Disney is celebrating a huge anniversary this year: the studio that has shaped generations of hearts, young and young at heart, turns 100 years old. The Disney Group is celebrating this occasion with all kinds of promotions – the president of the Disney animation division recently chose the 10 best short films in Disney history in an interview with FILMSTARTS. But no Disney anniversary would be complete without the movies that built the Disney empire:
The long animated films that inspire young and old with unforgettable characters, catchy songs and enchanting worlds. A new, stately collector’s edition is now dedicated to these films: On July 6, 2023, the “Disney Classics Limited Edition” will be released with a total of 60 timeless Disney cartoons – that’s more than 84 hours of entertainment in one set!
In addition to the Blu-ray set, one will also be released DVD variant*. Both boxes will only be available in limited quantities and are essentially updates to the 2020 Disney Classics sets, which contain 56 more films. And if you get confused by the different runtimes of the Blu-ray and DVD boxes:
The DVD box comes in at just over 81 hours because movies on DVDs play a little faster, while Blu-rays maintain their original intended playback speed. With a few dozen films there is a difference in duration of several hours…
An enchanting journey through the history of animated films
The limited luxury boxes contain the first 60 films marketed in Germany under the banner “Disney Classics”. This series begins with the 1937 animated landmark Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and extends to the computer-animated musical Encanto, whose soundtrack became a worldwide phenomenon.
Disney’s latest feature film, science-fantasy adventure Strange World, is not included in the set but can be purchased separately DVD*, Blu ray* and if limited sample book* are being ordered. But even without “Strange World” you can expect a detailed and varied foray through animation styles and genres:
In addition to timeless, musical classics such as “The Jungle Book”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Aladdin” or “The Lion King”, there is also the satirical comedy “Zoomania” and the visually impressive art experiment “Fantasia”. . The set also includes cult action adventures such as “Atlantis – The Secret of the Lost City” and “Treasure Planet” or the smash hit “Moiana”, which will soon be made into a real movie with Dwayne Johnson.
Important to know: The Blu-ray box contains 60 films, nine of which are only included on DVD. These include the psychedelic party movie “Three Caballeros” starring Donald Duck as a lovelorn dream dancer and the cuddly, kind-hearted story collection “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”.
You can also find all these movies with subscription to Disney+*, but a collection box in a special packaging does more than just the idea of being able to use streaming. In addition, discs already purchased are not susceptible to internet outages, nor can they be taken overnight for licensing reasons.
Once again the new canon is perpetuated
What should be of interest to die-hard Disney fans: Like the previous Disney Classics boxes, the new sets are not based on the “Walt Disney Masterpieces” canon, as it has been called for decades. Instead, they follow the relatively new marketing numbering of Disney classics.
That means: the cartoon episode “Make Mine Music” from 1946, which has never appeared in its entirety in Germany, is missing. So that the fade-in at the beginning of “Rapunzel – Neu Verföhnt”, which describes the comedy adventure musical as the 50th Disney classic, does not make anyone suspicious, the previously released computer-animated comedy “Tierisch wild” is included.
The film was “merely” co-financed and distributed by Disney, but was animated outside of the company. But after 100 years of company history, some confusion about the cinematic pedigree is inevitable…