Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Release

I was surprised to see that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is being re-released again rather soon after the last release.  The film was first released in 1994 on VHS, it came to DVD in 2001, and Blu-ray in 2009.  This newest release is the digital release.

Disney Store Promotional poster outside of the store

I personally pre-ordered the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo from the Disney Store.  If you pre-order the Blu-ray with them, you will also receive a free lithograph set and a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $40 or more.  The movie will be released in the combo pack on 2/2.  You can purchase the digital film on January 19th from Disney Movies Anywhere.

promotional information on counter

This is the information you take back to the store to pick up your disc

The inside of the information packet is pretty!  Much better than the cover.

Here is the cover for the lithographs that uses the artwork from the disc cover

Here is the inside with the lithographs - please forgive the upside down photo - Blogger and I are not getting along right now

Again, I think the inside of the folder is so much prettier than the outside.  Great artwork.

 Here are the four lithographs

Images from the Disney Store

Target is releasing the Blu-ray combo set with a storybook.  I can't find any information about the book though and the image is quite poor.  I haven't seen any other gift with purchase situations with other stores.  If you find another - please let me know!

I'm so glad to see lithographs from the Disney Store.  It reminds me back to other releases that came with gifts.

Here is the advertisement from the 2001 Disney Store Catalog release of the DVD

Here are a few of the lithographs from my collection:

Snow White Behind the Magic

Earlier this month ABC aired a special to promote the new Blu-ray release of Snow White.  If you didn't get to watch it it is on ABC news.

I watched the special and found myself slightly disappointed for a few reasons.  First, I thought that the special was great for people who don't know anything about the making of the film as it gave an overview of that time for the studios.  That being said, I felt that the film maker should have used more of the fantastic production art and left out the live action film sequences that really didn't match to the story.  Having been made by ABC it seems that they could have used more photographs and images from the archives as well.  Another cause of disappointment for me was the interviews.  I was hoping to hear more from those who were there by using the archival footage or talking more to those who were around the studio in those days.  My overall impression of the special was it was a way to get Once Upon a Time fans to purchase the Blu-ray.  For those who were looking for a less dramatized version of the making of the film, I would recommend reading The Fairest One of All by J.B. Kauffman or one of the other books on my top Snow White book list.

J.B. Kaufman on Snow White

Ran across this interview with J.B. Kaufman. Part 1 focuses on the Blu-ray and part 2 discusses advancements made during the film's creation. Some of the questions seem a little silly to this fan, but interesting none the less. J.B. Kaufman has written several books about Disney history including the new South of the Border with Disney. I got to see him talk at the D23 expo this September. Here is an article from Animation World Network by J.B. Kaufman about the music in the Silly Symphonies (he wrote a book about this topic too).

Blu-ray Website

The new Snow White Blu-ray Website is very animated (ha! ha!) and includes down loadable backgrounds and email signatures (seen here is one). After a cute promo video you can explore the areas, find the 15 hidden diamonds and unlock the diamond mine where you can download the locked characters things as well as a certificate to be the "eight dwarf" and a chart that shows the dwarfs names in a variety of languages.

What to Do?

Disney store is pre-ordering the Diamond Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray DVD. So many options. The Limited Edition 17 inch doll set appears to have sold out. So now there are three options: the Limited Edition Collectors set (with book, Lithograph set, and pin set), the Book and DVD combo, or the Plush and DVD combo.
Let's just be honest - I don't need the plush. So I'm torn between the collectors set or the book/DVD. But spending $189.99 or $49.99, for the collector set or the book set respectively, maybe it isn't really a choice...
I remember when the video was released in 1994 and then later the DVD was released in 2001. All the stores were given gifts when you pre-ordered: lithographs, buttons, and even pogs (remember that fad?). Now it seems we could by the limited edition doll for $99 and get the DVD as the bonus. My how times have changed.