Next wave of Walt Disney Treasures? Update: Future In Doubt

[tomman710]

Any ideas or rumors of what the next wave of Walt Disney Treasures may be ... I know I am anxiously awaiting the rest of the Donald Duck shorts and I hope that's one of them but what have you all heard?

[ichabod]

Whoa, we are getting this question asked early this year! We won't know anything until August at the very earliest, maybe even later if they are happening. Although according to Leonard Maltin as recently as a week ago, he is not aware if there will be any continuation of the series.

[I am the Doctor]

Speculating here-

I suspect there will be at least one, if not two more, waves of Treasures. At the very least, I suspect they will finish off Donald Duck, which would be two more Treasures and a second Rarities disc. Other than that, who knows. I suspect we might see more Mickey Mouse Club stuff (Spin and Marty, etc.).

I think the reason for the cut back in the amount of Treasures this time (total of 65,000 for each set) has to do with the fact that most Treasures collectors (especially the animated short collectors) want them all, and the early ones are quite expensive if you're just starting off now. More Silly Symphonies doesn't have as much appeal unless one has (or can get) the first Silly Symphonies.

I think that's part of the reason for the Legacy collection. It allows those who didn't get in on the ground floor with the Treasures to have a collection that they can afford and start off on the ground floor with. Just a hunch, but I suspect if they continue with the Legacy series beyond what they've already announced (True-life, Disneyland, Oswald and Destino), you might start to see some of the early Treasure material re-released into the Legacy collection.

[tomman710]

There HAS to be a continuation, I don't know why Maltin would say that, because Donald Duck has to be finished, especially since that is Maltin's favorite character.

[slave2moonlight]

I know it's been said that it is unlikely, but I'll consider it a great disservice to not release another Disney Legends set to finish up Baca and Swamp Fox for us. I'm sure we'll get the rest of Donald Duck, and I really hope we see another rarities set or at least an educational shorts set. I am desperate for Scrooge McDuck and Money and an unedited version of Small One. I need to know if we're ever going to get one, so I can just get the Holiday compilation it is on if not.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

On the "Hardy Boys" set, Mr. Maltin talked about some other "mystery" that they had, so that could possibly be another Treasure set. Just thinking.

[rugbytiger]

There HAS to be a continuation, I don't know why Maltin would say that, because Donald Duck has to be finished, especially since that is Maltin's favorite character.

It's pretty clear that Leonard would love to continue/complete his work on the Treasures, but ultimately it could all be out of his control. If the sales figures are low, it'll be hard to persuade Disney to plow more money into the line if the purse-string controllers view it as a loss-leader.

Now, I've not got any insider info, but as well as Leonard's veilled warning, there are important factors to consider this year that mean the Treasures need our support more than ever...

Firstly, the release date of 19th December was incredibly late for getting copies secured in time for xmas. Personally I know it put me off ordering them at all so that I didn't have an empty space under the tree. Only now am I scraping scarce January funds together to pick them all up, but the lack of a xmas-like deadline takes away the urgency somewhat. Judging by the medicore amazon sales rankings, I sense that this isn't an unfamiliar situation amongst the usually regular customers.

Secondly, the biggest animated star to headline this wave is Pluto! As we begin running out of famous cartoons, it is only natural that the line will lose people along the way. Picking up all the discs as quickly as possible if you ARE interested in the line is imperative to ensure another wave is green-lit in time for next Xmas. They money guys will look at the initial overall sales figures only, and not stop to consider whether there are still a few rareties and Donald shorts to release. We've already seen the this dropping a series halfway through with Gargoyles Season Two volume 1's weaker than exprected sales, so commitment to customer expectations isn't always a high a priority as it should be.

Lastly, 65,000 copies is an incredibly low number to produce of anything, and if they sit on the shelves, due to the factors above, we are in real danger! If Leonard Maltin himself is unsure about the future of the line, it seems it'll be down to the fans to ensure this wave is a success. If it means shouting from the rooftops to make sure the message of urgency reaches every potential customer, I think it'll all be worth it if it means Mr Maltin is allowed to start assembling more delights for us.

I've just watched Silly Symphonies Volume Two, and it was the most thrilling volume so far for me - we are really starting to unearth some truly buried treasure. The commentaries and documentaries are outstanding and persuaded me, after my initial stalling, to rush straight out to pick up the other three volumes. I think all of us here are confident there is so much more milage in the line, but we must do everything we can to make sure the bean counters are as confident as possible about this too!

[UrsushH.Bear]

It was interesting that the Figaro shorts showed up on Pluto- still the additions seemed natural enough. I could see a wave or two solidified, with the duck's last two volumes (it would work well to include the chip's featured shorts on with Donald).

I wonder how they will handle the good neighbor duck movies in his career. Mickey had no feature to put on a disc, except for Fantasia-apprentice bit, and the segment from fun and fancy free- beanstalk.

There can always be other compilation disks of Disneyland episodes. It will be fun to see what they have planned- but I know it is too early to speculate too much- although I know there has been talk about an educational collection.

Here's watchin'

[Flanger-Hanger]

I know it's been said that it is unlikely, but I'll consider it a great disservice to not release another Disney Legends set to finish up Baca and Swamp Fox for us. I'm sure we'll get the rest of Donald Duck, and I really hope we see another rarities set or at least an educational shorts set. I am desperate for Scrooge McDuck and Money and an unedited version of Small One. I need to know if we're ever going to get one, so I can just get the Holiday compilation it is on if not.

I too would like to see Scrooge McDuck and money on DVD but Leonard Maltin has said he only wants to do stuff the was realsed in Walt's Lifetime and because McDuck and money was released in 1967 it may not show up on a treasure set, the saim would aply to "It's Tough to be a Bird" (1969), "Small One" (1978) "Winnie the Pooh Discovers the seasons" and others. Even though he did put Mickey's 3 cartoons from the 80's and 90's on a treasure set

[Loomis]

Given the low print run, and the new waves of Legacy sets, it would seem unlikely that the Treasures have much of a future. It has kind of taken up where some of the Treasures left off, especially in the case of my beloved Disneyland/theme park related stuff.

In the Walt era there's Gala Day at Disneyland (1960); Disneyland The Park/Pecos Bill episode [3 April 1957 (Season 3, Episode 21)]; and Disneyland USA (1956), a documentary tour of the park.

Some vintage-if-not-Walt stuff like Herbie Day at Disneyland (1974), Christmas in Disneyland (1976), and Sandy in Disneyland (1974) with Sandy Duncan! Also, there's Kraft Salutes Disneyland's 25th Anniversary (1980).

This is just a small selection of Disneyland stuff, not to mention other Disneyland episodes and so forth, all of which would make great fodder for future treasures.

The problem is whether these would be interesting to anybody outside of small collection of fans.

[ToyOtter]

I wonder how they will handle the good neighbor duck movies in his career. Mickey had no feature to put on a disc, except for Fantasia-apprentice bit, and the segment from fun and fancy free- beanstalk.

What's really strange to me is that they double-dipped the 'Mickey & the Beanstalk' segment, but still haven't released the version that Sterling Holloway narrated and cuts out all the Edgar Bergin stuff that stops the film dead in it's tracks. I have nothing against Bergin, but it really is jarring to keep cutting back to him and Luana Patten.

[slave2moonlight]

I too would like to see Scrooge McDuck and money on DVD but Leonard Maltin has said he only wants to do stuff the was realsed in Walt's Lifetime and because McDuck and money was released in 1967 it may not show up on a treasure set, the saim would aply to "It's Tough to be a Bird" (1969), "Small One" (1978) "Winnie the Pooh Discovers the seasons" and others. Even though he did put Mickey's 3 cartoons from the 80's and 90's on a treasure set

I wouldn't worry too much about that. I think the inclusion of the 3 Mickey toons made it clear that a fitting Treasures set wouldn't shy away from including such shorts, as long as they weren't the bulk of the collection. I am still amazed that Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons hasn't been on any Pooh releases yet. I really love that one too. I also hope we eventually see "Dad, Can I Borrow the Car" on DVD, along with "It's Tough to be a Bird." Dad, Can I Borrow the Car would be nice on a release of the Love Bug TV series, which could all fit onto one release (maybe even one disc).

As for the Legacy Collection taking over, I have no problem with that. As long as something takes over in releasing the great "Vault Disney" type Disney material that exists, I'll be happy. I admit, I'd love to keep adding more tins to my collection rather than starting with something totally new, but since they've already opened that door... However, I hope they will at least finish with subjects they have started before ending the Treasures line totally. As for buying this stuff to keep it going, I haven't missed a single Treasures set and have tried my best to get them as quickly as possible, though I did have some trouble one year when they pushed the release date AFTER Christmas. However, releasing both Treasures AND the Legacy sets this year, which are the same price where I live and which is no small amount for me to scrape together (200 bucks), I so far have only managed to get the Treasures. Add on the recent releases of Disney animated TV shows, and that's even more I want to keep up with. I only just got Gummi Bears, and still need the second volumes of DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, and Gargoyles. However, I hope to get them all AND the 4 Legacy sets soon, even though it will probably mean missing out on the 4-disc Narnia set.

On the subject of Mickey and the Beanstalk, since I already have "Fun and Fancy Free," all I really want is for them to eventually release the Ludwig Von Drake presentation of that story. I LOVE that one!

[Big Disney Fan]

Speculating here-

I suspect there will be at least one, if not two more, waves of Treasures. At the very least, I suspect they will finish off Donald Duck, which would be two more Treasures and a second Rarities disc. Other than that, who knows. I suspect we might see more Mickey Mouse Club stuff (Spin and Marty, etc.).

The only two cartoons left out of the Rarities section are SUSIE THE LITTLE BLUE COUPE and CASEY BATS AGAIN. Those are just TWO cartoons and certainly not enough to fill a quota for a Rarities disc, even if they included stuff on Alice Comedies or even (heaven forbid) Oswald.

Maybe they could do a set on the Laugh-O-Grams. One thing's for sure, though: a third Donald set will accompany this wave.

[MK Sharp]

Secondly, the biggest animated star to headline this wave is Pluto! As we begin running out of famous cartoons, it is only natural that the line will lose people along the way. (...)

Lastly, 65,000 copies is an incredibly low number to produce of anything (...)

I think it is true that we're getting towards the more esoteric end of the Treasures range, and a natural knock-on effect of that is that there is going to be a smaller audience for those titles. ISTR there's been lots of discussion about how many copies of the Wave 5 Treasures are still available in stores and on-line. In the case of titles like Disney Rarities that's probably not so surprising, and I dare say it seemed likely that a Silly Symphonies set that was half composed of b/w material would be equally unattractive to a wide viewership (although not to us, dear fellow UDers, who know the value of such stuff).

Dropping the print run down to 65,000 is probably actually a wise move designed to prevent there being a large amount of unsold stock and cut intial production costs. Now if that means that the line is viable for a year or two more, then so much the better. In fact, I doubt whether even under the best of conditions it would ever have continued past Wave 8 anyway, with all the short cartoons released.

To be brutally honest, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a Wave 7 including two sets of Chron. Donald, thus finishing off the shorts and allowing them to cut and run on the Treasures range altogether.

Maybe they could do a set on the Laugh-O-Grams.

I think Ray Pointer's already beaten them to it: see here. I'm waiting with baited breath to see what he comes up with for the revised Alice set.

[I am the Doctor]

The only two cartoons left out of the Rarities section are SUSIE THE LITTLE BLUE COUPE and CASEY BATS AGAIN. Those are just TWO cartoons and certainly not enough to fill a quota for a Rarities disc, even if they included stuff on Alice Comedies or even (heaven forbid) Oswald.

Maybe they could do a set on the Laugh-O-Grams. One thing's for sure, though: a third Donald set will accompany this wave.

There are also three stand-alone Chip and Dales, the two Goofy Freeway two-reelers and the already mentioned Uncle Scrooge and Money. Since the latter day Mickey Mouse cartoons were included, the Small One could be included as well. And there are some Alice comedies that still exist that weren't included on the first Rarities disc (yes, I know there another company has released some of these to DVD).

MK Sharp wrote:

To be brutally honest, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a Wave 7 including two sets of Chron. Donald, thus finishing off the shorts and allowing them to cut and run on the Treasures range altogether.

That would not surprise me a bit. The Chip and Dales could be included with the DD volumes (like they did with the Figaro cartoons being included with Pluto) and the latter day cartoons such as the Goofy Freeway cartoons and the Small One being included in the Legacy line.

In fact, it will not surprise me a bit if the next wave is just two Treasures, the last two DD volumes.

[zuzu]

I think there will be one more wave with only 3 titles :
- 2 "Chronological Donald" with the 3 "Chip & Dale" cartoons,
- 1 Educational Treasure with cartoons (Freewayphobia 1&2, Scrooge McDuck, Steel and America, Donald's Fire Survival Plan, It's Tough To Be A Bird...) and TV episodes (some "Ludwig Von Drake", some "I'm no fool"...)

I'm not sure if we are going to have "Susie the Little Blue Coupe" and "Casey Bats Again" in the treasures line. I don't know if it can fit somewhere...

[Matty-Mouse]

I'd be happy if thats what we got in next years Treasures.

I'd be well annoyed if we never got the rest of the Donalds, he's my favourite character and if shorts really are the best that disney put out in the 1940's/1950's.

[yamiiguy]

I hope there is another Wave, we need Chronological Donald Vol. 3, The Complete Pluto Vol. 3 and an Educational set (with a restored Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land)

[ichabod]

I hope there is another Wave, we need Chronological Donald Vol. 3, The Complete Pluto Vol. 3 and an Educational set (with a restored Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land)

Pluto is already complete. There's no need for a 3rd volume.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

At this point I guess it's hard to tell what Disney will and "could" do about the WDT line. However, I would expect them to complete the classic shorts - that would amount to probably two volumes of DD and a few more "odds and ends". No more DD would be maddening and pretty much a "slap in the face" to collectors. But I wouldn't really fear this - the "Legacy" releases suggest that there is someone at Disney who cares about the classic material.