $42,850,000 | 1942, 1946, 1956, 1963, 1969, 1977, 1982 1985, $8,194,726 1990, $25,363,371 |
| Bambi | 1942, $3,000,000 | 1947, $2,200,000 1957, $6,000,000 1966, $9,000,000 1975, $20,000,000 1982, $23,000,000 1988, $39,047,150 |
| Cinderella | 1950 |
1957, 1965, 1973 1981, $28,040,000 1987, $34,101,149 |
| Peter Pan | 1953, $40,759,520 |
1958, 1969, 1976 1982, $17,200,000 1989, $29,445,131 |
| Lady and the Tramp | 1955, $36,359,037 |
1962, 1971 1980, $26,114,207 1986, $31,129,082 |
| Sleeping Beauty | 1959, $36,479,805 | 1970, 1979, 1987, 1993, 1995, 2002 1986, $15,120,195 |
| One Hundred and One Dalmatians | 1961, $14,000,000 | 1969, $18,000,000 1979, $19,000,000 1985, $33,049,729 1991, $60,830,285 |
| The Jungle Book | 1967, $73,741,048 | 1978 1984, $23,456,945 1990, $44,645,619 |
When DVDs first emerged as a home video platform in the late 90s, the Walt Disney Company shifted its marketing strategy from theatrical re-releases to the “Disney Vault”, a practice of releasing home video editions of Disney animated classics for only a limited time before pulling all copies from shelves and making the films unavailable for purchase for years at a time.
When the Disney Vault was first established, a friend of mine worked at a video rental store and revealed that the rental houses were required to go through their inventory to remove all copies of the vaulted films (including used copies that were for sale) and ship them back to Disney, suffering heavy fines for any copies that went unaccounted. Because of Disney’s strict policies, the Vault makes it impossible for consumers to buy or rent vaulted films from legitimate dealers which has led to a rise in bootlegged illegal copies as well as outrageously inflated prices for out-of-print editions through dealers on sites such as Amazon and Ebay.
But as frustrating as the Disney Vault is, it’s impossible to deny that it’s a brilliant marketing strategy. Limited releases become must-own films for families that might otherwise have to wait as long as ten years for the next opportunity to buy their favorite animated classics. When I was a poor college student, the Vault inspired me to buy my first Disney DVD, Aladdin (no longer a part of the Disney Vault), even though I had seen it on VHS so many times I could quote the film by heart.
| Special Edition | Original U.S. Release | Vaulted |
| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Platinum Edition | October 9, 2001 | January, 2002 |
| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Platinum Edition | October 9, 2001 | January, 2002 |
| Beauty and the Beast: Platinum Edition | October 8, 2002 | January, 2003 |
| The Lion King: Platinum Edition | October 7, 2003 | January, 2005 |
| Aladdin: Platinum Edition | October 5, 2004 | January, 2008 |
| Bambi: Platinum Edition | March 1, 2005 | January, 2007 |
| Cinderella: Platinum Edition | October 4, 2005 | January, 2008 |
| Lady and the Tramp: Platinum Edition | February 28, 2006 | January, 2007 |
| The Little Mermaid: Platinum Edition | October 3, 2006 | January, 2009 |
| Peter Pan: Platinum Edition | March 6, 2007 | January, 2009 |
| The Jungle Book: 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition | October 2, 2007 | January, 2010 |
| One Hundred and One Dalmatians: Platinum Edition | March 4, 2008 | January, 2010 |
| Sleeping Beauty: 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition | October 28, 2008 | January, 2010 |
| Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition | March 10, 2009 | April 30, 2011 |
| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition | October 6, 2009 | April 30, 2011 |
| Fantasia/Fantasia 2000: Special Edition | November 30, 2010 | April 30, 2011 |
| Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition | October 5, 2010 | |
| Bambi: Diamond Edition | March 1, 2011 |
I blame the Disney Vault for the four Disney DVDs that are lingering in my Amazon shopping cart, patiently waiting for me to “Proceed to Checkout”. If I really want the films (and I do!), I know I have to act soon, because if there’s one thing the Vault guarantees, it’s that they won’t be there for long.
And finally, something (not) for the kids: in the clip below, Saturday Night Live‘s TV Funhouse parodies the Disney Vault, Disney’s straight-to-DVD sequels, and the rumor that Walt Disney has been cryogenically frozen, all in three playful animated minutes.