'Sleeping Beauty' Gets Fancy on Blu-ray
Filed under: Animation, Classics, New Releases, Disney, Tech Stuff, Home Entertainment
I'm beginning to believe that no one really wants to watch movies anymore. Or, at least, they don't want to actively watch them. Big movie theaters are hurting with the advent of saucy home theater systems, and it seems like most people would rather curl up on their couch then head out for the big community experience. We've already heard arguments about the mass distractions that are attached to home viewing, but I never thought that it would become part of the movie experience.The Hollywood Reporter posts that Walt Disney is itching to use Blu-ray's Live technology to make a more interactive movie experience. But they're not talking about the Choose Your Own Adventure sort of fare. They're adding a whole lot of bells and whistles to their classics. First up, my favorite Disney film ever -- Sleeping Beauty.
Luckily, it doesn't seem to be presenting anything that will make me want to go out and get a new player. It's all movie distractions. It might be cool that the menu will have a customized version of Sleeping Beauty's castle that will reflect your weather conditions, but that's just fluff. Besides that, there's just things to distract you from the film -- integrated chats on the movie screen, customized video messages to insert into the movie, the option to mail clips to friends, trivia games, and the option for a constant stream of web trailers.
Of course, not any old Blu-ray player will do -- you'll need one that uses BD Live technology, which will hit shelves this summer. And of course, to use the interactive bits, you need to have two copies of the film and two players. Buy, buy, buy! Me, I'll just stick with my trusty DVD player and Skype, which is free, and only needs a headset, computer, and internet connection, which hey, I already have!
But it makes me wonder ... sure, this is definitely a cash-grab, which will make them all tons of money if it catches on. But is this just to give people more technology, or to distract us from the increasingly crappy films out there? Maybe we won't notice that a film is shite if we can conduct a chat right on the movie screen and not actually pay attention to the movie itself.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-16-2008 @ 9:16AM
Kevin said...
I'm still waiting on cinematical to do an article that actually shows that people are staying away from the theater and waiting to watch movies at home. Maybe its the scientist in me, but it seems as if once a day someone on cinematicals team posts an aritcle saying "Big movie theaters are hurting with the advent of saucy home theater systems, and it seems like most people would rather curl up on their couch then head out for the big community experience". I'm sure DVD sales are up because of things like netflix and blu-ray, but how does that support the claim that people are shying away from theaters? Iron Man just did 100 million dollars in one weekend domestically, followed by another 50 mill the next weekend. The rest of the films are poised to break box office records. If hollywood puts out good movies or even movies that feature characters fans are excited to see (Spiderman 3) then people will flock to see them. I'm not saying you guys are wrong, I'm just waiting for you guys to support your claim with more than redundant statements. Once you do so then I'll be the first one supporting you.
Reply
5-16-2008 @ 10:09AM
Monika said...
Kevin,
While I can't speak for the rest of the writers, I said the above based on three things:
1. I've seen a lot of readers, in my posts and others, comment about how their home theaters are better than the movies. While I don't agree (unless they actually have a theater in their homes), it's a prevalent argument.
2. Almost everyone I know, or have known, sees a majority of films at home, even if their systems suck. They'll see a big movie here or there, and leave the rest for DVD.
3. The number of films that now rely on DVD sales to make their money, rather than big box office takes, when it used to be the other way around.
5-17-2008 @ 5:51PM
Kevin said...
All valid arguments. However, none of them really show that people are staying away from theaters. Just because production companies are making their money back on DVD sales doesn't mean that people are choosing to wait for a dvd to come out because they'd rather watch a movie at home. It just shows that a lot of movies suck and people don't see those in the theater. However, they might not have gone to see the movie in the theater regardless of the quality of their home system. The relevant point that needs to be proven is when people are saying that they'll wait for the DVD release of a movie they really want to see, rather then watching it in the theater. When that happens then what you're saying will be true. The real way to test this hypothesis will be when they start releasing DVD's the same day they release a movie in the theater. If there is a drastic drop off in box office receipts then it can be shown people would prefer to watch a movie at home. My complaint continues to be that every summer movies come out that post ENORMOUS box office totals. If people really were sick of theaters than I could start showing up 2 minutes before the movie plays to get a seat. It seems to me that theater sales are still fairly robust given the fact that if I wanted to see Iron Man on opening night I had to buy my ticket at home and wait in line for an hour to get a good seat.
5-16-2008 @ 9:16AM
Ronan said...
I'm really looking forward to interactive HD porn.
Reply
5-16-2008 @ 9:20AM
ThriceDamned said...
Interactive stuff notwithstanding (doesn't interest me either), are you honestly not excited by the jump in picture and audio quality?
I'm quite looking forward to getting Sleeping Beauty on Blu-Ray, for the beautiful restoration, deep colors, clarity and image depth that DVD could never match. Disney never fails when it comes to taking proper care of their treasures.
Reply
5-16-2008 @ 12:25PM
Erik Davis said...
I bought my first Blu-ray DVD a few weeks ago and I'm hooked. Plus they just added a bunch of HD channels to my cable, and so I rarely watch anything now that's not in HD.
I can see how the whole interactive thing might be fun for kids, though it works better with a video game than a Disney cartoon (specifically the chat stuff). And hey, I guess the more you get out of your DVD (and the longer you can entertain your kids) the better, right?
Reply
5-16-2008 @ 9:26PM
V.M.L. said...
SLEEPING BEAUTY is one of my all time favorite Disney movies. I don't think it deserves an AOL makeover. :( People should watch and enjoy the movie, not put crap messages and stuff all over it. ITS NOT THE INTERNET.
Reply
5-18-2008 @ 10:28AM
EatingPie said...
Monika, I'm actually surprised you said nothing about this release makes you want to get a new player. What about the movie... in High Definition! (Have you seen High Definition?) This is Disney's most beautiful film, and it has SO MUCH to gain from High Definition, I simply can't wait for it to come out!
A Blu-Ray of Sleeping Beauty will be a wondrous experience... because of the movie. Not all the other crap they throw in. And by the time this hits shelves, players will be in the US $200.00 range. Get a Blu-Ray player, you won't regret it! (Assuming you have an HDTV of course.)
-Pie
Reply
6-10-2008 @ 10:46PM
applepieman said...
Hey I just got an idea they should do this with a blue ray release of "Rocky Horror Picture Show". People could chat on it and even have a splt screen and do this like they do at the midnight theater airing of the rocky horror picture show. like people interacting with the movie. maybe thats's what they have in mind with this.
Reply