DVD News

Disney announces 30 titles coming to Blu-ray

By Patrick Luce Apr 18, 2012, 14:23 GMT

Walt Disney Studios announced more than films will be released to Blu-ray for the first time – including The Color of Money, Cocktail, Ransom, Evita, and Newsies.

Each film selected for release has been fully digitally re-mastered, with dirt and anomalies cleaned to a pristine level, offering viewers optimum high definition picture and sound quality of some of their favorite films. 

The films selected for release appeal to families, film-lovers and collectors with a wide-breadth of Live-Action, Animated, Romance titles that range from Beaches to  While You Were Sleeping and Pocahontas to The Santa Clause. Many are celebrating special 10th, 15th and 20thAnniversary Edition releases, many are Academy Award-Winning films like Dead Poets Society, Evita, Dick Tracy, and many are back by popular demand including Hocus Pocus, Adventures in Babysitting, and The Color of Money.

In a press release, Lori MacPherson, Executive Vice President, Product Management, The Walt Disney Studios, stated: “We receive many requests and comments from consumers seeking specific titles they’d like to own on Blu-ray and, as such, we carefully selected a number of popular films that will satisfy demand from fans worldwide. As we grow our Blu-ray catalog we will continue to utilize the best technologies to provide the most pristine and immersive in-home experience of our films.” 

In 2011, consumers’ high-definition packaged media purchases continued to rise with Blu-ray disc sales in the U.S. tallying more than $2 billion.  The Studio’s titles were among the most popular of the year with Academy Award nominee The Help, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Disney’s The Lion King, Disney/Pixar’s Cars2 and Disney’s Tangled all ranking in the industry’s Top 10 Blu-ray releases, according to the DEG.

The year-long campaign launched in January 2012 with the release of Good Morning, Vietnam and Dead Poets Society for the first time on Blu-ray. Both films earned Robin Williams an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and are the perfect addition to any in-home movie collection. 

Beginning in May, the Studio will start to celebrate a number of film anniversaries, introducing multiple great films to Blu-ray including Father of the Bride and Bringing Down the House releasing on May 15th; The Color of Money, Cocktail and Ransom releasing on June 5th; Sister Act and Evita releasing on June 19th; and The Horse Whisperer, Under the Tuscan Sun, Phenomenon, Step Up, Home On The Range and Treasure Planet releasing July 3rd.

In the Fall, a perfect mix of feel-good films, anniversary releases and nostalgic favorites will debut, including Adventures in Babysitting, Grosse Pointe Blank, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, The Rescuers, High Fidelity, Ed Wood, Judge Dredd, Ghost of the Abyss 3D, Lady And The Tramp 2: Scamp’s Adventure, Pocahontas, The Tigger Movie, The Aristocats and Pete’s Dragon.

And just in time for Halloween and the holidays, a wide array of titles that make perfect stocking stuffers for film fans will include titles such as Hocus Pocus, Arachnophobia, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Son of Flubber, Cold Creek Manor, The Santa Clause Trilogy, The Absent-Minded Professor, Flubber, While You Were Sleeping, Sweet Home Alabama, Beaches, Babes in Toyland, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Brother Bear and Dick Tracy.