The Lion King Roars Out of Disney’s Vault

Written by Jon Williams

Disney’s The Lion King was released in theatres in June of 1994 and immediately became a smash success. It would go on to be the second-highest earning film of the year (behind Forrest Gump), and its domestic box office gross of more than $420 million is currently good for #18 of all time. It won Academy Awards for Best Score and Best Original Song, and it was also awarded the Golden Globe for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Now the original animated movie hit is being released from the Disney vault in new DVD and Blu-ray editions, and it’s not coming alone. Capitalizing on the success of the film, Disney released The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride as a direct-to-video offering in 1998 with most of the voice cast returning. It was followed in 2004 by The Lion King 1 1/2, a “sequel” that takes place at the same time as the original film, but from the perspectives of Timon and Pumbaa, the movie’s popular meerkat and warthog sidekicks. All three movies will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 29, the first time they’ve been available since 2011.

More than twenty-three years since the film’s original release, fans are still enthralled by the timeless story and characters of The Lion King. In 1997, it was adapted into a musical that has enjoyed a very long run and is the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time. It has also been kept alive on television, starting with an animated series featuring Timon and Pumbaa that aired from 1995 through 1999. In 2015, the TV movie Return of the Roar kicked off a new series called The Lion Guard that centers on the cub Kion and a new group of friends that protect the pridelands. In addition, Timon and Pumbaa star in a number of Wild About Safety shorts that aim to teach young viewers about how to be safe in a variety of situations. And all of this will culminate in 2019 with a new live-action version, much like what Disney did with Beauty and the Beast earlier this year.

With The Lion King and its sequels being released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time since 2011, make sure you get copies now. When it goes back into the vault, it will be several years before it’s available again. If you have questions about the Disney vault’s origins or which Disney movies are subject to the process, make sure you revisit our blog post on the topic.

The Simple Bare Necessities – On Broadway!

Written by Kyle Slagley

Disney Theatrical Productions is at it again, this time in the jungles of India with Mowgli, Bagheera, and Baloo in tow. I read in Variety not too long ago that the 1967 animated film The Jungle Book has made its debut as a main-stage production this year.

Most folks are familiar with the Rudyard Kipling classic story of a boy raised by wolves in the jungle, the animated film having been a staple for parents for nearly 50 years. With classic songs like “Bare Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You,” it’s unsurprising that Disney Animation decided to transport the story from the screen to the stage.

According to Variety, the show is a partnership between Disney Theatrical Prods and two different theatres, Chicago’s Goodman Theater and Boston’s Huntington Theater. It premiered at the Goodman in June and has just extended its run for the third time; the Huntington responded by extending their run as well, even though the show doesn’t premiere until September 7.

Founded in 1993, Disney Theatrical Prods (like every other arm of the Mouse House) is no stranger to wildly successful shows, and since Disney has that annoying habit of sending movie favourites back into the Disney Vault, the stage shows are a great way to tide fans over between releases.

Beauty and the Beast – Premiering in 1993 in Houston, Texas, the Broadway production began previews in April of 1994. Based on the 1991 animated film (now “in the vault”), the show finally closed in 2007 after more than 5,400 performances. Touring productions have hit over 14 countries. Not bad for being the first stage show Disney ever produced.

The Lion King – Following the huge success of the 1994 animated film (in the vault), the musical debuted in Minneapolis in July of 1997; three months later, in October, it was a smash success on Broadway. Expanding on the music of the film, and putting some of the most majestic costumes ever seen on stage (and in the audience!) have ensured that even now, more than fifteen years later, the show is still running and consistently one of the highest grossing shows on Broadway. If you consider yourself a theatre fan and haven’t seen this show, shame on you.

Mary Poppins – The infamous British nanny, immortalized by Julie Andrews on the silver screen in the 1964 film (in the vault), made her debut on the Great White Way in 2006 after finding success in the UK. The first of the Disney Live Action films to be adapted to the stage, it ran until March of this year when it closed after 2,619 performances. This story makes it back to the movie theatres this fall in “Saving Mr. Banks,” a biopic starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson about Walt Disney and P. L. Travers, author of the original book.

Newsies – One of the hottest new musicals on Broadway right now, the show was supposed to have a limited run beginning in late March of 2012. After being extended to mid-August, Disney announced on May 16 that the show will continue indefinitely. Based on the 1992 film starring Christian Bale, which chronicles the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899, the show was written by Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein. It was reported in May that producers are trying to find a theatre in London’s West-End to host a production for the spring of 2014.

Aladdin – Having already premiered in Seattle in 2011, the show bounced to St. Louis in 2012, and will land on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theater (home of Mary Poppins before it closed) sometime in 2014. Residents and visitors to Toronto will have a short window from November 13 to January 12 to catch a performance at the Ed Mirvish Theater before it lands for good in New York.

Shedding Light on Disney's Vault

The animated films from the Walt Disney Company are some of the best known and beloved of all time. These timeless classics are often shared with children by parents who originally saw and fell in love with the films as children themselves. Sales and rentals of Disney DVDs and Blu-rays are generally robust. However, finding Disney films on DVD and Blu-ray isn’t always a simple matter.

The Vault’s History
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made its theatrical debut in 1937. As an effort to raise profits during World War II, the company rereleased the film into theaters again in 1944. The success of this venture led to Disney’s policy of rereleasing their films to theaters every seven to ten years.¹

This process continued through the mid-1980s, when the burgeoning home video market offered another potential outlet for Disney films. With the release of Sleeping Beauty on VHS in 1986, Disney switched its efforts from theatrical releases to home video releases.² As the home video market has evolved from VHS to DVD and now Blu-ray, Disney has sought to replicate their strategy by limiting the length of time films are available for sale or rental, and keeping their titles on a rerelease schedule.

So What’s in There?
Films subject to Disney’s vault process are their “animated classics.” This includes a whole list of titles; notables include: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, The Fox and the Hound, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.³ Note that Pixar films (such as the Toy Story films and Finding Nemo) are not part of the vault program.

The most recent Disney releases from the vault are Beauty and the Beast and Bambi, both of which are now available on both DVD and Blu-ray.⁴ As for upcoming releases, look for a 70th Anniversary Edition of Dumbo in September, and The Lion King will be available again in October. Both titles will be available on Blu-ray for the first time in addition to their DVD versions.

Double-Edged Sword for Libraries
When a Disney film goes into the vault, it means it will be unavailable for sale or retail rental for several years. However, due to the films’ classic nature, there is always a certain level of demand, especially as parents want to show the movies to their children before their interest wanes. The library is a perfect solution to this conundrum. While Disney films are unavailable from other outlets, libraries can continue to circulate their copies during the moratorium period.

Of course, on the flip side, any copies that are lost or damaged while the film is in the vault will be unavailable for replacement. So it never hurts to keep an extra copy or two on hand in case of emergencies.

Midwest Tape will do our best to keep you informed of titles that are going into or coming out of the Disney vault. For example, in the April DVD Buyer’s Guide, we advertised three Disney titles that were about to be discontinued, along with the last date they could be ordered.

What Do You Think?
What do you think of Disney’s policy of placing films in the vault for several years? Have you noticed an increase in lending when these titles are discontinued? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

¹ http://www.xtimeline.com/evt/view.aspx?id=23706
² http://www.pophistorydig.com/?p=45
³ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Vault
⁴ http://disney-blog.com/?p=719