The
"Disney Vault" is the term used by
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment for its policy of putting
home video releases of
Walt Disney Animation Studios's
animated features on
moratorium. Each Disney film is available for purchase for a limited time, after which it is put "in the vault" and not made available in stores for several years until it is once again released.
History
The practice is the modern version of Disney's practice of re-releasing its animated films in theaters every couple of years which began with the reissue of 1937's
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Television commercials for Disney home video releases will alert customers that certain films will be placed on moratorium soon, urging them to purchase these films before they "go back into the 'Disney Vault'", in the words often spoken by
Mark Elliot. Some
direct-to-video Disney films, among them
Bambi II, have also been released with a pre-established window of availability.
Controls
The Walt Disney Company itself states that this process is done to both control their market and to allow Disney films to be fresh for new generations of young children. A side effect of the moratorium process is the fact that videos and DVDs of Disney films placed on moratorium become
collectables, sold in stores and at
auction websites such as
eBay for sums in excess of their original suggested retail price. The practice also has made the Disney films a prime target for
counterfeit DVD manufacturers.
Producers
Disney's live-action films,
Pixar films and films released by Disney's other film divisions/labels (
Touchstone Pictures,
Hollywood Pictures,
Miramax Films,
Dimension Films) are not held to this rule, generally only being discontinued when a newer edition is released.
However, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 (which are from Pixar) were once in the "Disney Vault" until 2005 where newer editions were released for those particular films: a 10th anniversary edition for Toy Story and a special edition for Toy Story 2.
Films
The following films are currently considered as being in the cycle of movies which are subject to the rules of the Disney Vault.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Pinocchio (1940)
Fantasia (1940)
Bambi (1942)
Cinderella (1950)
Peter Pan (1953)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
101 Dalmatians (1961)
The Jungle Book (1967)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
The Lion King (1994)
Variations
In the US,
Aladdin was originally included, but this has now been replaced by
Fantasia.
In Germany and Canada,
Alice in Wonderland is additionally included.
DVD releases
USA
Platinum Editions
In October 2001, with
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney started releasing these films on DVD in "Platinum Edition" sets. This continued until 2005, when the release rate was increased to two films per year. The range, then containing
Aladdin instead of
Fantasia was completed in March 2009 when
Pinocchio was released. This, and the previous release
Sleeping Beauty, were also released on
Blu-ray Disc.
Diamond Editions
In October 2009, again beginning with
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney relaunched the range for Blu-ray under the banner "Diamond Edition". These releases will be released alongside "Special Edition" DVD sets.
UK
Curiosities
An edition of
Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse lampooned the Disney Vault with exaggerated claims, such as
Walt Disney's head preserved cryogenically in the vault and an imprisoned
Jim Henson, creator of the
Muppets that were evidently purchased by
Disney in 2004.
See also
Walt Disney Platinum Editions
Artificial scarcity
Moratorium (entertainment)
References
External links
Ultimate Disney - List of movies in the Disney Vault
Category:Disney